Furious BBC Breakfast viewers slam show for 'giving Dragons' Den star Gary Neville free advertising to plug his pet project'
BBC Breakfast viewers have blasted the Beeb for giving ex-Manchester United footballer Gary Neville free advertising for his pet project' after he appeared on the show with a cacao 'anti-depressant' he invested in on Dragons' Den.
Neville, has recently joined the cast of the BBC show alongside regular tycoons Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies and Steven Bartlett after collecting a dizzying array of business ventures in his own right.
These include part-owning League Two club Salford City with his former team-mates and operating two luxury Manchester hotels.
On Dragons' Den, Neville had invested in Liam Browne's cacao drink - which the entrepreneur claimed was a 'natural anti-depressant' and made from 'authentic, powerful, magical, heart opening plant medicine from Venezuela.'
Browne's Full Power Cacao had secured a £50,000 investment from Dragons' Neville, Jones and Bartlett, and the pair's stint on This Morning saw them offer samples to presenters Jon Kay and Sally Nugent.
![Gary Neville has recently appeared on the BBC's Dragons Den as an investor](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/19/11/80205795-12982485-Gary_Neville_made_quite_the_impression_in_his_first_appearance_o-m-20_1705663198902.jpg)
Gary Neville has recently appeared on the BBC's Dragons Den as an investor
![After being impressed with Liam Browne's pitch (pictured), Neville invested in his Full Power Cacao](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/30/13/80627515-13022987-After_being_impressed_with_Liam_Browne_s_pitch_pictured_Neville_-a-11_1706621336975.jpg)
After being impressed with Liam Browne's pitch (pictured), Neville invested in his Full Power Cacao
![They sampled the product on BBC Breakfast this morning](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/30/13/80628001-13022987-They_sampled_the_product_on_BBC_Breakfast_this_morning-a-12_1706621336976.jpg)
They sampled the product on BBC Breakfast this morning
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/30/13/80627683-13022987-image-a-13_1706621336977.jpg)
![Some viewers were less than complimentary of the pair's appearance](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/30/13/80627673-13022987-Some_viewers_were_less_than_complimentary_of_the_pair_s_appearan-a-14_1706621336977.jpg)
Some viewers were less than complimentary of the pair's appearance
At one point during the segment, Neville joked that he'd 'always wanted to invest in a Manchester City fan that basically made hot chocolate.'
However, not everyone found it as funny as Neville, and he, the BBC and Browne (who was described as a 'hippy') took some flak online for the appearance.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one irate breakfaster said: 'How many times can you mention cacao? Talk about free advertising!'
Another said: '10 minutes free advertising for Neville’s pet project? Was that part of Neville’s deal with Dragons' Den?'
Another agreed, saying: 'Why are you offering free advertising to a private company who has already had the exposure of Dragons' Den and Gary Neville?
'I'm sure it's an OK product but the research on cacao certainly doesn’t agree on it being the miracle they claim.'
Indeed, following the airing of the program, a science group accused Dragons' Den of failing to properly scrutinise 'extravagant' claims and has written to BBC director-general Tim Davie demanding 'immediate action' on the programme's due diligence.
The UK-based Good Thinking Society charity, which describes itself as 'encouraging curious minds and promoting rational enquiry', slammed the show's portrayal of wellness businesses.
Their complaint comes after entrepreneur Giselle Boxer was accused of 'selling snake oil' by claiming her ear seeds helped 'cure' her ME - and later said she was recruited by a researcher for the show.
![A pro-science group has raised concerns about brands featured on Dragons' Den, including Full Power Cacao (FPC) - which sells what it calls 'authentic, powerful, magical, heart opening plant medicine from Venezuela'. Pictured, founder Liam Browne](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/30/13/80500421-13022987-A_pro_science_group_has_raised_concerns_about_brands_featured_on-a-15_1706621336978.jpg)
A pro-science group has raised concerns about brands featured on Dragons' Den, including Full Power Cacao (FPC) - which sells what it calls 'authentic, powerful, magical, heart opening plant medicine from Venezuela'. Pictured, founder Liam Browne
![Entrepreneur Giselle Boxer (pictured) was accused of 'selling snake oil' by claiming on Dragons' Den that her ear seeds helped her recovery from ME](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/30/13/80498511-13022987-Entrepreneur_Giselle_Boxer_pictured_was_accused_of_selling_snake-a-16_1706621336979.jpg)
Entrepreneur Giselle Boxer (pictured) was accused of 'selling snake oil' by claiming on Dragons' Den that her ear seeds helped her recovery from ME
The new letter highlight two other brands featured on the series, including Full Power Cacao (FPC) which sells what it calls 'authentic, powerful, magical, heart opening plant medicine from Venezuela'.
The company, founded by Liam Browne, claims to offer a 'natural anti-depressant' that can also be beneficial for heart, brain and gut health.
But UCL's Sarah Jackson - who worked on a study used by FPC on its website to promote the ingredient - insisted the paper was 'purely correlational' and showed no 'firm conclusions about whether this association is casual'.
The study also focused on the relationship between consuming dark chocolate and depressive symptoms, with Ms Jackson adding there was 'nothing about ceremonial grade cacao or vibrational energy'.
A BBC spokesperson said: 'Dragons' Den is an entertainment programme which features products created by entrepreneurs but is not an endorsement of them. It does not and has never set out to offer medical advice.
