BBC Watchdog programme
| Watchdog | |
|---|---|
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|
| Also known as | Watchdog Daily (Series 2 & 32) Watchdog Live (Series 40) |
| Genre | Investigative Journalism |
| Directed by | Jaco Smith Mark Harrison Keir MacKenzie |
| Presented by |
Matt Allwright Nikki Fox Steph McGovern (See full list) |
| Theme music composer | Music 4 |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 39 (inc. daytime) |
| No. of episodes | 1064 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Lisa Ausden |
| Producer(s) | Helen Collins Michelle Cox Emma Jay |
| Location(s) |
BBC Television Centre (1980–2012) The Hospital Club (2013—2015) Broadcasting House (2016) MediaCityUK (2017–) |
| Editor(s) | Jeff Anderson |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network |
BBC One BBC One HD |
| Picture format | |
| Original release | 14 July 1985 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows |
Rogue Traders Watchdog Test House |
| External links | |
| Website | www |
Watchdog is a BBC television series that investigates viewers' reports of problematic experiences with traders, retailers, and other companies around the UK. It has had great success in changing the awareness consumers have of their purchasing rights and in changing policies of companies, closing down businesses, and pushing for law changes. It has the longstanding slogan "the programme you cannot afford to miss". The show has seen a variety of hosts and spin-off shows. It is currently presented by Matt Allwright, Nikki Fox and Steph McGovern.
It is shown on BBC One and is available for online viewing or download via BBC iPlayer.
Watchdog was first shown on 8 September 1980, as a filmed weekly feature for BBC1's news magazine programme Nationwide, with Hugh Scully, best known for presenting the Antiques Roadshow, being its first host. When Nationwide ended in 1983, Scully continued hosting the weekly feature at its new home on Sixty Minutes until its final episode in 1984.
During the latter half of the 80s, the BBC made the decision to commission Watchdog as a stand-alone programme, but made notable changes to the schedule it used each year. In 1985, the programme was aired on Sunday Evenings, with its first episode aired on 14 July, and presented by Nick Ross and Lynn Faulds Wood. In 1986, the programme was scheduled to daytime broadcasts during weekdays, with the BBC One Programme Controller, Michael Grade, remarking in an interview that the show defied the laws of television gravity, boosting audiences for the launch of BBC Daytime; the series saw Ross replaced by Faulds Wood's husband, John Stapleton. In 1987, the BBC reassigned the programme as a weekly show, with it broadcasting on Sunday evenings once more, though with repeats shown the following day during daytime broadcasts. In 1988, the programme was rescheduled to Monday for both daytime and peaktime broadcasts, but with the show employing a more forceful approach in consumer investigations, including investigating big businesses and conducting more investigative journalism. Changing their approach with their investigations led to the programme achieving many multimillion-pound product recalls by companies, the recovery of £19 million in overpaid fuel surcharges on package holidays, while also regularly featuring major name companies who had let down customers. By January 1989, peaktime audiences of the show averaged around 6 million, leading the BBC to drop daytime broadcasts as a direct result. Lynn Faulds Wood and John Stapleton remained with the programme into the early 90s until Faulds Wood was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer. After being treated and recovering from the condition, she left the programme, along with her husband, to conduct a series of journalistic investigations for ITV's World in Action.
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