Watchdog celebrates 40 years of fighting big business bullies and exposing shocking scams on The One Show tonight

Fighting big business bullies, taking down criminal corporations and exposing shocking scams, Watchdog has been standing up for viewers’ rights for 40 years. The beloved consumer investigation show, first broadcast on BBC1 on July 14th 1985, has saved people millions of pounds as it has taken to task rogue traders, even uncovering fraudulent activity. After 35 years, with 1,084 episodes aired, Watchdog was sadly discontinued as a standalone series in 2020, but has remained as a crucial segment on BBC ’s The One Show ever since.

Hosted by Matt Allwright and Nikki Fox, they will celebrate the anniversary tomorrow (Wednesday 25th June, BBC1, 7pm), looking back at the success stories, including everything from undercover investigations to big business policy changes and mega refunds. Over the years, some of the most astonishing cases include the discovery of poo in ice in frozen drinks at Starbucks, Costa Coffee and Caffe Nero to a fake banking app, counterfeit Royal Mail stamps and non-existent free flights.

Matt says: “We’ve had instances of getting tens of £1,000s of pounds back for people. But the ripple effect of that is all those other people who look at that and use it as a negotiating tactic. Whatever we’ve got back for people, and it’s millions of pounds without a shadow of a doubt, you can add a multiplier to that.” He adds: “I don’t like bullies. I don’t like people that use the strength of their position to get one over on other people. I think you know that sense of injustice, where you can see somebody who has got your money and doesn’t feel the need to do right by you because they’re a big company and they’ll never see you again. I feel a sense of pride that once a week you get the chance to turn that on its head and say, ‘No, you’re not always going to win’.”

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Nikki says: “I feel very privileged that I get to be a part of helping solve people’s issues that are so frustrating. You can feel like you’re hitting your head against a brick wall. When we get a solution, it’s joyful. We have an awful lot of scam stories. People who have been scammed always feel so stupid, but they are not. These scams are designed to trick us. There are stories where people get bills from an energy company they’re not with, saying they owe thousands of pounds and that is scary. I’ve been in debt and I’ve been in a position where I’ve dreaded every letter that comes through the door. You worry about debt collectors, it’s not nice. I think working on the show has made me more aware. I didn’t used to check things thoroughly, I wasn’t as security conscious.”

Matt became an official Watchdog co-host in 2009, but has had reporting slots on the show dating all the way back to 1997 and presented Weekend Watchdog in 1999. He says: “I was 27 when I joined, it’s been over 28 years now and boy, it shows. When I started people were writing and phoning in and we were really taking calls at the back of the studio. One of my great heroes of all time is the show’s first ever host Lynn Faulds Wood, because she campaigned her whole life. When she was on Watchdog, she did amazing things. I could look around this room, that’s a moulded plug on the end of a piece of flex. She did that. Before that we had to fit our own plugs. Every biro top has a hole in it for safety in case it’s swallowed. Every time you go to your oven and the oven door is cold, so your kid doesn’t get burnt, down to Lynn Faulds Wood.”

Matt adds: “To represent people when they feel powerless and voiceless is as good as it gets. My best advice is - ‘Out of the blue not for you’. If you receive something out of the blue, whether it’s a text, a phone call, an email or WhatsApp, ask yourself where it’s really come from. Who made contact first? If they came looking for you, be very suspicious. The reason that Watchdog is still going after 40 years is that these problems affect everybody, regardless of their age. We’re all consumers.”

BIGGEST WATCHDOG SUCCESSES

*In the late 1980s, a Watchdog investigation showed that numerous accidents were caused when electrical plugs on new appliances were incorrectly wired. At the time, all new goods were sold with bare wires and customers were expected to fit them themselves. Many people lacked the knowledge or skill to do this properly. The campaign led to a change in British law requiring all electrical appliances sold in the UK to be supplied with fitted plugs.

*In 1992 and 1993, The Hoover Company introduced a ‘free flights' offer for two free flights to New York City if a customer spent over £100. Due to an overwhelming response, many people didn’t get their flights. After hundreds of complaints and an investigation by Simon Walton, it became humiliating headline news and Hoover had to give customers the flights, costing them an estimated £40 million, with several execs losing their jobs.

*Television sales channel auctionworld.tv failed to deliver goods or offer refunds to over 27,000 customers in the early 2000s, and were fined £450,000 by Ofcom. Investigations by Watchdog forced refunds and the closure of the channel, and traced the owner, but he refused to answer questions.

*Starbucks, Costa Coffee and Caffe Nero had launched new ranges of frozen drinks back in summer of 2017. A lab report revealed that nearly half of the ice samples came back with significant levels of not just any bacteria, but faecal coliforms that the expert said were a significant risk. Watchdog sparked internal investigations, with Nero promising to take action and Starbucks and Costa updating their ice handling guidelines.

*A man called Arthur, who banked with Natwest had his card stolen and £20,000 taken by scammers in 2018. The bank rejected his claim as fraud and gave him no explanation. But Watchdog got involved and got the money back.

*Royal Mail - people were being charged a £5 fee for receiving letters with counterfeit stamps, some of which were bought from the Post Office. Watchdog interviewed one of Royal Mail's bosses, David Gold, who said that stamps bought from the Post Office or a recognised High St retailer should be the real deal - despite what we found. He said that if customers challenged the penalty, Royal Mail would investigate and refund. However, Royal Mail later announced it was temporarily suspending the £5 fee while it developed an app to allow customers to check their own stamps.

PAST PRESENTERS

1980-1984: Before Watchdog became its own standalone show, it was hosted by Hugh Scully a feature as part of Nationwide magazine show and then Sixty Minutes current affairs show

1985: Lynn Faulds Wood and Nick Ross

1986-1993: Lynn with her husband John Stapleton, who replaced Nick

1993-2001: Anne Robinson (with various co-presenters, first Alice Beer and Simon Walton, then Charlotte Hudson)

2001-2005: Nicky Campbell and Kate Gerbeau (with co-presenters Paul Heiney, Ashley Blake and Saima Mohsin)

2005-2008: Nicky Campbell with Julia Bradbury (with Paul)

2008-2009: Nicky with Julia, then later Anita Rani (with Paul)

2009-2015: Anne Robinson returned (with co-hosts Anita, Chris Hollins and Matt Allwright)

2015: Sophie Raworth and Michelle Ackerley (with Chris and Matt)

2016: Sophie with Matt (with co-hosts Michelle, Steph and Nikki Fox)

2017-2019: Matt and Steph (co-host Nikki)

*Watchdog at 40 on The One Show, Wednesday 25th June, BBC1, 7pm.

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