Dragon's Den star Richard Farleigh accuses his co-stars of 'bullying' before he was axed and reveals he threatened to quit the show

Dragon's Den star Richard Farleigh has accused his former co-stars of 'bullying' contestants before he was axed from the show back in 2007.

The Australian investor, 65, claimed he threatened to quit the show over an incident with one participant on the series as he reflected on his time on the programme. 

Richard starred alongside Duncan Bannatyne, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis for two seasons.

He wrote on his LinkedIn page on Monday: 'In 2006, when the BBC asked me to be an investor on Dragon's Den, I thought I knew what to expect…

'You might be surprised when you find out what happened behind the scenes - I certainly was.

'I'd watched the show before, but that didn't ease the nerves once the cameras started rolling.

'4 weeks of intense, close-up filming, where I had to appear relaxed, charismatic, and clever. There was no formal training beforehand. I'm not sure such training even exists!

'For the contestants, it was a terrifying experience. And for many, it was the most important day of their business lives.

'Contestants weren't allowed to see the set before filming, so when they walked in, they were immediately confronted with 5 intimidating dragons and a production crew of about 20 members, all watching closely.

'The dragons had all the advantages. Only about 10% of the footage made it to the final edit, and I suspect the BBC wasn't keen on letting the dragons look too silly.

'In contrast, the same couldn't be said for the contestants. I was shocked by how nasty some of the other dragons were.

'The producers said the show needed a bit of nastiness - otherwise, contestants would have nothing to lose.

'There would be no sense of jeopardy. As a result, the dragons would often over-criticise a presentation or contestant to the point of ridicule.

'It was an unfair game - the dragons didn't have much at stake, sitting comfortably in their chairs and sounding clever, while contestants had everything to lose.

'Occasionally, it even felt like bullying, which made me uncomfortable. I was once asked to speak with a contestant after the filming because he was so upset.

''You're either stupid or dishonest, or probably both', had been thrown at him. I was shocked.

'He confided in me that he, too, had come through the care system and had hoped I would be the dragon to invest.

'I told the director, politely, that if that footage ever made it on air, I would quit the show and publicly condemn it. Fortunately, the moment stayed off screen.'

The Daily Mail has approached BBC and Richard's co-stars for comment.