Ainsley Harriott has issued a controversial statement as he weighed in on the accusations surrounding Gregg Wallace.
The MasterChef judge and chef, 60, announced he was stepping back from presenting the show after nearly 20 years last week while an investigation into his alleged misconduct is carried out.
But TV chef Ainsley, 67, who appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in August, has insisted the ‘whole crew, including Gregg, was fantastic’.
Ainsley made it clear he has Gregg’s full support during an interview at the Television and Radio Industries Club.
He said: ‘If you look at a programme that’s been successful for many, many, many years, there’s a reason why.
‘The whole crew, including Gregg, was fantastic. I had a great experience.’
Ainsley Harriott, 67, has issued a controversial statement as he weighed in on the accusations surrounding Gregg Wallace, 60
The MasterChef judge and chef announced he was stepping back from presenting the show after nearly 20 years last week while an investigation into his alleged misconduct is carried out (John Torode, Ainsley and Gregg pictured)
Despite his praise for the show, Ainsley wasn’t too keen at the idea of taking over Gregg’s spot, admitting: ‘It’s a tough gig’.
He added: ‘Judging food or judging anything is harder. But I’ve got kids – my daughter is 31 and she just turned around and said, “it’s not for you, Dad, it’s for our generation”. And it really is.
‘You have to look at who’s coming forward. People talk about “woke this, woke that.” No, it’s now. It’s where we live. This is society. We live it, breathe it, live it, love it.
‘And especially when you’ve got young grandchildren, you can see that’s the world they’re coming into.
‘Protect it. Respect those people. I was there once, you know, 30 years ago, and it’s their time now. Let them develop. Let the world come alive.’
BBC executives held crisis meetings last week as the claims about Gregg threatened to undermine its Christmas schedule, which includes two MasterChef specials.
The BBC have decided to go ahead and broadcast the rest of Masterchef: The Professionals, which will conclude on December 12, and the two Christmas editions, while they await the conclusion of the investigation by production company Banijay.
It is understood that the BBC and Banijay have been scouring the forthcoming episodes of MasterChef that have yet to air for any sexually inappropriate comments by Gregg.
But TV chef Ainsley, who appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in August, has insisted the ‘whole crew, including Gregg, was fantastic’
Ainsley made it clear he has Gregg’s full support, admitting: ‘If you look at a programme that’s been successful for many, many, many years, there’s a reason why. The whole crew, including Gregg, was fantastic. I had a great experience’
A BBC spokesman told the Mail: ‘MasterChef is life-changing for the chefs that take part and the show is about more than one individual.’
He last week faced accusations of inappropriate behaviour from 13 people, including Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, over a 17-year period across five shows from 2005 to 2022.
Gregg faces accusations he told a junior female colleague he wasn’t wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans, wandered into the studio naked apart from a sock on his penis and mimicked a sex act on a producer when she knelt down to clean his trousers.
The latest allegations include one woman who said he groped her, another who claims he pressed his crotch against her while filming BBC show Eat Well For Less and a third who alleged he flashed her in his dressing room.
Despite this Gregg remains desperate to repair his reputation and the investigation’s findings are critical if he wants to continue appearing on screen.