'It shows real businesses pitching to investors to lift the lid on what happens in the business world. The Dragons' decision to invest is their own, and the BBC has no involvement or commercial interest in any investments.'
Sine retiring in 2011, Neville now has ventures in everything from hospitality and property to digital marketing, which have netted millions of pounds - while attracting their fair share of controversy alone the way.
![Neville runs The Stock Exchange Hotel, which has become known as one of Manchester's top hotels and includes a luxury penthouse suite](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/30/13/20246218-13022987-Neville_runs_The_Stock_Exchange_Hotel_which_has_become_known_as_-a-17_1706621336980.jpg)
Neville runs The Stock Exchange Hotel, which has become known as one of Manchester's top hotels and includes a luxury penthouse suite
![Hotel Football is a luxury hotel overlooking Old Trafford](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/30/13/62017295-13022987-Hotel_Football_is_a_luxury_hotel_overlooking_Old_Trafford-a-18_1706621336981.jpg)
Hotel Football is a luxury hotel overlooking Old Trafford
Among his major enterprises is Hotel Football, a luxury hotel overlooking Old Trafford, and The Stock Exchange Hotel near Piccadilly Gardens, one of the top hotels in Manchester, alongside former team-mate Ryan Giggs.
Neville became interested in property development in his 20s and now runs 'Relentless', an investment company specialising in ventures in and around the Manchester area, and 'Zerum' - a construction consultancy business.
Relentless is now involved in the lucrative £400million St Michael's project, which aims to build hotels, offices, apartments and a top restaurant in Manchester city centre.
''Relentless' is my favourite word and sums up my approach to life, business, everything really,' writes Neville on the firm's website.
But property is only a part of the former footballer's business empire.
In 2017, Neville co-founded Buzz 16, a production firm behind successful programmes such as The Overlap, Soccerbox and Class of '92 Full Time.
This proved a money spinner, with the Sky Sports pundit recently selling his controlling stake as part of deal reported to be worth around £200million.
His other online ventures have also hit the back of the net, with his YouTube series Overlap raking in £180,000 in profit last year.
Neville also used to be a senior investor in E3 Creative, a digital creative agency specialising in online marketing and corporate strategy, but left the venture in 2019.
![Neville's Relentless property development company is now involved in the lucrative £400million St Michael's project in Manchester city centre](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/30/13/79608233-13022987-Neville_s_Relentless_property_development_company_is_now_involve-a-19_1706621336982.jpg)
Neville's Relentless property development company is now involved in the lucrative £400million St Michael's project in Manchester city centre
![The scheme include a towers containing a five-star hotel, luxury flats, offices and a rooftop restaurant](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/30/13/72922185-13022987-The_scheme_include_a_towers_containing_a_five_star_hotel_luxury_-a-20_1706621336983.jpg)
The scheme include a towers containing a five-star hotel, luxury flats, offices and a rooftop restaurant
But it's not been smooth sailing for Neville.
In 2020 it was reported the Hotel Football suffered a loss of more than £3million over the space of two years.
Neville has had trouble turning some of his ventures into a success, with The Stock Market Grill - an 'upmarket British brasserie' that opened inside the Stock Exchange Hotel closing after a few months.
Meanwhile, in December 2022, Neville was branded a 'hypocrite' after it emerged his other luxury Stock Exchange Hotel had been advertising for staff on minimum wage.
It came after the former England player sparked fury by using ITV's World Cup final broadcast from Qatar to rant about Tory ministers paying nurses only 'a pittance'.
Alongside his former United pals Scholes, Giggs, brother Phil and Nicky Butt, Neville is one of the founding members of University UA92, which aims to of 'disrupt the traditional university model' by supporting disadvantaged youngsters.
However, Neville faced criticism when he sought to transform a field in Turn Moss, Trafford, into training pitches for the UA92 and his Salford City FC team.
![Alongside his former United pals Scholes, Giggs, brother Phil and Nicky Butt, Neville is one of the founding members of University UA92](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/30/13/80219701-13022987-Alongside_his_former_United_pals_Scholes_Giggs_brother_Phil_and_-a-21_1706621336984.jpg)
Alongside his former United pals Scholes, Giggs, brother Phil and Nicky Butt, Neville is one of the founding members of University UA92
![Known by most for his achievements on the pitch, Neville now has ventures in everything from hospitality and property to digital marketing](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/27/12/65789659-12238065-Staff_perks_include_discounted_food_but_the_ideal_candidate_will-a-34_1687866567872.jpg)
Known by most for his achievements on the pitch, Neville now has ventures in everything from hospitality and property to digital marketing
During a heated planned meeting in 2018, when the proposals were revealed, Neville was heckled by audience members furious at the potential development of green belt land. He even claimed they called him a 'liar' during the clash.
Trafford council, which had been involved in funding the project, said the development would bring flooded land back into use and provide facilities for the local community.
But opponents from the group Friends of Turn Moss group rejected this and said instead it would hand over public space to the private sector while harming wildlife and disturbing residents of nearby retirement apartments.
Neville was quizzed about his plans at the packed meeting, held at the Old Trafford stadium, with some protesters questioning why he wasn't building the facilities in nearby Salford.
He said it was 'ridiculous' to suggest Salford City, which he co-owns, and told the meeting: 'I played at the Manchester United stadium in Trafford and I resent being told people are not welcome in boroughs they are not from.
'The idea people from Salford aren't welcome to use pitches in Trafford I find ridiculous.'