Watchdog warning over spray foam insulation as show celebrates 40th year
The consumer rights programme is currently fronted by Allwright and Nikki Fox, who have marked the milestone by discussing some of its success stories, which include undercover investigations and policy changes.
The pair said inflated ticket prices and mis-billing by energy companies were some of the biggest cases they had covered, and the show has seen 'tens of thousands of pounds' returned to customers.
'I think being part of that process is a real privilege, and those sorts of roles don't come along very often. I really cherish it. I love it,' Allwright said.
Asked about the most shocking story he had covered recently, Allwright said it was the misselling of spray foam.
'Most homes don't need spray foam insulation,' he said. 'You can use fibreglass matting, like most of us have in a loft.
'The problem with it is that it can also cause damage to a home in certain circumstances, and as a result, a lot of mortgage lenders aren't happy about lending on a home that's got it. It's also very difficult to remove.
'You've got to make that sort of thing really clear – if you're selling something that costs thousands of pounds and would cost thousands of pounds to remove and could therefore stop the sale of your home at the point where you need it.'
Watchdog has been fronted by various presenters since it first aired on BBC One in 1985, perhaps most memorably by Anne Robinson and Nick Frost.
In 2020, the BBC announced it would cease to be broadcast as a standalone programme, and would be shown as a feature within The One Show.
Fox and Allwright discuss their memories of the show during a special programme, Watchdog At 40, which will air on The One Show at 7pm on Wednesday on BBC One.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
8 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Police assessing videos of Kneecap and Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performances
Police are assessing videos of comments made by acts Bob Vylan and Kneecap at Glastonbury to decide whether any offences may have been committed. Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of: 'Free, free Palestine' and: 'Death, death to the IDF', before a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap suggested fans 'start a riot' outside his bandmate's upcoming court appearance. In a post on social media, Avon and Somerset Police said: 'We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon. 'Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance, a Government spokesperson said. They added: 'We strongly condemn the threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury. 'The Culture Secretary has spoken to the BBC Director General to seek an urgent explanation about what due diligence it carried out ahead of the Bob Vylan performance, and welcomes the decision not to re-broadcast it on BBC iPlayer.' A BBC spokesperson said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' Kneecap, who hail from Belfast, have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. In reference to his bandmate's upcoming court date, Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would 'start a riot outside the courts', before clarifying: 'No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine.' In the run-up to the festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset, several politicians called for Kneecap to be removed from the line-up and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said their performance would not be 'appropriate'. During the performance Caireallain said: 'The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.' He also said a 'big thank you to the Eavis family' and said 'they stood strong' amid calls for the organisers to drop them from the line-up. O hAnnaidh, 27, wore a keffiyeh during the set, while member JJ O Dochartaigh, who performs under the name DJ Provai, wore his signature tri-coloured balaclava as well as a T-shirt that said: 'We are all Palestine Action', in reference to the soon-to-be banned campaign group. News broadcasts criticising the hip hop trio played from the sound system before they walked onto the stage were booed by the Glastonbury Festival audience. The trio opened with the song Better Way To Live from their 2024 album Fine Art and also performed tracks including Get Your Brits Out and Hood. Access to the area around the West Holts Stage was closed around 45 minutes before their performance after groups of fans arrived to form a sea of Irish and Palestinian flags. Earlier on Saturday, the BBC confirmed they would not be live-streaming the set but said the performance is likely to be made available on-demand later. O hAnnaidh was charged with allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah, while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a gig in November last year. On June 18, the rapper was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates O Caireallain and O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates' Court in Free Mo Chara T-shirts. He was released on unconditional bail until the next hearing at the same court on August 20. Elsewhere at the festival, Haim were revealed as the surprise act on the Park Stage at 7.30pm on Saturday. The band bounced on to the stage in black and silver outfits and tore into a raucous version of hit single The Wire. After the song, singer Danielle Haim said: 'On our first album, we came to Glastonbury and we played the Park Stage, I love you, and it was the best show I had ever played, until now, this tops everything.' The band was revealed as the surprise act with a red LED sign, similar to the one on their new LP I Quit, which was released earlier this year. The sign read 'the Haim show is about to begin'. Haim also dipped into some of their best-known songs, such as Summer Girl, Want You Back and one of their latest singles, Relationships. On the Pyramid Stage, Pulp were revealed to be Patchwork with the Sheffield-formed Britpop band paying homage to their breakthrough 1995 stand-in headline set during the performance.
