Lynn Faulds Wood
Encyclopedia
Lynn Faulds Wood is a British television presenter and cancer campaigner.
Born in Glasgow and brought up on Loch Lomond
side, she first came to prominence as "Actionwoman" on Woman magazine, then Lynn's Action Line on the Sun. She moved to consumer champion on the breakfast television programmes TV-am
and BBC Breakfast Time. She is most famous for turning Watchdog (then an item on Nationwide) into a peak-time BBC1 series, presenting the programme from 1985 until 1993, alongside her husband John Stapleton
She won many awards, including Consumer Journalist of the Decade (1980s) and Motoring journalist of the Year. After her son was born in 1987, Lynn received 2,000 letters a week about safety issues, which directly led to changes in the law (bunk beds, second hand electrical equipment) and standards (plugs, pen tops, microwave ovens, toasters etc) She is credited with the phrase "potential deathtrap" though it was probably coined by Rory Bremner as no one can find a record of Lynn actually saying it!
In the 1990s Lynn moved to ITV's World In Action where she achieved their highest audience with a programme investigating GPs training in cancer symptoms "Doctor Knows Best" - 10.2 million and her investigation into bowel cancer - "Bobby Moore & Me" - got 6.5 million viewers and 28,000 letters!
In 2002 Lynn co-founded the European Cancer Patient Coalition which she chaired as President until 2009. She helped to set up MEPs Against Cancer and is credited with helping to get cancer on the official European Agenda.
From 2003 to 2009, she was Consumer Champion on GMTV
. During her career she was hit in the face with a Rottweiler dog lead, chased by a woman with an axe and threatened with death. She survived advanced bowel and skin cancer
.
She has a son, Nicholas James Stapleton (born 1987, Hammersmith
, London
).
In 2006, she teamed up with presenter Esther Rantzen
and producer Rob Unsworth to present the BBC consumer investigation series Old Dogs, New Tricks. When the series was broadcast they had around 70 years of television journalism between them.
In May 2007, Wood announced that she was considering entering politics by standing for the British
parliament
at the next general election
. Instead she remained as a cancer campaigner (see Bowel Cancer Information - www.bowelcancer.tv) still regularly appearing on television talking about cancer and consumer matters. She is current Chair of the British Standards Institution Consumer & Public Policy Network, President & Patron of many charities and health organisations, with an honorary doctorate for services to bowel cancer .
Lynn was born on 25 March 1948 in Glasgow
Born in Glasgow and brought up on Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles, although the lake itself is smaller than many Irish...
side, she first came to prominence as "Actionwoman" on Woman magazine, then Lynn's Action Line on the Sun. She moved to consumer champion on the breakfast television programmes TV-am
TV-am
TV-am was a breakfast television station that broadcast to the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 to 31 December 1992. It made history by being the first national operator of a commercial television franchise at breakfast-time , and broadcast every day of the week for most or all of the period...
and BBC Breakfast Time. She is most famous for turning Watchdog (then an item on Nationwide) into a peak-time BBC1 series, presenting the programme from 1985 until 1993, alongside her husband John Stapleton
John Stapleton
John Martin Stapleton is an English journalist and presenter. He is currently working as a freelancer with various media outlets.-Television career:...
She won many awards, including Consumer Journalist of the Decade (1980s) and Motoring journalist of the Year. After her son was born in 1987, Lynn received 2,000 letters a week about safety issues, which directly led to changes in the law (bunk beds, second hand electrical equipment) and standards (plugs, pen tops, microwave ovens, toasters etc) She is credited with the phrase "potential deathtrap" though it was probably coined by Rory Bremner as no one can find a record of Lynn actually saying it!
In the 1990s Lynn moved to ITV's World In Action where she achieved their highest audience with a programme investigating GPs training in cancer symptoms "Doctor Knows Best" - 10.2 million and her investigation into bowel cancer - "Bobby Moore & Me" - got 6.5 million viewers and 28,000 letters!
In 2002 Lynn co-founded the European Cancer Patient Coalition which she chaired as President until 2009. She helped to set up MEPs Against Cancer and is credited with helping to get cancer on the official European Agenda.
From 2003 to 2009, she was Consumer Champion on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
. During her career she was hit in the face with a Rottweiler dog lead, chased by a woman with an axe and threatened with death. She survived advanced bowel and skin cancer
Skin cancer
Skin neoplasms are skin growths with differing causes and varying degrees of malignancy. The three most common malignant skin cancers are basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer, and melanoma, each of which is named after the type of skin cell from which it arises...
.
She has a son, Nicholas James Stapleton (born 1987, Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
).
In 2006, she teamed up with presenter Esther Rantzen
Esther Rantzen
Esther Louise Rantzen CBE is an English journalist and television presenter who is best known for presenting the BBC television series That's Life!, and for her work in various charitable causes. She is founder of the child protection charity ChildLine, and also advocates the work of the Burma...
and producer Rob Unsworth to present the BBC consumer investigation series Old Dogs, New Tricks. When the series was broadcast they had around 70 years of television journalism between them.
In May 2007, Wood announced that she was considering entering politics by standing for the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
at the next general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. Instead she remained as a cancer campaigner (see Bowel Cancer Information - www.bowelcancer.tv) still regularly appearing on television talking about cancer and consumer matters. She is current Chair of the British Standards Institution Consumer & Public Policy Network, President & Patron of many charities and health organisations, with an honorary doctorate for services to bowel cancer .
Lynn was born on 25 March 1948 in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...