Rip Off Britain poster

Rip Off Britain

TV Show 2009 3.0/10 437 episodes
Crime News

Synopsis

Rip Off Britain is a BBC One series which exposes Britain's rip-offs and helps consumers. It began on 30 November 2009, presented by former news journalists Angela Rippon, Gloria Hunniford and Jennie Bond. Newsreader Julia Somerville replaced Bond from series three.

From the second series onwards, the show was remade into cut-down editions of 30 minutes which air in a prime time slot on Friday evenings.

Not playing, wrong audio, or no subtitles? Use the player buttons below to try a different server — most playback and subtitle issues are fixed by switching players.

Series 16 Episodes

Episode 1 EP 1
They sold me a written-off car

The team investigates the seriously written-off cars patched up and put back on the road, and asks why e-bike batteries, withdrawn for bein…

Episode 2 EP 2
Blacklisted because of my surname

When an algorithm banned one woman from opening an online account because her surname was McManus, she asked Rip Off Britain for help!

Episode 3 EP 3
Where’s my £300,000 whisky gone?

The team meet one man worried that the £300k he spent on rare whisky might have vanished after the investment firm went bust.

Episode 4 EP 4
Paying £1 per mile for car insurance

Priced off the road: the young drivers handed a car insurance price hike in the middle of their policy.

Episode 5 EP 5
My four-star holiday deal was anything but

The team investigates the holiday deal websites whose offers were very different to what was advertised.

Episode 6 EP 6
Energy Special

From shockingly incorrect bills to broken smart meters, bad customer service to impossible debts, the Rip Off Britain team challenge the en…

Episode 7 EP 7
Help – my home’s infested with beetles

The team meets a couple at loggerheads with a developer after finding soaked plaster and a beetle infestation in their new-build home.

Episode 8 EP 8
The phone, the thief and the worthless insurance

How one tech giant’s phone insurance will only pay out if thieves don’t switch off the tracking software on your handset. And the people fo…

Episode 9 EP 9
Cut off from my landline

Could the biggest change to landlines in generations leave you without a phone or broadband? And the new plans that might bring private par…

Episode 10 EP 10
Help, they’ve hacked my holiday hotel

The hacked hotel emails that could cost you your holiday. Also, the team meets a woman who felt abandoned by her cruise company when illnes…

Episode 11 EP 11
I became a money mule by mistake

Gloria Hunniford, Angela Rippon and Julia Somerville hear from the young people who thought they were dabbling in investments but instead e…

Episode 12 EP 12
‘Lose a stone in a week’ – the pamphlet peddling porkies

The team tackle more bad practice, including debunking the claims of a slimming pill magazine that says you’ll lose a stone in a week.

Episode 13 EP 13
Help, I don’t owe the debt you’re chasing me for

The dogged debt collectors who won’t give up – even when you don’t owe them anything. And the missing mail causing huge headaches and leavi…

Episode 14 EP 14
£89,000 down... and my bank won’t listen

Life savings gone and no refund – why your choice of bank could make all the difference if you lose out to scammers.

Episode 15 EP 15
My holiday coach crash nightmare

The tour operator that one couple say really let them down when their coach transfer took a turn for the worst.

Episode 16 EP 16
No payout pet insurance

Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville are joined by Henry the Blue Peter dog, as they hear about the chihuahua owner from Oldham whose pet …

Episode 17 EP 17
Out-of-control bamboo is destroying my driveway

Gloria Hunniford learns how the 1990s fashion for bamboo in our gardens is causing expensive problems for some homeowners 25 years later.

Episode 18 EP 18
Help, my £45,000 pension is missing!

With millions of pounds sitting unclaimed in dormant or misplaced accounts, the team sets about helping a former bank worker track down her…

Episode 19 EP 19
Crumbling concrete wrecked my home

Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville get to grips with the lightweight construction material RAAC. Installed decades ago, it’s ended up de…

Episode 20 EP 20
Wrong flight landed us in Lithuania!

