EXCLUSIVEI was on Dragons' Den and got an offer for £50,000 - and here's what really happens behind-the-scenes

The Dragons' Den contestant who walked away with a hefty investment from Sara Davies during last night's episode has revealed what goes on behind-the-scenes of the longrunning BC show. 

Alex Street, from Derbyshire, pitched his football jersey business to Dragons Davies, Peter Jones, Steven Bartlett, Deborah Meaden, and Touker Suleyman in the hope of securing a round of funding.

Ultimately, he walked away with £50,000 from Davies after she gushed her sons would love a Mystery Jersey subscription box and decided to invest in Alex's business - despite one major stumbling block.

In an interview with FEMAIL, the father-of-two, whose business pays tribute to his father, recalled keeping the deal a secret for months while revisiting his time in the infamous den. 

Alex appeared on Thursday night's episode of the long-running reality series that sees entrepreneurs from across the UK pitch their startups to some of the UK's best-known investors in the hope of securing a round of funding. 

The AFC Wimbeldon supporter who sources and sells unique football jerseys in monthly 'mystery boxes' worth £29.99 ultimately netted £50,000 from Davies, 40, for a 10 per cent stake in Mystery Jersey Company. 

'I've had to kind of keep the secret this massive secret for so long,' he said, excitedly. 'And it's been really tricky and difficult. But I'm almost relieved that it's out there now, and we can move on!'

Alex explained that there's usually a long lull between filming episodes of the show and their release, explaining he pitched to the Dragons 'five or six months ago'. 

The Dragons' Den contestant who walked away with a hefty investment from Sara Davies (pictured) during last night's episode has revealed what goes on behind-the-scenes of the longrunning BC show

The Dragons' Den contestant who walked away with a hefty investment from Sara Davies (pictured) during last night's episode has revealed what goes on behind-the-scenes of the longrunning BC show

Pictured here is Alex Street, from Derbyshire, who pitched his football jersey business in the hope of securing a round of funding

Pictured here is Alex Street, from Derbyshire, who pitched his football jersey business in the hope of securing a round of funding

Since the entrepreneurial reality show first premiered in 2005, the den has 'travelled' across the country - including filming locations in London, Glasgow, and, most recently, Manchester. 

After he submitted his 'audition' video, which is essentially a version of what becomes the final pitch, Alex was asked to arrive at the Old Granada Studios - where the show has been filmed since 2018. 

However, contestants will usually find themselves waiting around for several hours before they come face-to-face with the dragons - time that is spent getting camera-ready and rehearsing their pitches. 

'The makeup lady was brilliant, Debbie she was wonderful with me,' Alex added. 'I looked like I had a really nice tan, and she was really reassuring and calming.'

After multiple run-throughs with members of the production team, however, Alex was 'knackered' before he even got into the den. 

'You can imagine the nerves are building up, and the pressure is on.'  

Alex credited the years spent watching Dragons' Den with shaping his strategy for the show, noting how people can get 'overawed by the whole situation'.   

'People come across as so articulate - there's some great entrepreneurs out there who are very well-presented, and I know I'm not one of them,' he said. 

Alex's pitch earned hi a £50,000 investment from Sara Davies

Alex's pitch earned hi a £50,000 investment from Sara Davies 

The father-of-two said he 'gravitated' towards her after Davies gushed her sons would love a Mystery Jersey box

The father-of-two said he 'gravitated' towards her after Davies gushed her sons would love a Mystery Jersey box 

So Alex decided to 'shoot from the hip and just be myself' - including candidly admitting he didn't know the answer to several key questions about his business such as the customer retention rate or how many new customers sign on for the subscription every month. 

Davies told Alex that he had made a 'dog's dinner' of his numbers, but decided to take a chance and back the founder with her investment.   

Reacting to the gaffe, Alex said being inside the den is 'such a pressurised situation' that he was proud of getting 'the first new numbers out', adding that yesterday's episode marked the first time he had pitched to investors. 

He described the experience as an 'emotional roller coaster' that lasted over an hour, with the final edit clocking in at just under 15 minutes. 

Alex also added that while all the Dragons were 'so insightful' and 'gave me some amazing advice', he 'gravitated' towards Davies. 

'She could see I was stumbling a little bit and she said to me, "Go on, you've got this." 

'And it was so lovely and made me feel really warm inside.' 

Alex eventually walked out with a £50,000 investment from the owner of Crafter's Companion in exchange for 10 per cent of the Mystery Jersey Company as long as she made her money back in 18 months. 

Alex also added that while all the Dragons were 'so insightful' and 'gave me some amazing advice', he 'gravitated' towards Davies

Alex also added that while all the Dragons were 'so insightful' and 'gave me some amazing advice', he 'gravitated' towards Davies

After the show was filmed, Davies' team got back in touch with Alex and his team at Mystery Jersey Company that is headquartered in Derbyshire to get the ball rolling on their deal. 

Throughout, the only person who knew about the offer apart from Alex was the firm's co-founder Jaime King; the rest of the staff and even even his family found out about Davies' investment at a watch party he hosted last evening. 

'Even my daughter didn't know!' he shared. 

The production team will typically get back in touch one week before the episode's release date, giving entrepreneurs just in time to gear up for what is usually an onslaught of orders or heightened interest from prospective customers. 

'The week leading up to it, you're busy,' Alex continued. 'You're trying to get things ready, get your stock ready, make sure your socials are good, and being mentally prepared for what might come.' 

Since Alex's episode, the company website has already been spruced up with a banner announcing that Mystery Jersey Company is Dragons' Den-approved. 

Alex has also been invited to a retreat hosted by Davies, where he connected with former contestants who had also secured an investment from the British businesswoman. 

He recalled 'getting buddied up' with Derry Green, who appeared on Dragons' Den last year when he pitched his Skelmersdale-based tourism company. 

Alex has also been invited to a retreat hosted by Davies, where he connected with former contestants who had also secured an investment from the British businesswoman

Alex has also been invited to a retreat hosted by Davies, where he connected with former contestants who had also secured an investment from the British businesswoman

Praising the founder of The Secret Garden Glamping, Alex credited Derry with 'reassuring him through this whole process' because it can be 'nerve-wracking ehen you put yourself out there'. 

Currently, the team at Mystery Jersey Company are enjoying the newfound attention while working through all their new orders with a focus on delivering 'the best customer service we can'. 

When asked he knew how many website visitors had landed on their page, Alex quipped: 'You've even got me know now with a numbers question.'