TV Presenter Gregg Wallace Faces Misconduct Allegations

Claims of “lesbian jokes constantly” have been made against television host Gregg Wallace by a woman, identified as Anna, who collaborated with him on a travel program. Anna stated that Wallace expressed “fascination” with her dating women and inquired about the “logistics” of her relationships. She is among several individuals from various productions who have approached BBC News with allegations concerning the television presenter. On Thursday, the production company behind MasterChef announced that Wallace would be stepping down from his presenting role on the program during an investigation into historical misconduct allegations. Wallace’s legal representatives assert that claims of him engaging in sexually harassing behavior are entirely false. Banijay UK, MasterChef’s production company, has initiated an investigation and confirmed Wallace’s cooperation. Downing Street described the allegations concerning Wallace as “deeply concerning.” A spokesperson for Number 10 affirmed the importance of a thorough investigation, noting that “this of course is one for the BBC.” The spokesman further stated that commenting while the process was under way “wouldn’t be right.” Additional allegations reported to the BBC include Wallace discussing spanking and threesomes in the presence of crew members. In an Instagram video shared on Thursday evening, Wallace stated: “I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support.” He added, “It’s good of you – thank you very much.” Anna was employed on Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends in 2019. She reported that Wallace frequently discussed sex, domination, and spanking, describing it as “[It] was highly inappropriate.” She also claims he consistently made remarks about her sexual orientation, even upon meeting her partner. Anna recounted, “I date women and Gregg Wallace was fascinated by that,” and that he questioned if she was “sure” she didn’t want to date men. A different woman, referred to as Georgina, worked alongside Wallace on the BBC’s Eat Well For Less TV show in 2019. She alleges he consistently made inappropriate comments to her, including remarks about his wife being only two years her senior. Georgina stated, “It made me uncomfortable,” and questioned, “What am I meant to say in response to that?” On a separate occasion, she recounts having to retrieve Wallace’s car to resolve his parking ticket. When she asked if this was acceptable, he reportedly replied: “You can come to my car, but can you handle the fact everyone will think you just got off with a celebrity?” Georgina and her colleague, named Lisa, also claim that during a shoot, Wallace emerged from a bathroom topless in their presence and requested they take his coffee order. Lisa commented, “[Wallace’s] behaviour isn’t acceptable.” She added, “To not only continue to put women in these scenarios but to continue publicly platforming him is a disgrace to our industry standards.” Georgina subsequently declined to work on any further shows with him. A different young female worker, whom the BBC identifies as Amanda, detailed two incidents involving Wallace during the filming of the Channel 5 program, Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends, in 2019. The first incident, she explained, occurred while they were traveling together by car. She stated that he produced his phone and displayed photographs of a woman in her underwear. On a second occasion, she recounted that after finishing filming in Italy, she accompanied him back to his hotel room. She stated that he began showing them his attire for the following day, then removed his top, saying “let me give you a fashion show.” Initially, a male colleague was present in the room, but she reported that he subsequently departed, leaving her alone with Wallace. She recalled still remembering the Millwall tattoo on his chest and described the hotel room experience as highly uncomfortable. She stated, “It’s weird to be alone in a room with a topless stranger.” BBC News, operating with editorial independence from the broader organization, initiated an investigation into Wallace during the summer, following awareness of the allegations. The claims received originate from 13 individuals, spanning five different shows, from 2005 to 2022. Among these individuals was broadcaster Kirsty Wark, a Celebrity MasterChef contestant in 2011, who reported that he made “sexualised” jokes during production. On Tuesday, a letter detailing the allegations received was dispatched to Wallace’s representatives. Two days later, an announcement confirmed Wallace’s temporary departure from presenting MasterChef, pending an investigation. Subsequently, additional individuals have presented allegations concerning the presenter. On Thursday, singer Sir Rod Stewart posted on Instagram, characterizing Wallace as an “ill-mannered bully” and asserting that the presenter “humiliated” his wife during her appearance on MasterChef in 2021. BBC News has sought comment from Wallace’s representatives regarding Sir Rod’s Instagram post. A prominent British trade union indicated its awareness of allegations concerning Wallace’s conduct. Philippa Childs, head of Bectu, informed BBC News, “I’d like to say I’m surprised by these reports, but… I guess my reaction is it was a matter of when, not if these stories started to emerge.” She noted the challenges freelancers face in filing complaints due to the unstable nature of the industry. She elaborated, “They’re always concerned about where their next job is coming from or indeed are they going to be able to establish themselves in the industry.” She concluded, “So there is quite a tendency not to report, to feel that it’s not safe to report, to feel that even if they do report, the production company or the broadcaster are not going to take them seriously and are not going to take action because of the power that people on screen might hold.” During an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Lorraine Heggessey, former BBC One controller, characterized Wallace as “the latest in a long line of presenters behaving badly.” She expressed being “particularly concerned” that despite issues being raised and investigated, “and yet the behaviour was allowed to continue.” She commented, “Somehow we’ve got a culture, I guess because it started in showbiz, of pandering to those who are in front of camera, and letting them get away with behaviour that other people in teams would not be allowed to get away with.” Additionally, on Friday, the charity Ambitious About Autism removed Wallace from his ambassadorial role. Conversely, some individuals have offered defenses of Wallace. TV producer Alice Harper informed The Times: ““I have come to know Gregg extremely well and have run a team, many of whom are young women, and I have never, ever seen Gregg do anything inappropriate,” She added, “He tells jokes incessantly on set to relax people… I had to sort of teach him things that were not appropriate to joke about. I did have to take him aside a couple of times and he took it on board and became more careful.” Journalist William Sitwell, who has known Wallace for approximately 25 years, wrote in a Daily Telegraph column that the presenter is “always genuinely interested in the wellbeing of people around him.” Sitwell further stated, “He builds up relationships with contestants, there is palpable warmth and, off camera, his interest is not in what they cook, but what they do and who they are.” Sitwell also commented that Wallace “fires off jokes like he’s running a Bernard Manning comedy workshop. Some are plain silly, others outrageous. Which is, of course, the point of jokes.” These allegations surface during a challenging period for the BBC. In October, the BBC disclosed details of a review aimed at preventing abuses of power, following revelations concerning Huw Edwards, previously its most senior news presenter, who committed offenses related to child abuse images. In November, BBC chairman Samir Shah remarked in a speech that there “continues to be a sense that powerful people ‘get away with it’.” A MasterChef worker, identified as Claire, expressed the view that the industry’s response to allegations is fundamental to the issue. Claire stated, “We should be getting better at dealing with this, we should be getting better at shutting things down, and not allowing celebrity or fame or power to embolden people to think they can act like that, and treat people really poorly.” In its announcement of the investigation on Thursday, Banijay UK, the producer of MasterChef, issued a statement: “This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows.” The statement further noted that Wallace, 60, is “committed to fully co-operating throughout the process.” Banijay’s statement concluded by inviting anyone wishing to raise issues or concerns to come forward. A BBC spokesman affirmed: “We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them.” Last month, the BBC also declared an independent review of its workplace culture. A spokesperson for Channel 5, the broadcaster of Big Weekends, stated: “We take any allegations of this nature extremely seriously.” The spokesperson added, “We have asked the production company to look into these historical claims. The health and wellbeing of everyone involved in our productions is very important to us and we want all of our productions to be safe and secure places for people to work.” Rumpus, the production company behind Big Weekends, declared: “We do not tolerate inappropriate behaviour on our productions.” They continued, “Our comprehensive duty of care processes were in place during production of these series and any matters raised would have been investigated in accordance with these.”