BrewDog co-founder James Watt is to launch a new reality TV show for entrepreneurs with a cash prize of £2 million, the largest ever in UK television history.
Watt, who recently stated people in the UK were 'the least work-orientated in the world,' said that he wanted to double the number of “unicorns” (US$1 billion-plus start-up businesses) coming out of the country
“I’ve always been so disillusioned and frankly fed-up with the tired format of reality TV business shows relying on worn-out tropes and stale stereotypes of entrepreneurs for comedy value, which are well past their sell-by date,” said the controversial brewer.
Watt (pictured left), who co-founded BrewDog 17 years ago, said on his website that the show “will take a group of ambitious companies on a journey to not only scale their businesses but also build brands that evoke emotion, inspire loyalty, and become famous”.
The Scot will decide who wins half the money and viewers the remainder, with the public having the opportunity to invest in the businesses involved.
It will be a ‘supercharged’ Dragon’s Den, the blurb added.
Watt, who quit running Brewdog last year, is no stranger to television having complained to Ofcom about a documentary aired by the BBC that focused on staff complaints of a ‘culture of fear’ and ‘toxic’ atmosphere at the brewer.
He later apologised to staff while his complaint was rejected by the watchdog.