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Programme introduced by Rob Golding. The first item is an investigation by Allister Craddock into MOT testers. Craddock meets Plessey employee John Grander who was recently involved in an accident when the rusted track control arm on his Honda car snapped. The car had recently been passed as roadworthy by a Nottingham MOT garage. We see Grander outside Plessey at Beeston and getting into his car with Craddock. Independent examiner David Bellamy explains the broken component that caused the crash. We then see a still of Giacone and Sons garage in Nottingham that was recently taken to court by Nottinghamshire County Council trading standards over a rusting Mini owned by Tim Ward who is interviewed. Rust in the subframe should have been spotted in the MOT but wasn’t. We see graphic statements from the council and Nottingham Magistrates who eventually threw out the case. Interview with Rob McHattie from Nottinghamshire Trading Standards about problems in the motor industry. Shots of a car being tested for an MOT. Interview with Tony Garratt from the Motor Agents Association. Citizen 85 booked five MOT tests using the same Volkswagen Polo which has faults that an independent examiner says would cause an MOT failure. We see stills of the garages used in the tests - only two of them failed the car. Craddock then talks to the owner of Village Motors at Ruddington that passed the car and then visits Vehicle Servicing in Nottingham where he is stopped from filming and asked to leave. However a Department of Transport statement follows which states that they would have passed the car. Interview with AA inspector John Kempston who disputes the Dept of Transport statement and insists that it should be failed.
Back in the studio Golding introduces tonight's question for the Mood of the Midlands interactive poll (a gap in the programme towards the end is where the result was inserted). Next Ron Olsen investigates the current state of the package holiday industry which is in a slump due to good weather in the UK, increasing costs and holidaymakers holding off booking as they await late booking deals. Olsen also looks at the controversial practice of the Co-Operative group offering discounts or vouchers. Views of British holidaymakers on beaches in Spain. Olsen interviews Ken Scott, Chief Executive of Ilkeston Co-op; Michael Knowles, the sales director of the Birmingham based Horizon; and independent travel agent Ann Austin from Sutton Coldfield. We see exterior and interior shots of the Horizon office in Birmingham showing staff using computers and taking bookings. Passengers getting off a British Midland plane at East Midlands Airport and vox pops about receiving Co-op vouchers for their bookings. Exterior shot of Ilkeston Co-op and views inside. Shot of people booking holidays at Austin's travel agency.
Reporters: Allister Craddock; Ron Olsen
Film Cameraman: Julian White
Film Sound: Dennis Fitch
Film Editor: Georgina Read; Graham Puntis
Titles: Jim Chalmers
Graphic Design: Dave Beeson
Production Assistant: Dolores Shine
Studio Director: Steve Turner
Film Director: Timothy Moores
Executive Producer: David Gerrard
Editor: George Mitchell
Production number 5717/85. Not broadcast in this form. For the transmission the MOT report was held over until the following week and replaced by a report into cervical cancer.