I’ve been trapped in a lot of doors
making it a segment on The One Show on Wednesdays.
Matt, who has been involved in Watchdog since 1997, sees it as a positive move, rather than the end of an era, as 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 states. “We’ve now got a year-round presence on The One Show. We’re still thinking long and hard about how well that is working, and I’ll be keeping an eye on it.
“What’s working incredibly well so far is a year-round presence, where we can keep up the pressure on people, week on week, for the whole 365 days of the year,” he adds.
“As long as the BBC and The One Show back it properly, make sure it’s on every week and that people’s voices are properly heard, I think it will be more successful this way.”
Consumer championing on TV is still needed, he continues. “People are going to continue to need the information we can give them and as long as it’s got the Watchdog name over it, people will think, ‘I’m going to trust this and it’s going to be useful and delivered in a way that’s not too complex’.”
Covid-19 has made that all the more important, he reflects.
“The need for it has never been greater than it is at the moment. People need to know what’s happening with holidays, with cancellations, and what their rights are. If that’s not what Watchdog is made for, then what is?”
He disputes the suggestion that his ‘foot in the door’ approach to the unscrupulous people he exposes is aggressive.
“I actively avoid being aggressive. That’s not what I’m there to do.
I’m there to ask questions and see people’s reactions. If you’re trapped in a door, it can look like you’re being aggressive, but you’re just standing your ground.
“I’ve never hit anyone. I’ve never wrestled with anybody. I’m only coming armed with questions. If you are not persistent, resilient and tenacious, you get nothing.”
Away from the spotlight, Matt has developed a passion for growing chillis, enjoys motorbiking and music (he plays guitar) and is also a patron for SANDS, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, and for Launchpad, a charity fighting homelessness in his hometown of Reading.
In everyday life, when he’s dealing with utility or insurance companies, out shopping or even buying a car, people tread carefully if they recognise him, he agrees.
“I have to be very careful about where I shop and I really feel for the people on the other end! Sometimes people overreact, put on their best faces and I just want them to relax.
“I’m an easy customer in many respects,” says Matt.
“I don’t want people to feel nervous. At the end of the day, life is hard enough, without giving people a hard time.”