Daily Record
22 minutes ago
- Daily Record
BBC fans stunned by 'outrageous moment' during JADE's Glastonbury set
Jade Thirlwall preformed for the first time at Glastonbury Festival this weekend. BBC viewers were left stunned by a jaw-dropping moment during JADE's Glastonbury debut when the singer dropped a swear word live on TV. The 32-year-old artist took to the stage at the festical for the first time today, where she reflected on her time in Little Mix, crediting the girl group with changing her life. But JADE also shared her excitement for pursuing her solo career. Performing on the Woodsies stage, Jade treated fans to songs from her upcoming album That's Showbiz Baby! alongside iconic Little Mix songs including Shout Out to my Ex, Woman Like Me and Touch, the Mirror reports. But it was her performance of Gossip - featuring Australian electro pop band Condifence Man - that sparked controversy, as she used the word "c--t" during the song. Fans were shocked that the word wasn't beeped out from the BBC live stream of the festival this afternoon, and many were quick to take to social media to share their thoughts. One user took to twitter, writing: "Jade dropping the word **** at 15:52 on a sunny summer afternoon at Glasto? Like I said, ICON!!" As another said: "Jade said **** live on the BBC and it's not even 4pm. Icons only," while a third penned: "This year's #Glastonbury catchphrase is definitely 'Tina thinks you're a ****.'" With a forth expressing their shock, as they stated: "Jade dropping the word **** was not on bingo card." However on BBC iPlayer, the livestream came with a disclaimer, which said: "Contains very strong language and flashing images." JADE became extremely emotional as fans sang along with her and at one point she paid tribute to her Little Mix band mates, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards - Jesy Nelson was also originally part of the girl group, before she left in 2020. While on stage at Glastonbury, singer and songwriter JADE said: "Firstly, shout out to Little Mix. I can't begin to explain how grateful I am to those girls for literally changing my life and who would have thought then that we would have a Little Mix girlie up here on the Glastonbury stage. But I can't lie, it feels good doing my own songs that I've written from my heart." She continued: "That was the old me, now it's time for something new." She then told the crowd she was bringing out some special guests, before welcoming Confidence Man to the stage. JADE also used her Glastonbury performance to make a bold political statement during a powerful rendition of her track FUFN, short for F*** You For Now. The singer expressed her distain for Reform UK. The song includes a section where she calls out various issues she takes a stand against, giving them the middle finger. During her set, she chanted: "Reform! Transphobia! Selling arms! Genocide!", with the crowd echoing back a resounding "F*** you." At the start of the week, Jade promised fans her set would be "a big a-- SHOW" and on Saturday morning she posted, "It's a big one @glastonbury. See you on the Woodsies stage at 3.15pm. Make sure you get down early!! f you're not at the festival, you can watch my set live on @BBCiPlayer." Her performance was met with widespread praise, as festival-goers cheered her on throughout her set, while fans watching live on the BBC took to social media to share their reactions. 'Jade getting emotional at the Glastonbury crowd singing along with her is making me cry, so proud of her,' one fan tweeted. Another wrote: "This little mix medley Jade is doing at Glastonbury is making me emotional." A third added: "It's criminal that Little Mix never performed at Glastonbury but having Jade perform a Little Mix medley is the next best thing." Another post read: "JADE IS KILLING THIS.' And one more admirer shared: 'JADE really is the whole package isn't she. Absolute superstar."
Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Tel Aviv blasts BBC for failing to cut hour-long live broadcast of punk band's vile outburst - as police face demands to arrest Bob Vylan singer who led 'death to Israeli soldiers' chants at Glastonbury
The BBC and Glastonbury provoked outrage tonight when a pro-Palestine punk act called for the death of Israeli soldiers during a live broadcast from the festival. In appalling scenes condemned by the British and Israeli governments, the lead singer of the duo Bob Vylan led a crowd of thousands in a vile chant of 'death, death to the IDF' – the Israel Defence Forces. The singer, who keeps his identity secret, also led a chant of 'free, free Palestine ', and declared 'from the river to the sea Palestine… will be free' – regarded by many in the Jewish community as a call for Israel's elimination. The entire episode was live-streamed on the BBC iPlayer. The corporation was lambasted for failing to cut the broadcast immediately after the anti-Semitic chanting. Shockingly, its live stream continued for another 40 minutes until the end of Bob Vylan's performance. The incident prompted calls for the band members to be arrested over claims they had incited violence. Avon and Somerset Police last night said they were examining video evidence and investigating if any offence had been committed. The broadcast plunged the BBC into a major crisis with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy demanding 'an urgent explanation' from BBC director-general Tim Davie into 'what due diligence it carried out ahead of the Bob Vylan performance'. A government spokesman said: 'We strongly condemn the threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury.' The singer, who keeps his identity secret, also led a chant of 'free, free Palestine ', and declared 'from the river to the sea Palestine… will be free' – regarded by many in the Jewish community as a call for Israel's elimination Lord Ian Austin – the Government's trade envoy to Israel – said: 'The police should investigate as a matter of urgency and, if necessary, arrest the band members.' Tory MP Greg Stafford said: 'If someone can be jailed for inciting racial hatred on social media, then surely this band should be investigated for inciting violence at the very least. Somerset Police should arrest them and carry out an investigation immediately.' Sharren Haskel, Israel's deputy foreign minister, also slammed the performance. She told The Mail on Sunday: 'I condemn the BBC for continuing to live-stream anti-Israel hate speech from Glastonbury. 'What do you think the BBC would have done had a performer been shouting anti-Muslim or far-Right hate speech? They would have pulled the feed. 'But because the target is Israel – let's be honest, because it's Jews – it's tolerated, even broadcast. This is clearly incitement.' The BBC later pulled the offending incident from its footage on iPlayer. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch branded the comments 'grotesque', adding: 'Glorifying violence against Jews isn't edgy. The cultural establishment needs to wake up to the fact this isn't protest, it's incitement.' Danny Cohen, former director of BBC Television, said: 'That something like this might happen could easily have been foreseen by the BBC and measures could have been taken to prevent its broadcast. 'This is a very serious failure, and further evidence that BBC management are blind to their responsibility to Britain's Jewish community.' Bob Vylan, who formed eight years ago in London, refuse to reveal their real names because of what they call the 'surveillance state'. Instead the singer calls himself Bobby Vylan and the drummer Bobbie Vylan. Addressing the crowd of around 30,000, Bobby said he had to be 'careful' because their performance was 'live on the BBC'. He then, however, led the 'free, free Palestine' chant, then changing it to 'death, death to the IDF'. 'Hell, yeah, from the river to the sea Palestine must, will be, Inshallah, it will be free,' he added. The singer also backed controversial Northern Irish band Kneecap, who were following them on the West Holts stage, by describing music executives who called for the group to be banned as 'Zionists '. In another hugely embarrassing blow for the BBC, he also used the highly offensive c-word. May Golan, Israel's minister for social equality, said: 'Perhaps someone should tell that anti-Semitic band what happened to the hundreds of innocent people at Israel's Nova music festival who were murdered, raped, butchered, and kidnapped by savage monsters.' The BBC decided not to stream Kneecap live. Instead an edited version of the performance was due to be put on the iPlayer. It came ten days after Kneecap member Liam O'hAnnaidh, 27, appeared in court charged with a terror offence, prompting the Prime Minister to say it was 'not appropriate' for the band to be playing Glastonbury. Kneecap started their performance this afternoon by chanting 'F*** Keir Starmer'. They also spoke out in support of Palestine Action, which the government wants to proscribe as a terror group. Glastonbury had said all were welcome at the festival but added it 'does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers.' Bob Vylan is the UK's self-proclaimed 'most violent boy band' whose singer attended his first pro-Palestine protest at the age of 15 and whose music fuses punk, grime and hip hop Bob Vylan is the UK's self-proclaimed 'most violent boy band' whose singer attended his first pro-Palestine protest at the age of 15. At Glastonbury today, Bobby Vylan said: 'We're seeing the UK and the US be complicit in war crimes and genocide happening over there to the Palestinian people... Anybody with any moral compass can surely see that what is happening over there in Gaza is a tragedy. Former Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker, 64, also issued a call to 'Free Palestine' during an appearance at a discussion event at Glastonbury yesterday.
