I’ve been asked by the BBC to appear on Watchdog on a couple of occasions to answer questions on travel stories. Nobody had to twist my arm to go on the show – I’d be on the programme every week if I had half a chance. It’s an excellent opportunity to project Travel Weekly as the authoritative travel trade newspaper to a mass audience, many of whom are our readers.
I’m not there to do anyone’s public relations or to defend the indefensible. I would be the first to complain if I went on holiday and found myself next to a building site. But I can explain why things happen and put across both sides of a story, which can be of benefit to the travel industry.
Guests on the programme can arrive anything up to a couple of hours before the show, have a full rehearsal, see the videos which are going to be used on the programme and practice the answers they plan to give to the questions.
As I’m usually very busy and arrive only a short time before the show I just see the script and have a quick chat with Anne Robinson – but that’s my choice.
When you’re on the show you need your wits about you. Anne Robinson is a very tough and experienced interviewer and, like all journalists, will ask questions which aren’t on the script. But you will get the opportunity to state your case and make your points.
In my opinion the industry has been justified in some of its criticisms of the programme.
But Watchdog is loved by millions of viewers and consequently is not going to go away. Travel companies have to learn to live with the show and its methods and react sensibly when they are under the spotlight.