Television presenter Gregg Wallace MBE has stepped down from his long-standing role as MasterChef host while the BBC investigate historic allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
The 60-year-old, who has been a co-presenter and judge on MasterChef since 2005, will step back as the investigation proceeds. This week, BBC News sent a letter to Wallace's representatives, setting out complaints of inappropriate sexual comments made by 13 people who worked with him across a range of shows during a 17-year period.
In a statement received by press, the production company behind MasterChef, Banijay UK, said: ‘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.’
Banijay UK has reported Wallace is ‘committed to fully cooperating throughout the process’. Wallace's lawyers maintain that the MBE-awarded chef and presenter has not engaged in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
Former Celebrity MasterChef 2011 contestant and BBC Newsnight presenter, Kirsty Wark, said Wallace told jokes of a 'sexualised nature' during filming.
It isn’t the first time Wallace has been the subject of misconduct complaints. Allegations had been made after an incident reportedly occurred in 2018 during the filming of Impossible Celebrities. Wallace was accused of making inappropriate comments to a female colleague, specifically allegations of bragging about his sex life with wife Anna Wallace and taking his top off in front of an employee.
In October this year, following a front-page story in The Sun, Wallace strongly denied these accusations. Commenting in an Instagram post at the time, ‘The allegations were investigated by the BBC six years ago, and my comments were found to be not sexual. I repeat not sexual.’ A BBC spokesperson emphasised the organisation's commitment to maintaining professional standards, noting: ‘We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.’
Since then, other allegations have followed. In early 2023, Gregg Wallace stepped down from presenting Inside the Factory. On this occasion, reports were made that Wallace had made derogatory remarks related to the weight of female staff members while filming at a Nestle Factory in York.
The latest series of MasterChef: The Professionals is in full swing right now on BBC - get up to speed with the chefs taking part in the show and who is on course to take the crown this year in our complete guide to MasterChef: The Professionals 2024.