The storm around Masterchef presenter Gregg Wallace continues, with the 60-year-old responding to the allegations against him in a video posted on Instagram on Sunday morning. In it, Wallace claims the accusations about him making sexual comments towards staff and guests had come from “middle-class women of a certain age”.
Wallace is to step away from the BBC cooking show while historical misconduct complaints – concerning people of a range of ages who worked with Wallace on a number of shows – are externally reviewed by MasterChef producer Banijay UK. The production company has confirmed it has appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead an investigation.
The star’s lawyers say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
The BBC has said it has robust processes in place to deal with issues swiftly and appropriately, but said it would be inappropriate for it to comment on anything that could form part of Banijay’s ongoing investigation or influence it.
A statement from Banijay UK read: “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.
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.”
Who has made allegations against Gregg Wallace?
A string of allegations have emerged against Wallace.
On Tuesday BBC News sent a letter to Wallace’s representatives setting out allegations of inappropriate sexual comments by 13 people who worked with him across a range of shows over a 17-year period.
Further accusations were levelled against the TV presenter on Friday in news outlets such as The Sun.
Allegations were also raised by staff members about Wallace’s behaviour on Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends to BBC News, with Channel 5 asking the programme’s production company, Rumpus Media, to look into the accusations.
Broadcaster Kirsty Wark, who was a Celebrity MasterChef contestant in 2011, has described how Wallace told “sexualised” jokes during filming.
Other allegations reported by BBC News included Wallace talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to “give her a fashion show”, and telling a junior female colleague he wasn’t wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans.
Other claims include allegations from a former MasterChef worker who says Wallace showed her topless pictures of himself and asked for massages, and a former worker on Channel 5’s Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends, who says he was fascinated by the fact she dated women and asked for the logistics of how it worked.
Another female worker on MasterChef in 2019 says Wallace talked about his sex life; a female worker on the BBC Good Food Show in 2010 claimed Wallace stared at her chest; and a male worker on MasterChef in 2005-06 said Wallace regularly made sexually explicit comments on set.
Sir Rod Stewart has also hit out at Wallace in the wake of the allegations, suggesting he had “bullied” his wife Penny Lancaster when she was on MasterChef.
More allegations have been shared by producer and director Dawn Elrick, who shared a letter on her ‘S*** Men In TV Have Said To Me’ Instagram account which she claimed to have sent to the BBC in 2022, which included anonymous reports from people who alleged they “have experienced sexism and sexual harassment within the TV industry” at the hands of Wallace.
In addition, the Sunday Times says it has seen emails which show a BBC executive warned Wallace about his behaviour in 2017 after broadcaster Aasmah Mir complained about inappropriate comments made during filming for Celebrity MasterChef.
The BBC said in response: “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.”
What has Wallace said about the allegations?
Wallace responded to the allegations by claiming they had come from “middle-class women of a certain age”.
In a video posted on Instagram, he said: “I’ve been doing MasterChef for 20 years, amateur, celebrity and professional MasterChef, and I think, in that time, I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life,” he said.
“Apparently now, I’m reading in the paper, there’s been 13 complaints in that time.”
He continued: “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.
“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?”