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Matt Allwright is a television presenter and journalist with integrity and his own distinctive style. His trademark programme, Rogue Traders, mixes journalism with humour in a way that makes you feel like you’re going along for the ride.
Matt’s been a mainstay of the TV schedules for well over a decade, thanks to solid credentials and hard work. After studying in Manchester and teaching in Japan for 3 years, he qualified as a broadcast journalist, starting out as a presenter and producer in BBC newsrooms. In 1997 the call came from BBC1’s flagship consumer programmes Watchdog and Weekend Watchdog. He stayed there for 4 years, working his way up from presenting weekly outside broadcasts to anchoring Weekend Watchdog live in studio.
In 2001 Matt started working on BBC1’s Rogue Traders, quickly making the format his own by writing the scripts and displaying true grit in the confrontations which end the show. Rogue Traders is now in its eleventh year, with a loyal audience and a string of rogue convictions to its name.
Matt’s efforts have resulted in a number of other prime-time shows, making him a true face of BBC1. In 2003 Scambusters took the Rogue Traders idea overseas to turn the tables on con artists who target Brits. Brassed Off Britain campaigned for better service for British customers, culminating in a live studio debate with the captains of 10 national industries. In 2004 Fat Nation, a major BBC1 campaign, took the fight for healthier living into the front rooms and fridges of the UK, as it took over an entire street in Birmingham for 9 weeks. He also found time to become Celebrity Mastermind champion of 2004, answering questions on the films of the Coen Brothers.
Rogue Restaurants (2008) took the Rogue brand into kitchens and dining rooms, closing down establishments where food hygiene presented a risk to the public. It proved another ratings success. Summer 2010 saw Matt in a new BBC1 4x 1 hour series, The Secret Tourist, in which he and the team uncovered holiday hazards facing British tourists abroad.
Other BBC1 projects have included the Attenborough-fronted Climate Change: Britain in Peril (2007), Britain Underwater (2008), Just the Two of Us (2007), Food Poker (2007), Homes Live (2007) and Christmas on the Frontline (2008) for which Matt travelled to meet the forces in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.
Matt is currently presenting Watchdog with his old sparring partner Anne Robinson. The show, which was given a major relaunch in September 2009 features Matt and Dan Penteado in Rogue Traders stories throughout the BBC1 hour. Matt has also been a key member of The One Show team for the last couple of years, presenting from the sofa when needed and reporting regularly from across the country. He also played a key role in the BBC’s Royal Wedding coverage over the summer of 2011.
Among the other projects Matt’s working on now are You’ve Been Scammed, a BBC1 daytime show which highlights the scams targeting us in the UK, and The Exit List, an ITV1 prime time quiz show which involves a test of contestants general knowledge and memory, for broadcast in 2012.
When he’s not working, Matt plays and sings in bands. He plays tennis badly, and supports Liverpool Football Club through thick and thin.
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