Ex-BBC executive: 'We p****d away £200k but it didn't matter as there's jacuzzis of cash'

David Mortimer, who was the creative head of factual entertainment for the BBC until 2006, claimed the corporation was “definitely inappropriately managed” during his time there.

Speaking at the Global TV Summit, Mr Mortimer said both he and his colleagues were unable to secure a single investment following their calamitous pilot episode of Dragon’s Den, the popular entrepreneur programme that is now in its twelfth series.

But because the BBC had what he described as “jacuzzis of cash” to fund the work, Mr Mortimer claims they were able to “give it another go”.

He added that had he been working elsewhere, then it would have been “very difficult” to continue with the show – suggesting that the programme would have probably been “killed”.

Mr Mortimer, who also worked as the BBC deputy controller and head of development of general factual programmes, said: “So, we basically p****d away £200,000 on the pilot, it looked great but we didn’t have any investment.”