[4] The series featured Cook investigating corruption, criminals, government social policy failures, and unmasking coverups due to incompetence, negligence and dishonesty.

[5][6][7] Over 12 years, and sixteen series, the programme featured Roger Cook travelling the world to investigate serious criminal activity, injustice and official incompetence.

[citation needed] Amongst the many subjects tackled, the programme exposed Northern Ireland protection rackets,[8] baby trading in Brazil and Guatemala,[9] canned hunting in South Africa,[10] loan sharks, the ivory trade, people smuggling, drug dealing, mock auctions,[11] counterfeit consumer goods,[12] manipulation of the UK Singles Chart,[13] war criminals in Bosnia, Clenbuterol in British Beef, friendly fire in the Gulf War, the illegal trading of exotic birds, the rise of triads in Britain, Neo-Nazis in Germany, The Hillsborough disaster, steroid dealing, cot deaths, child & computer pornography, the Russian black market in weapons-grade plutonium and Satanic Ritual Abuse.

[19][20] To promote the single, she toured Scotland with pop band The Mojams,[21] claimed that she had enjoyed group sex and lost her virginity at fifteen,[22] told her mother Edwina about the latter in Tesco,[23] and posed with fried eggs on her breasts.

The ITV Network Centre decided to concentrate its current affairs efforts on Tonight - which, though it attracted fewer viewers, was said to be significantly less costly to make.

In February and April 2000, the News of the World published a series of front page allegations claiming that The Cook Report had faked a number of programmes in which crimes were set up for him to solve.

While it is accepted that the NoW believed that it had grounds to look into the matter, the News of the World now acknowledges that the articles contained material inaccuracies which should not have been published,"[30][31] The programme and its production team won eleven national and international awards, culminating in a British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) special award for its presenter in 1997 'for 25 years of outstanding quality investigative reporting.