Rippon attacks BBC for not giving her show a slot in prime time

Angela Rippon has criticised the BBC for relegating consumer affairs journalism to a daytime slot.

Rip Off Britain, which Rippon co-presents with Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville, airs on weekday mornings and has been a staple of the schedule since its launch in 2009.

It is the only regular consumer programme on BBC One, after bosses discontinued Watchdog in 2020. Rippon has questioned why it does not have a regular spot in prime time.

“Today, we are increasingly under siege from sophisticated scammers, fraudsters and blatant rip-off merchants. With a cost of living crisis and so much of our financial lives, from banking to shopping, online, it could be argued that consumer programming has never been more important,” she said.

Writing in Radio Times, she added: “Those three little words ‘Rip Off Britain’ have become incredibly powerful and persuasive. Just the mere mention of them to a reluctant company can usually produce a resolution and full compensation. That’s always incredibly gratifying to the team.

“So how come such a valuable programme doesn’t command the spotlight and the bigger audience of a prime-time slot?

“Why is consumer journalism absent from BBC prime-time television, with Watchdog reduced to a single item once a week on The One Show, and consumer spots on Morning Live? Well, that’s the question we are constantly asked by loyal viewers.”

Rippon noted that “indeed, when we do take over from The One Show at 7pm when they’re on holiday, our viewing figures treble. It’s one of the peculiarities of television scheduling. We were conceived as a daytime programme, so that’s where we stay.”

Her comments echo those of Martin Lewis, creator of the Money Saving Expert website and host of his own show on ITV, who recently said it was a disgrace that the BBC has no prime-time consumer programme during a cost of living crisis.

Rippon said Rip Off Britain had a “huge influence” on last year’s decision by the Financial Conduct Authority to force banks to refund victims of push payment scams, in which people are tricked into sending money to fraudsters.

The programme features “heartbreaking human stories” and acts as a warning system to others to avoid the dangers, she said.

The BBC has countered criticism of its output, saying: “Consumer affairs programming appears across the BBC and Watchdog is watched by millions as part of The One Show.”