The production company that makes MasterChef has appointed a City law firm to lead the investigation into alleged misconduct by presenter Gregg Wallace.
Wallace, 60, stepped down from the BBC cooking show on Thursday amid accusations he made sexual comments towards staff and celebrity guests on a range of programmes over 17 years.
Banijay UK, the company that makes the programme, on Saturday said it had appointed Lewis Silkin to lead an investigation and called for anyone else wishing to raise concerns to contact the law firm’s team.
“Lewis Silkin is a major City law firm with a highly experienced specialist investigations team which has overseen a broad range of high-profile workplace investigations,” it said.
“Banijay UK has been impressed by the firm’s rigorous, in-depth, and impartial analysis and reporting.”
A spokesperson added: “All information will be handled sensitively, and names of those providing evidence to the team will be kept confidential.”
Wallace has been a presenter on the programme since 2005, as well as its spin-offs Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.
Banijay previously said he has “committed to fully co-operating throughout the process” after the BBC received complaints over “historical allegations of misconduct”.
In an interview with the BBC, Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark said she saw Wallace “use sexualised language in front of a number of people” when she appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011.
Singer Sir Rod Stewart criticised Wallace on Instagram and claimed he “humiliated” his wife Penny Lancaster in 2021.
The presenter is yet to directly address any of the allegations and on Saturday posted an Instagram message of a biscuit dunked in cream with the caption: “Enjoy your weekend.”
In a video posted to the site on Thursday he said: “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.”
The TV star’s lawyers said “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”, BBC News reported.
On Friday, the charity Ambitious About Autism said it had dropped him as an ambassador citing the “recent allegations”.
Wallace has three children and his youngest, five-year-old Sid, is non-verbal and autistic.