Julia Somerville and Gloria Hunniford present a sun-drenched holiday edition, featuring airline passengers who were supposed to be travelli…

Episode 21 EP 21
Bank account switch left me broke

Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville hear the story of a woman from Bolton who staged a protest at the local branch of her bank after bein…

Episode 22 EP 22
Floored by ground rent demand

A 90-year-old is shocked by a £17,000 ground rent bill on the flat he’s owned for 50 years. Plus the online marketplace being abused by sca…

Episode 23 EP 23
No win, no fee cost me £27,000

Gloria Hunniford, Julia Somerville and the team hear how the promise of a no win, no fee legal action left a man from Burnley with a £27,00…

Episode 24 EP 24
Thieves charged hundreds to my phone bill

How mobile phone theft victims are facing huge bills when crooks’ purchases are charged to them.

Episode 25 EP 25
Airport security delays left my holiday in ruins

The travellers seeking answers after their getaway plans were wrecked when huge security queues at a major British airport caused them to m…

Episode 26 EP 26
The missing person ads that transform into scams

How fraudsters are using social media posts about missing people and pets to hook their victims into scams.

Episode 27 EP 27
£226,000 crypto scam left me homeless

How a recently bereaved widow from Lancashire was conned out of the £226,000 proceeds of a house sale by fraudsters who claimed she was inv…

Episode 28 EP 28
Help, someone stole my house!

The team investigate the homeowners who’ve found their homes targeted by scammers who steal personal information to try and sell their home…

Episode 29 EP 29
Fake weight-loss drug almost killed me

We reveal how fraudsters are selling counterfeit versions of a well-known weight-loss drug and the potentially devastating consequences for…

Episode 30 EP 30
Ripped passport wrecked our holiday

In a special holiday edition, Gloria Hunniford, Julia Somerville and the team ask how much damage is too much damage when it comes to your …

Episode 31 EP 31
Doorstep raiders knocked out my doorbell camera

The team uncovers the shocking story of the readily available gadget that can hack your wifi and renders many doorbell video cameras useles…

Episode 32 EP 32
Social media bank staff scam cost me £16,500

The team reveals how scammers are convincing victims to part with their cash by posing as senior bank staff, and pointing to their social m…

Episode 33 EP 33
Mistaken identity cost me thousands

The reveals the story of how a car finance company’s mistake led to the credit record of a man from Blackpool being merged with a man from …

Episode 34 EP 34
Landed in debt… for someone else’s shopping

The team hears from the women from South Wales who have been hounded for hundreds of pounds worth of debt after someone else took out a ‘bu…

Episode 35 EP 35
The hotel with no running water

Julia Somerville, Louise Minchin, Gloria Hunniford and the Rip Off Britain team have with a sun-soaked holidays special focusing on your tr…

Episode 36 EP 36
Missing £400,000 put my mum’s care at risk

Julia Somerville, Louise Minchin, Gloria Hunniford and the team hear the shocking story of how a woman’s attempts to invest both her own sa…

Episode 37 EP 37
Ravenous rats destroyed my car

The team hear how a woman from south London says the electrical wiring in her vehicle is being repeatedly chewed by rats, causing thousands…

Episode 38 EP 38
Careless couriers left our parcels in pieces

Gloria Hunniford, Louise Minchin and Julia Somerville hear from viewers who say their carefully packaged goods are getting smashed by clums…

Episode 39 EP 39
When will my flood-wrecked home be fixed?

Louise Minchin, Julia Somerville and Gloria Hunniford hear from victims of severe flooding who’ve been forced to move out of their homes fo…

Episode 40 EP 40
Filthy holiday cottages cut our break short!

The team hear from customers of a leading holiday cottages company, who say their getaways were wrecked when they found their holiday homes…

Episode 41 EP 41
Filthy takeaways posting incorrect hygiene ratings

The team report on restaurants and takeaways where incorrect hygiene ratings risk misleading customers. Is the system in need of an overhau…

Episode 42 EP 42
Telecoms contract pushers caught on camera

In a special investigation, Rip Off Britain goes undercover with BBC News to show how a telecoms firm is making promises about contracts bu…

Episode 43 EP 43
Tainted tap water left us in agony

Louise Minchin, Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville seek answers for householders who say their water company should have acted quicker w…

Episode 44 EP 44
Scammed by fake AI celebrities

The team reveal how criminals are using artificial intelligence to create ‘deepfake’ videos of AI celebrities and public figures to try to …

Episode 45 EP 45
Forced to take five flights to board our cruise

We hear the astonishing story of a couple who were forced to take five flights and travel 3,000 miles across Europe to board a cruise depar…

You May Also Like