Gregg Wallace has stepped down from MasterChef over allegations he made inappropriate sexual comments on a range of programmes over 17 years.
The 60-year-old, who has been a co-presenter and judge of the popular cooking show since 2005, is currently being investigated by MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK after complaints were made to the BBC last week.
But what exactly is Wallace accused of and what has he said in response?
What are the allegations?
Thirteen people have complained “in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with Gregg Wallace” on Banijay UK programmes, according to the company.
One of them is broadcaster Kirsty Wark, who was a celebrity contestant on MasterChef in 2011.
The Newsnight presenter told the BBC Wallace used “sexualised language” during filming.
“There were two occasions in particular where he used sexualised language in front of a number of people and it wasn’t as if anyone engaged with this. It was completely one-way traffic,” Wark told BBC News.
“I think people were uncomfortable and [it was] something that I really didn’t expect to happen.
“I was actually more angry than anything else, because I thought it was so inappropriate. And in a sense what I thought was it was about power more than anything else, that he felt he could,” Wark added.
The other allegations span across multiple TV shows between 2005 and 2022, according to BBC News.
This investigation comes after a previous BBC review into reports of an alleged incident in 2018 when he appeared on Impossible Celebrities.
Reports about that review, which found he could continue working at the corporation, surfaced in October.
Wallace, who denied any wrongdoing, said those claims had been investigated “promptly” at the time and that he had not said “anything sexual” while appearing on the game show more than half a decade ago.
More allegations after investigation announced
The announcement of Banijay UK’s investigation and Wallace’s subsequent departure from MasterChef has triggered more allegations.
Sir Rod Stewart claimed on his Instagram story that Wallace “humiliated” his wife Penny Lancaster while she was on MasterChef but “had that bit cut” from the broadcast.
Author and actor Emma Kennedy, who won Celebrity MasterChef in 2012, said she believes she saw Wallace touch the bottom of a young woman who was working as a photographer’s assistant.
“As she was bending over, Gregg in front of me went and put his hands over her buttocks and then turned to me and went, ‘Cor’, and then was laughing as if this was a great joke,” she told Ayesha Hazarika on Times Radio.
Kennedy said she didn’t think he was “a sexual predator” but confronted him over his “completely inappropriate” behaviour.
She said she reported the incident to an assistant producer, a producer and the head of PR at MasterChef at the time but didn’t get a formal response.
Presenter Kirstie Allsopp has claimed his behaviour was “totally unprofessional” when they filmed a TV pilot together, writing on social media: “Within 1 hour of meeting Gregg Wallace he told me of a sex act that he and his partner at the time enjoyed ‘every morning’. She’d just left the room, we were filming a pilot.”
TV director and producer Dawn Elrick told Sky News several female production staff complained to her about Wallace’s conduct.
She said women allege a pattern of behaviour that amounted to “bragging in a heightened sexual way” and using graphic language she describes as “lewd” and “quite filthy” – sometimes when cameras were still rolling.
Ms Elrick said she compiled the allegations in a letter to the BBC, who replied requesting more information and evidence.
But she said the response “kind of just missed the point” because, for production staff, coming forward is “very hard”.
Ms Elrick described the allegations against Wallace as “like one of these ‘open secrets'”. “I can’t see that they [the BBC] haven’t known about this for a while,” she added.
What has Wallace said about the latest allegations?
His legal team has said “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”, in a statement to BBC News.
Sky News has contacted Wallace’s representative for comment.
Wallace avoided questions when asked by Sky News about the claims.
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Wallace refuses to comment
While Wallace has not directly addressed any of the allegations, he has reacted to them with a series of Instagram videos.
In his first one, which he posted on Thursday 28 November, he thanked people for their support, saying: “I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support. It’s good of you.
“Thank you very much.”
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Gregg Wallace thanks supporters
Then on Sunday 1 December, he posted a series of other videos, in which he said: “Now, I’ve been doing MasterChef for 20 years. Amateur, celebrity and professional MasterChef and I think in that time, I have worked with more than 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life.
” And apparently, now, I’m reading in the paper, there’s been 13 complaints in that time. Now in the newspaper, I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right.”
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Wallace responds to allegations
He added: “In 20 years, over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants on MasterChef, have made sexual remarks, or sexual innuendo? Can you imagine?”
He also said: “Do you know how many staff made a complaint about me in that time? Absolutely none. Zero. Seriously.”
He has now apologised for his initial response in another Instagram story, saying: “I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I may have caused to a lot of people.
“I wasn’t in a good head space when I posted it. I’ve been under a huge amount of stress a lot of emotion. I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it.
“It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out now while this investigation is under way. I hope you understand and I do hope you accept this apology.”
What has Banijay UK said?
The company said Wallace was “committed to fully cooperating throughout the process” of its investigation.
“Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate,” the company said.
“While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process.
“Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.
“Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”
The company has also called for anyone wishing to report allegations of misconduct to contact Lewis Silkin, a legal firm appointed to lead an investigation.
What has the BBC said?
A BBC spokesperson said: “We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them. We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
“Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.
“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on anything that could form part of Banijay’s ongoing investigation or otherwise influence it.”
Wallace allegations ‘the tip of the iceberg’
A former MasterChef contestant has told Sky News the Wallace allegations are just the “tip of the iceberg”, claiming he witnessed a “toxic environment” and was so “horrified” he considered quitting the show on his first day.
The contestant, who has asked to remain anonymous, told Sky News’ arts and entertainment correspondent Katie Spencer “abuse” of contestants was widespread through the “production team”, but he was too scared to speak out after signing a non-disclosure agreement.
“I was horrified,” he said.
“I’d never seen anything like it, genuinely, I was really quite shocked at that really toxic environment.
“What I witnessed… as a contestant was that there was a systemic problem that was larger than just him, in my view.
“Gregg… would occasionally crack jokes that in different ways felt inappropriate but he wasn’t the only one.”
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The contestant said he was “not for one second wanting to let Gregg Wallace off the hook, but I don’t think it’s just him”.
“My concern is that he’s being totally scapegoated for a culture that… was more often than not about mocking. It was offensive.”
He added: “You know, I think it’s good that these things are coming out and I’m glad that people are speaking up, it’s brilliant. But I do think it’s the tip of the iceberg. I think if you were to really unravel and look at what was going on in that culture at large you’d see a lot more, you know, abuse.”
He claimed he heard a lot of profanity on set.
“I mean, there was effings and c**** and twats and all sorts and that that was the kind of language you kind of got used to, particularly from some of the camera crew, but also a couple of the producers too. He [Wallace] was the least sweary person,” he said.
“I think I got off pretty lightly, but I’d see the other contestants and just [be] thinking I would have been very upset if that person had that said that to me.”
He told Spencer it “certainly wasn’t everyone” and that some people on set were “incredibly respectful and very professional”.
He added: “It was all men… I don’t think I ever witnessed any of the women taking part in it. I think there was a kind of disconnection within the team at large… between some of the men and the women.”
Sky News has contacted Banijay and Wallace’s agent for comment about the latest allegations.
A BBC source said: “While we are not going to comment on individuals or any internal HR processes, particularly when there is an ongoing process in place being run by Banijay who have the direct contractual relationship with Gregg Wallace, it would be wrong to report the BBC has done nothing if or when matters have been raised with us – not least because it is already being widely reported there were interventions in both 2017 and 2018 where action was taken.
“We continue to urge caution about pre-judging any of this, particularly the involvement of BBC staff members and any inference they have not acted appropriately.”
