Mr Swainstons South Shields owners to appear on BBC Dragons’ Den

Mr Swainstons, based in South Shields and run by Sean Robinson and his fiancé, John Gray, will feature on the BBC show on Thursday, August 20, at 8pm, where they will pitch their traditional sweet emporium to the Dragons.

The idea for the business began during a New Year’s Day visit to Beamish Museum back in 2024, which quickly turned into a personal project for the pair to create a sweet shop that had that same nostalgic feel.

Sean, John and staff. (Image: Mr Swainstons)

Mr Robinson said: “It’s all about the nostalgia – we tapped into something the elderly generation love and the younger generation find so interesting.

“We wanted to bring that feel back, playing on the history of the 1930s and 40s.”

The shop, styled with old-fashioned sweet jars, vintage scales, and staff dressed in flat caps and period attire, has attracted thousands of followers on social media.

The team regularly create fun social media content (Image: Mr Swainstons)

The pair regularly watch Dragons’ Den and The Apprentice on Thursday nights, and on a whim, decided to apply for the show.

Mr Robinson said: “We got a call six weeks later from the BBC saying they had seen our social media and they wanted us on, it was surreal.

“They told us we’d be the first sweet shop of our kind to appear on the show, especially having a brand based around nostalgia.”

The shop in South Shields (Image: Mr Swainstons)

Filming of the episode has already taken place, but the outcome remains under wraps.

Mr Robinson said: “We were definitely the most terrified of Deborah Meaden.

“The whole thing was just so surreal.

“I’m proud of John and I’m proud of myself – who knew a little boy from Peterlee would get this far.”

Though the pair had hoped to meet Sara Davies, the North East Dragon was said not to be present during filming.

Mr Robinson and Mr Gray began their business in a small unit and credit social media, particularly TikTok, for helping them grow their extensive audience and customer base.

Their appearance on Dragons’ Den marks another milestone in their journey, which began just over two years ago.

The episode will air at 8pm on Thursday, August 20, but viewers will have to tune in to find out whether the Dragons took a bite out of their nostalgic business pitch.