'Dragon's Den' star to present show

'Dragon's Den' star Theo Paphitis has announced "I'm in" as the presenter of new BBC show 'The Buying Game'.

The businessman will front the new seven-part show on BBC Two, which will see buying teams at some of the UK's biggest retailers taking a gamble on products pitched to them by members of the British public.

Paphitis, who owns stationery chain Ryman and previously the global lingerie brand, La Senza, which he sold for a reported £100m (€112.3m), will be on hand to demystify shop talk as the programme, made by Maverick Television, goes behind the closed doors of the retail giants.

Each one hour show aims to reveal the competitive inner workings of retail, from prototype to product development to the finished article on the shop floor.

Janice Hadlow, controller of BBC Two, said: "It's going to be fascinating to see Theo's extraordinary understanding of the market and astute business acumen at work outside of the Den, combined with a great insight into a rarely glimpsed side of the retail industry."

Paphitis is also due to branch out from the Den - where he appears alongside fellow Dragons Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Deborah Meaden and James Caan - presenting 'Theo's Adventure Capitalists' on BBC Two later this month.