Call The Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up is a Channel 5 documentary series that follows real High Court enforcement work across England and Wales. Shergroup is the leading enforcement company featured on the show — led by Claire Sandbrook, Authorised High Court Enforcement Officer and CEO of Shergroup. Seasons 1 to 3 are available to watch now. Season 4 is currently filming for upcoming broadcast on Channel 5. Watch full episodes on Channel 5, My5, and the https://www.youtube.com/@shertvvideovault
Season 4 is currently filming. Subscribe to ShergroupTV on YouTube to be notified when new episodes and behind-the-scenes content are released.
What Is Call The Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up on Channel 5?
Call The Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up is a documentary series broadcast on Channel 5 that gives viewers a direct, unscripted look at what High Court enforcement really involves.
The show follows certificated High Court Enforcement Officers as they carry out real enforcement cases — visiting debtors who have failed to pay court-ordered judgments, taking control of goods, negotiating payment, and executing warrants across England and Wales.
Every case shown is a real case. Every officer on screen holds a certificate of authorisation under the Courts Act 2003. This is not dramatised debt collection — it is the civil enforcement machinery of the English and Welsh justice system, filmed as it happens.
Why this show matters: High Court enforcement is one of the most misunderstood areas of civil law. Most creditors — and most debtors — have never seen what a real Writ of Control looks like in practice. Call The Bailiffs demystifies the process and shows the reality of enforcement work that Shergroup carries out every working day.
Shergroup is the company at the heart of the show. Claire Sandbrook, Shergroup’s CEO and an Authorised High Court Enforcement Officer, has appeared on-screen across Seasons 1 to 3, and Shergroup’s enforcement team is featured throughout.
Who Are the Bailiffs on the Show — and What Is Shergroup’s Role?
The word ‘bailiff’ is commonly used to describe any enforcement officer — but the officers featured on Call The Bailiffs are a specific and highly qualified category: certificated High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEOs).
What makes an HCEO different from a standard bailiff:
- HCEOs are certificated by the Lord Chancellor under the Courts Act 2003 — a qualification that standard bailiffs and debt collectors do not hold
- HCEOs enforce Writs of Control issued by the High Court — instruments with significantly wider legal powers than a county court warrant
- HCEOs can attend at any reasonable time, seize and remove vehicles, take control of commercial goods and machinery, and enter into legally binding Controlled Goods Agreements
- HCEOs are independent certificated officers — not court employees — authorised to act directly on behalf of creditors
Shergroup is the company most prominently featured on the show. Claire Sandbrook is Shergroup’s CEO and one of only a small number of women to hold the status of Authorised HCEO in England and Wales.
Other enforcement companies, including Absolute Enforcement, also feature in some episodes. Shergroup is the primary enforcement firm and Claire Sandbrook is the lead on-screen authority.
Claire Sandbrook — Authorised HCEO, CEO, Shergroup. 30+ years of enforcement experience. Certificated High Court Enforcement Officer. On-screen across Seasons 1–3 of Call The Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up. Season 4 currently filming.
What Kinds of Cases Does Call The Bailiffs Feature?
The enforcement cases featured on Call The Bailiffs are real, live cases that Shergroup and other certificated HCEOs are actively working. No cases are staged or recreated.
Typical enforcement scenarios featured on the show include:
- Business-to-business debts where companies have ignored CCJs — HCEO visits to commercial premises to take control of goods
- Individual debtors who have failed to pay court judgments — including vehicle seizure and controlled goods agreements
- Commercial rent arrears — enforcement agents recovering unpaid rent from business tenants
- Residential possessions — certificated officers executing warrants to return properties to landlords
- Complex cases involving debtors who have moved, changed business names, or actively evaded previous enforcement attempts
- Negotiations at the doorstep — many cases resolve on the day when the debtor understands the legal consequences of the officer’s presence
The show captures both the legal formality of enforcement — the serving of notices, the legal paperwork, the authority of the Writ of Control — and the human dimension: the conversations, the negotiations, and the moments when debtors and creditors reach a resolution.
The cases reflect the full range of enforcement work that Shergroup carries out through its commercial debt recovery service every day — across every sector, every type of debtor, and every size of judgment debt.
Watch Call The Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up. Full episodes on Channel 5 and My5. Behind-the-scenes content and selected episodes on ShergroupTV. Season 4 is currently filming — subscribe now to be notified when new content is released.
