Meet the Author: Watchdog’s Consumer Survival Guide writer Matt Allwright

Consumer champion Matt Allwright has come close to being run down and has even been doused in urine.

But he says it’s all part of his TV job, rooting out rogue traders.

Now, with the Covid-19 pandemic sparking a surge of new scams – along with genuine concerns over consumer rights such as reclaiming cancelled holiday payments – the BBC 1 Rogue Traders presenter says his work is even more important, so much so that he has written a book about it.

Matt, 50, tells P.S: “I’ve been pushed and poked quite a lot. I’ve been trapped in a lot of doors. I’ve had a leaf blower swung at my head. I’ve been driven at about four times.

“Once was a really close one. It was a roofer in Lancashire, who we caught coming out of a shop and getting into his van. I went to talk to him and he just took off in his van, and I remember my producer pulling me out of the way and I watched the wing mirror just go in front of my nose.

“I’ve had a bottle of urine emptied over my head – but if you put yourself in those situations, you can’t expect all of the people to take it well or rationally.”

Matt, who now presents the Watchdog slot on Wednesdays within The One Show, is careful to keep his family out of the limelight, partly for their own safety.

“I do whatever I can to protect my family. That’s the most important thing. Also, I think once you put them out there, you can’t ask for them back, especially now because everything’s online.”

He admits. “There have been threats, but as far as I know, no one’s actually come looking for me. But we are constantly surprised at how positive the feedback is, considering what I do.

“Covid still limits a lot of what we would normally do and we’re still trying to work our way around that.”

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Lockdown increased consumer issues, such as holiday refunds, as well as the opportunity for scammers to contact people at home, conning them into giving away details which could rob them of their savings, he says.

His book Watchdog: The Consumer Survival Guide was penned to help people navigate their way through the scams, beat the fraudsters, and find out about their rights in all sorts of matters – ranging from banking to house-buying, along with tips on how to fight your corner and win.

In February, the BBC axed Watchdog as a standalone programme after 40 years, instead making it a segment on The One Show on Wednesdays.

Allwright, who has been involved in Watchdog since 1997, sees it as a positive move. The standalone programme ran for just 12 episodes a year, whereas The One Show slot is a regular weekly strand.

“What’s more important, my pride or getting the job done?” he says. “We’ve now got a year-round presence on The One Show. We can keep up the pressure on people, week on week, for the whole 365 days of the year.”

Matt Allwright Watchdog: The Consumer Survival Guide, BBC Books, £9.99