The BBC have restored an episode of Dragons' Den to iPlayer after it was pulled over safety concerns, including a disclaimer over the product in question.
Giselle Boxer made history on the BBC show where people try to get offers from wealthy investors by getting a record breaking six offers, after former footballer Gary Neville joined the panel.
Boxer explained that when she was 26 she was diagnosed with the incurable disease myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as ME. Watch below:
There is no cure for ME, treatments can only alleviate symptoms, and the 31-year-old was asking for investment in her company Acu Seeds, saying she'd been on a 'personal healing journey' and wanted support for her ear seeds.
Advert
They are small beads you fix to your ear and are supposed to work like acupuncture by applying pressure to nerve endings, only without the needles.
Looking for a £50,000 investment for 10 percent of her business, she ended up agreeing to part with 12.5 percent in exchange for Steven Bartlett's offer.
However, the episode was later pulled from iPlayer after an open letter sent by charity Action for ME, in collaboration with other charities and groups to the chairs of two House of Commons select committees, saying it was 'very concerned' about the episode.
Advert
Other letters responding to the episode said it was 'imperative that this platform not be used to endorse products that lack scientific backing, especially those related to health and well-being'.
For a time the BBC had pulled the episode, with a spokesperson telling LADbible: "We’re taking the concerns raised seriously, so we are reviewing the episode and therefore it’s currently not available on iPlayer."
The episode in question is series 21, episode three of Dragons' Den, and is now back on iPlayer.
The iPlayer entry now contains the following disclaimer letting viewers know the episode has been edited 'to clarify aspects of the Acu Seeds pitch'.
Advert
If you watch the episode now, text appears on the screen: "Acu Seeds are not intended as a cure for any medical condition and advice should always be sought from a qualified healthcare provider about any health concerns."
Giselle Boxer has said that she 'never said the ear seeds are a cure', and that several methods aided her with her ME.
She also said that she was contacted by the BBC to appear on the show and that her business pitch was examined before she appeared on Dragons' Den.
Advert
"We went through the different stages of the application process and there was so much due diligence and they really looked into every part of my business before I went in to pitch to the Dragons," the 31-year-old claimed.
The application page for Dragons' Den says they 'may approach entrepreneurs' but everyone must submit an application form.
A BBC spokesperson responding to backlash against the episode previously said: "Dragons’ Den features products from entrepreneurs and is not an endorsement of them.
"Dragons’ Den shows real businesses pitching to investors to lift the lid on what happens in the business world. This episode features an entrepreneur sharing their own, personal experience that led to a business creation."
Topics: Dragons Den, TV and Film, Health, BBC
Joe Harker