Where Can You Watch Call The Bailiffs — Channel 5, My5, and ShergroupTV YouTube
Call The Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up is available across three platforms:
Channel 5 (channel5.com). Current season episodes broadcast live on Channel 5. Check the Channel 5 schedule for upcoming episodes and repeat broadcasts.
My5 (my5.tv). All available episodes of Seasons 1 to 3 are accessible on demand through My5, Channel 5’s streaming service. No subscription required — free to stream in the UK.
ShergroupTV — YouTube channel. Shergroup’s official YouTube channel hosts selected episodes, case clips, and behind-the-scenes content from the show. Subscribe to receive notifications when new content from Season 4 is released.
How Is Call The Bailiffs Different From Can’t Pay We’ll Take It Away?
Both shows follow real enforcement work in England and Wales — but they are different programmes with different companies, different casts, and different broadcast histories. The table below sets out the key differences.
| Factor | Call The Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up | Can’t Pay We’ll Take It Away |
| Broadcaster | Channel 5 | Channel 5 |
| Status (2026) | Active — Season 4 filming | Ended |
| Enforcement company featured | Shergroup (Claire Sandbrook, Authorised HCEO) | Multiple firms (different group) |
| Type of officer shown | Certificated High Court Enforcement Officers | Certificated enforcement agents |
| Cases covered | Real commercial and residential enforcement across England & Wales | Residential and commercial enforcement |
| Authority on screen | Claire Sandbrook — Authorised HCEO, 30+ years enforcement, CEO Shergroup | Various named officers |
| Where to watch | Channel 5, My5, ShergroupTV YouTube | My5 (archive only) |
The key distinction for viewers and creditors is authority and currency. Call The Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up is the active, current show — with Season 4 in production now. It features Shergroup’s officers working real cases under Writs of Control issued by the High Court. The enforcement powers shown on screen are the same powers that Shergroup deploys on behalf of creditors every working day.
Can’t Pay We’ll Take It Away aired on the same channel and followed a similar format — but it is a separate production involving different enforcement firms and is no longer in production. Episodes are available on My5 as archive content.
If a case on either show reminds you of a debt you are trying to recover: the process you are watching is real, the officers are certificated, and Shergroup can assess your specific case to determine whether High Court enforcement is the right route.
Frequently Asked Questions About Call The Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up
Is Call The Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up a real show?
Yes. Call The Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up is a Channel 5 documentary series that follows real High Court enforcement work in England and Wales. The bailiffs featured are certificated High Court Enforcement Officers — including Claire Sandbrook of Shergroup, an Authorised HCEO with 30+ years of enforcement experience.
Who are the bailiffs on Call The Bailiffs?
The show features certificated High Court Enforcement Officers from leading UK enforcement firms. Shergroup is the brand most prominently featured, led on-screen by Claire Sandbrook (Authorised HCEO, CEO, Shergroup). Other enforcement companies, including Absolute Enforcement, also feature in some episodes.
Where can I watch Call The Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up?
Episodes are broadcast on Channel 5 and stream on demand on My5 (channel5.com) — free to watch in the UK. Selected episodes and behind-the-scenes content are also available on the ShergroupTV YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@shertvvideovault
Is Call The Bailiffs the same as Can’t Pay We’ll Take It Away?
No. They are different shows. Can’t Pay We’ll Take It Away aired on Channel 5 and followed enforcement work by a different group of firms — it is no longer in production but episodes are available on My5. Call The Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up is the current Channel 5 series featuring Shergroup and certificated HCEOs working active enforcement cases. Season 4 is currently filming.
How many seasons of Call The Bailiffs are there?
Seasons 1, 2 and 3 have aired on Channel 5. Season 4 is currently filming for upcoming broadcast. Older seasons can be found on My5 and selected content is hosted on the ShergroupTV YouTube channel.
Watch the show. Subscribe to ShergroupTV
Season 4 is filming now — be the first to see new episodes and exclusive content when they drop. Subscribe to ShergroupTV on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@shertvvideovault
Saw a case on the show that reminds you of your own situation?
Shergroup is led by Claire Sandbrook — the Authorised HCEO featured on Channel 5. We recover commercial debts and enforce judgments across England and Wales, the same work the show follows. Book a free 20-minute consultation — we will look at your case honestly and tell you whether High Court enforcement is the right route.
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