Downing Street Calls Gregg Wallace’s MasterChef Defense “Misogynistic”

Downing Street has stated that Gregg Wallace’s justification for his conduct on MasterChef was “inappropriate and misogynistic”. On Sunday, Wallace asserted that allegations concerning his behavior on the program originated from a “handful of middle-class women of a certain age”. Wallace, aged 60, has refuted claims of sexually harassing behavior, following 13 individuals presenting allegations of inappropriate comments last week. Furthermore, No 10 has verified that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy engaged in discussions with BBC executives subsequent to the controversy surrounding his conduct. When questioned about the potential removal of MasterChef from broadcast, the prime minister’s official spokesperson responded: “It’s right that a thorough investigation is conducted. Obviously that’s for the BBC and the production company.” This statement comes after a senior Member of Parliament requested a suspension of the current MasterChef series before its upcoming episode, scheduled for broadcast later on Monday. Approximately an hour after Downing Street’s comments, Wallace released an apology for his statements, explaining that he “wasn’t in a good head space” when he uploaded the video to Instagram. In the video disseminated on Sunday, the MasterChef host stated that “13 complaints” had been received from “over 4,000 contestants” with whom he had collaborated over 20 years on the BBC One program. His reply drew criticism from his accusers, with one remarking that the comments indicated he “clearly hasn’t learnt his lesson”. Ulrika Jonsson, who alleged she was informed that Wallace uttered a “rape joke” while she was on Celebrity MasterChef, conveyed to the Daily Telegraph her belief that Wallace’s reaction demonstrated “the arrogance of a man who has zero introspection or self-awareness”. She stated: “When he made reference to women of a certain age I was just seething… I was just absolutely wild.” Wallace withdrew from his role last week following a BBC News inquiry that uncovered allegations of inappropriate sexual comments and conduct directed at him. The inquiry gathered testimony from 13 individuals of various ages, who had been involved with five distinct programs. Previously, MP Rupa Huq suggested that the BBC ought to contemplate suspending MasterChef during Wallace’s investigation. Huq, who serves on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, commented that the ongoing airing of MasterChef might be “triggering” for the women implicated. During an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today program, she remarked: “I think possibly there is an argument for pausing while this investigation takes its course, and maybe not airing it tonight.” The subsequent installment of MasterChef: The Professionals is slated for broadcast at 21:00 GMT on Monday on BBC One. This will be the 16th of the 21 episodes taped for the present series. The following two episodes are planned for Tuesday and Thursday. All three episodes for this week have already been accessible for viewing on BBC iPlayer. On Monday, Huq highlighted the BBC’s intention to proceed with broadcasting the current series of MasterChef: The Professionals this evening. She stated: “I understand it’s scheduled for 9pm today, and it’s already in the Christmas schedules, but it seems to be not going away from the news.” She further commented that airing additional MasterChef episodes “could be massively triggering for the women involved, in fact any woman involved in any type of similar incidents”, and suggested the BBC should contemplate halting the series “out of sensitivity”. Huq, who is the sister of television presenter Konnie, recognized Wallace’s withdrawal from hosting the program, but pointed out that the pre-recorded episodes remain slated for broadcast. She remarked: “To the casual viewer, there’s not going to be any difference,” adding, “If it’s on TV tonight, it looks like he sort of got away with it, and I think the BBC should send a strong signal [about] this sort of behaviour.” She concluded: “We need to let the investigation do its work, but at the same time, if he’s being dangled on our screens while this is going on, I just think at the moment maybe pause it.” Aasmah Mir, a Times Radio presenter and another past Celebrity MasterChef participant, disclosed on Sunday that she had voiced worries regarding Wallace in 2017. She informed the Sunday Times that Wallace had uttered unsuitable remarks during production. She stated: “I’ve not watched MasterChef since, because of him. To make someone feel that uncomfortable, or not to know that you’re making someone that uncomfortable – why would I want to watch someone like that?” Banijay UK, the production company, announced it has initiated an investigation, with Wallace’s cooperation, concurrently with the BBC’s statement that it will “always listen if people want to make us aware of something directly”. The BBC News inquiry additionally discovered that Wallace had received a warning from the BBC following a complaint lodged against him in 2018 concerning the program Impossible Celebrities, a point Huq mentioned on Monday. She commented: “Apparently this is not the first time, there were warnings before.” She questioned: “So it does raise the question that when these BBC investigations have happened, what was the consequence? Were they taking the conclusions seriously, [or] did they have their fingers in their ears?” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. 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