Further accusations made against MasterChef star Gregg Wallace

Further accusations have been made against TV presenter Gregg Wallace in the wake of him stepping away from hosting hit BBC show MasterChef while a review into complaints is carried out.

On Thursday, the cooking programme’s production company Banijay UK said the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to “historical allegations of misconduct” while working with Wallace.

He is “committed to fully co-operating throughout the process”, the company also said.

There were reports on Friday evening in news outlets such as The Sun newspaper about other alleged behaviour by Wallace.

Banijay UK confirmed on Saturday it had appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead an investigation into Wallace’s alleged behaviour.

A spokesperson for the production company said: “Lewis Silkin is a major City law firm with a highly experienced specialist investigations team which has overseen a broad range of high-profile workplace investigations.

“Banijay UK has been impressed by the firm’s rigorous, in-depth, and impartial analysis and reporting.”

They said anyone wishing to raise further concerns could contact the investigation team via atbanijayinvestigation@lewissilkin.com.

The spokesperson added: “All information will be handled sensitively, and names of those providing evidence to the team will be kept confidential.”

On Friday, the charity Ambitious About Autism said it had dropped him as an ambassador citing the “recent allegations”.

On Thursday, Wallace thanked his followers in an Instagram video, saying: “I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support.

“It’s good of you, thank you very much.”

That same day, BBC News reported the 60-year-old faces allegations from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, including former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark.

The TV star’s lawyers say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”, BBC News reported.

A BBC spokesman said it takes any issues raised “seriously” and “any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated”.

“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on anything that could form part of Banijay’s ongoing investigation or otherwise influence it,” the corporation also said.

After allegations raised by staff members about Wallace’s behaviour on Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends to BBC News, Channel 5 asked the programme’s production company Rumpus Media to look into the accusations.

Rumpus Media said: “We do not tolerate inappropriate behaviour on our productions.

“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.”

Wallace is best known for co-presenting MasterChef alongside John Torode since 2005, as well as its spin-offs Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.

Published: 30/11/2024 by Radio NewsHub