BBC presenter Gregg Wallace has been accused of acting like an “ill-mannered bully” after an investigation was launched into more than a dozen allegations concerning misconduct on set.
Sir Rod Stewart accused the MasterChef host of humiliating his wife Penny Lancaster after it was announced that Wallace would be “stepping away” from the show.
Wallace has not directly addressed the allegations, but in a video posted on Instagram on Thursday night, he said: “I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support. That’s good of you, thank you very much.”
The television star has confided in friends over recent weeks that he believes his reputation could be destroyed as a result of the various claims centring on sexually inappropriate comments.
Wallace pictured at his home on Thursday
STEVE FINN
After the investigation into Wallace, 60, emerged on Thursday, Stewart raised concerns about his wife’s appearance on the 2021 series of Celebrity MasterChef.
Writing on Instagram, the singer said: “You humiliated my wife when she was on the show but you had that bit cut out didn’t you?”
The singer called Wallace a “tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully”. Wallace’s representatives did not wish to comment on the claim.
The production company behind MasterChef said it had launched an investigation after claims about Wallace’s behaviour spanning 17 years and various productions were raised.
Sir Rod Stewart’s Instagram post
A woman who previously worked with Wallace told The Times that he routinely made “horribly inappropriate” comments of a sexualised nature and that she heard him make a disturbing joke about a sex act on set.
Friends of Wallace expressed concerns that he had been “unfairly singled out” for what could often be a crass style of humour, while insisting they had never known his behaviour to be “malicious”.
Kirsty Wark, the former Newsnight presenter, was among 13 people who told BBC News about inappropriate sexual comments that Wallace had made.
Sir Rod Stewart with his wife Penny Lancaster
DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES
She said that during early morning filming on the 2011 Celebrity MasterChef series, Wallace had twice told stories and jokes of a “sexualised nature” in front of contestants and crew.
“People were uncomfortable,” Wark recalled, adding that the remarks were “really, really in the wrong place”.
Wallace is also accused of taking his top off in front of a female worker while saying he wanted to “give her a fashion show”, and separately telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing underwear.
Lancaster took part in Celebrity MasterChef in 2021
BBC
Another complainant told The Daily Telegraph that Wallace had mimicked a sex act while she knelt down to clean a stain on his trousers. She accused him of holding her head and thrusting towards her.
The production worker reportedly made a complaint about the incident which is said to have taken place more than a decade ago.
The complaint further accused Wallace of entering the MasterChef studio completely naked barring a sock that was covering his penis.
The Telegraph also reported that a former contestant on celebrity masterchef claimed that Wallace made a “rape joke” during the filming of an episode in 2017. Ulrika Jonsson, the weather presenter and television personality, told the newspaper that a fellow contestant had walked off the set feeling “really distressed” after Wallace made the inappropriate remark.
Jonsson said that the contestant “retold” the joke to her before speaking to a producer about what happened. The producer went off to speak to Wallace and he then returned to offer a tearful apology.
Although the contestant accepted his apology, Jonsson said that she felt uncomfortable on set following the incident and that the apology should have been extended to the rest of the group.
It is understood that the managers dealt with the incident and did not report it to Banijay UK, the production team behind the series.
Lawyers for Wallace told the BBC that he denies behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
Wark, second from left, appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011
BBC
Banijay said on Thursday: “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 company said 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,” it added.
Filming will continue as normal on MasterChefwhich has three series every year, with a guest judge potentially brought in to replace Wallace if he is still under investigation.
Alice Harper, a television producer who has worked with Wallace for ten years, said that while she has at times had to reprimand Wallace over his comments she had never seen him make sexually inappropriate advances.
“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 said.
Harper helped Wallace develop the BBC series Inside the Factorywhich first screened in 2015.
Wallace with his MasterChef co-host John Torode
BBC/SHINETV/PA
She added: “He tells jokes incessantly on set to relax people and make them laugh and when I first started working with him he was not what you would call ‘woke’.
“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.
“Apart from that, he is just not that kind of guy. I am a mum to my teams and I would definitely know if there was an issue with my girls.
“He has always been kind, respectful and a generally good bloke.”
Harper said that Wallace believes he often experiences prejudice because of his working-class background. She added: “I am on the side of people who don’t want the nasty men in telly touching them up, but Gregg in my opinion is being unfairly singled out in this case.”
Wallace with his wife, Anna
NEIL GENOWER
Another friend said: “He has always been known for his banter. He makes jokes, he banters, he is a working-class man who uses comedy to deflect and relax people. That is who he is. I would not say he is malicious.”
Wallace’s mother, Mary Pettman, 81, said her son was coping well after the misconduct allegations surfaced on Thursday. Pettman told Mail Online: “He’s fine. I speak to my son quite regularly and he is fine.”
She said she had no idea when Wallace would return to MasterChefadding: “I have no idea what it’s about. You will have to speak to him.”
It is understood that episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals that have already been recorded with Wallace will be broadcast as planned.
Wallace was previously investigated over allegedly making “inappropriate sexual comments” to a female member of a production team while working on the game show Impossible Celebrities.
BBC bosses reportedly told him to change his behaviour in 2018.
When news of the allegation emerged in October, Wallace said the case was investigated by the BBC six years ago and his comments were “found to be not sexual”.
He said he had not been accused of flirting with anyone since and that he loved his wife, Anna, 37.
Last year The Times reported that Wallace had made offensive comments to female members of staff at the Nestlé factory in York during a “friendly” conversation.
A complaint was lodged with Voltage TV, the production company responsible for developing the show. His conduct was deemed “non-sexual” but “inappropriate”.
The latest revelations come amid a review into workplace culture at the BBC as it aims to avoid further abuses of power following the Huw Edwards scandal. The review will be published next year.
A BBC spokesman said: “We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them.
“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.”
