Lynn Faulds Wood
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Lynn Faulds Wood is a British television presenter and cancer campaigner.
Born in Glasgow and brought up on Loch Lomondside, she first came to prominence as "Actionwoman" on Woman magazine, then Lynn's Action Line on the Sun where she closed down the world's most famous pet market Club Row. 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. On Watchdog Lynn was known for her fearless doorstepping of conmen and rogue company directors, putting them out of business or in prison. Lynn also specialised in improving products which kill or injure people, changing many laws and Standards - example pen tops internationally now have air holes to prevent children dying in front of classmates with a pen top stuck in their throat. Laws changed included bunk beds, cooker design, microwave controls, the use of plastic in kitchen equipment, three pin plugs and many more. 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!
Doctor Knows Best
In the 1990s Lynn moved to ITV's World In Action where she achieved their highest audience with a programme investigating GP training in cancer symptoms: "Doctor Knows Best" - 10.2 million viewers. Her investigation into bowel cancer - "Bobby Moore & Me" - got 6.5 million viewers and 28,000 letters! She also helped to create the world's first evidence based guide to symptoms of her cancer, officially adopted by the Dept of Health in 2000.
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. In 2009 she was invited to present the new European cancer plan - Action Against Cancer - in Brussels.
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, Nick Stapleton (born 1987, Hammersmith, London).[1]
In 2006, she teamed up with presenter Esther Rantzen and series 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 and an audience of 4 million.
In May 2007, Wood announced that she was considering entering politics by standing for the Parliament of the United Kingdom at the 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