Genre Consumer Country of origin United Kingdom | Narrated by Matt Allwright Original language(s) English | |
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Presented by Matt Allwright
Dan Penteado (2001–2012) Running time 30–60 minutes (Original format)
60 minutes (Watchdog format) | ||
Rogue Traders is a prime-time BBC One presenter-led investigative/undercover consumer affairs television programme starring Matt Allwright, an investigative journalist and (until 2012) private investigator and side-kick, Dan Penteado.
Contents
Rogue Traders began in 2001 and ran for nine series on BBC One before being incorporated into the long-running consumer series Watchdog in 2009.
Allwright scripts and films much of the programme himself, resulting in an improvised and humorous feel to the show. An occasional catchphrase used during the show is "We never give up." Another common catchphrase said by Allwright is "Not to be confused with any other companies of the same name." or a variation of it.
The programme exposes dubious working practices of tradesmen such as double-glazing salesmen, second-hand car dealers, gas fitters, mechanics, roofers, plumbers and domestic rubbish collectors.
Formula
Rogue Traders motif is to film unscrupulous door-to-door tradesmen and salesmen, using hidden cameras and actors playing the "victim" (often elderly widows) and then use the evidence to confront them at the end of the programme.
The show usually uses an honest tradesman and sometimes specialist lawyers to provide expert knowledge and commentary. Using these techniques, the programme has "named and shamed" many businesses and individuals who had previously evaded sanction.
Among others, they have investigated the dubious working practices of double-glazing companies, second-hand car dealers, gas fitters, mechanics, roofers, plumbers and domestic rubbish collectors.
Allwright and Penteado originally used a Honda Super Blackbird motorcycle to travel from one place to another, usually wearing biking leathers throughout the programme. The bike was then changed to a Kawasaki ZZR1400.
In the fourth series, Allwright upped the stakes by using a disguise, being made up as a seventy-year-old Welsh man, Roger. He therefore fooled the "rogues" that he was Roger for some time before revealing his true identity.
From the fifth series onwards, Matt Allwright has gone one step further and now has a choice of disguises. He can be made up into 22-year-old rocker Joe, middle aged eco-warrior Bob, the elderly Stan, or Jimmy, a "non-specific Eastern European builder".
On 2 August 2008, a six-part spin-off show was launched called Rogue Restaurants, where Matt Allwright and Anita Rani investigate and secretly film restaurants across the UK in order to expose illegal and dangerous practices by restaurant managers and staff. They were accompanied by Dr Lisa Ackerley, a Food Safety Expert who was able to give an expert opinion to Matt and Anita.
Arrest of Dan Penteado
On 13 June 2012, Dan Penteado was due in court to face charges of illegally claiming housing and council tax benefit after a council benefit officer had recognised Penteado on television and matched his name to their records. He failed to appear in court and a warrant for his arrest was issued. He later appeared in Bournemouth Magistrates' Court on 25 June, where his solicitor, Terrence Scanlan argued the fraud took place between 2008 and 2012 when he was working part-time for the BBC and had made the "very poor judgement not to interrupt the flow of housing benefit". He admitted eight offences of dishonestly or knowingly claiming housing and council tax benefits totalling more than £24,000, while he had been paid more than £56,000 for his work on Rogue Traders from 2008 to 2011 and was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison on 17 July 2012. The council bringing the case to court sought to recover the overpayments and was successful, with Penteado having subsequently repaid £210 of this by July.