Serve Legal showcases Ask for Angela auditing on The One Show

Serve Legal showcases Ask for Angela auditing on The One Show

Serve Legal was proud to join Ask for Angela on BBC’s The One Show, showcasing the work being done to help close the gap between venue safety policies and what customers actually experience.

Serve Legal’s Marketing and Communications Manager, Catriona Crathorne, headed to Lincoln to film the segment alongside the Ask for Angela team and The One Show, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at what an Ask for Angela audit looks like in practice. During filming, Catriona and Sam carried out a mock audit within a venue. Together, they were able to demonstrate how an auditor approaches the scenario, what they are looking for from the staff response, how the experience is marked and what happens once the audit has been completed.

Serve Legal has supported Ask for Angela for a number of years and has a real soft spot for the campaign and the people behind it.

Alongside its work directly with Ask for Angela, Serve Legal also carries out Ask for Angela and wider venue safety audits for hospitality clients who want to understand how well their own teams are delivering the scheme across their venues. The work is all about providing businesses with real visibility. Having a policy in place is one thing, but understanding how staff respond when a customer actually needs that policy is another.

Following the mock audit, Catriona spent more time filming with The One Show team and was able to watch as the production team spoke to members of the public in Lincoln about their own awareness and experiences of Ask for Angela. It was particularly powerful to hear from young women who were out in Lincoln on a Saturday night. Many already knew about the campaign, had seen it advertised in venues, and some had even used the scheme themselves and been supported through it.

Catriona Crathorne, Marketing and Communications Manager at Serve Legal, said:

“Being able to head up to Lincoln and share the work we do with Ask for Angela on a platform like The One Show was a real privilege. Sam and I were able to show what an audit actually looks like, from how we approach the scenario and assess the staff response through to making sure everyone knows afterwards that it was an audit and that everybody is safe.

“Customer experience isn’t a nice-to-have. When someone enters a venue, they should feel safe and supported as part of that experience. Ask for Angela is such a strong example of where we see a venue going beyond the basics and making a real commitment to its customers, but that commitment has to work in practice. It can’t just be a poster on the wall.

“We’ve supported Ask for Angela for a number of years now and we have such a soft spot for the campaign and the amazing people behind it.”

Serve Legal’s own research has previously highlighted why continued auditing and training around Ask for Angela is so important. In research conducted with more than 450 people in May 2025, 93% of respondents recognised the initiative, 85% felt it made venues safer for customers and staff, and 73% said they personally felt safer knowing the scheme was in place.

However, among 195 respondents who had worked in hospitality since Ask for Angela launched, only 24% said they had received training on the initiative. This is where independent auditing helps to bridge the gap.

Serve Legal’s Ask for Angela audits help businesses understand whether staff recognise the request, know how to respond and feel confident putting the policy into action. The insight can then be used to highlight where things are working well and where further training or support may be needed.

For Serve Legal, venue safety and customer experience go hand in hand. Customers should not only receive the product, service or experience they have paid for; they should also feel safe, supported and confident that the businesses they visit will be there for them when they need help. 

Serve Legal will continue to support Ask for Angela and work with hospitality businesses looking to better understand and improve the safety experience across their venues.

Businesses interested in finding out more about Serve Legal’s Ask for Angela, venue safety or customer experience audits can get in touch with the team to discuss an audit programme tailored to their venues.