Gregg Wallace live: BBC axes MasterChef Christmas special hours after new claims of on-set humiliation emerge
BBC U-turns after fresh claims from previous contestants emerged
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Your support makes all the difference.The BBC has announced it will pull its MasterChef Christmas specials amid an investigation into allegations by 13 individuals of sexually inappropriate comments made by host Gregg Wallace.
Two Christmas specials of the cookery show were planned to air on BBC One later this month. But BBC News said on Tuesday afternoon the episodes would no longer be broadcast.
It represents a U-turn for the corporation, which previously said all filmed episodes of MasterChef would air as planned.
It comes as fresh allegations of misconduct emerge against Wallace and pressure continues to mount on BBC bosses to axe MasterChef entirely.
Despite criticism from public figures, including senior politicians, the BBC said the current series of MasterChef: The Professionals, which airs on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays with Wallace as a judge, will still go ahead.
New claims have also been made against Wallace, including from TV presenter Melanie Sykes, who said an alleged remark made by him on Celebrity MasterChef forced her to quit television “once and for all”.
Meanwhile, former MasterChef contestant Jackie Kearney told Sky News that Wallace made innuendos “constantly” during filming and was heard by crew members - and that one sexually inappropriate comment left her in tears.
Don’t worry about Gregg Wallace – he’s already eyeing up his next career move
Angry response to Gregg Wallace saying accusations made by ‘middle-class women’
BBC in turmoil over Gregg Wallace allegations as presenter faces backlash for blaming ‘middle-class women’
‘Seething’ Ulrika Jonsson responds to Gregg Wallace blaming ‘women of a certain age’ for complaints
BBC source says wrong to suggest broadcaster has not acted on complaints
A BBC source has said it would be wrong to report that the broadcaster has not acted when complaints have been raised.
The source said: “While we are not going to comment on individuals or any internal HR processes, particularly when there is an ongoing process in place being run by Banijay who have the direct contractual relationship with Gregg Wallace, it would be wrong to report the BBC has done nothing if or when matters have been raised with us – not least because it is already being widely reported there were interventions in both 2017 and 2018 where action was taken.
“We continue to urge caution about pre-judging any of this, particularly the involvement of BBC staff members and any inference they have not acted appropriately.”
BBC executive Kate Phillips raised concerns in 2017 that Gregg Wallace’s behaviour was “unacceptable and cannot continue” after former Celebrity MasterChef contestant Aasmah Mir complained about inappropriate comments during filming, the Sunday Times has reported.
The newspaper claimed Wallace then received another warning the following year after a complaint was raised about his behaviour on the quiz show Impossible Celebrities.
Watch: Lorraine Kelly responds to Gregg Wallace MasterChef scandal: ‘Shut up’
BBC will go ahead with broadcasting filmed MasterChef episodes as planned
As the BBC faces pressure to pause future broadcasts of MasterChef while the allegations of inappropriate sexual remarks by Gregg Wallace are investigated, the broadcaster insists the series will go ahead.
The current series of MasterChef: The Professionals, which airs on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays with Gregg Wallace as a judge, will continue to be aired as planned.
A BBC spokesperson said: “MasterChef is life-changing for the chefs that take part and the show is about more than one individual.”
The broadcaster reiterated that “any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated”.
Gregg Wallace’s latest comments criticised by ex Celebrity MasterChef contestant
A former Celebrity MasterChef contestant has said Gregg Wallace’s reaction to the accusations being made against him shows he has “no insight or understanding of how he behaves”.
Addressing Wallace’s response to the accusations, Scottish TV presenter Aggie MacKenzie told Good Morning Britain: “This illustrates how he just has no insight or understanding of how he behaves. He just doesn’t get it.
“He’s been allowed to carry on in his own sweet way for many, many years.”
Gregg Wallace: From troubled childhood to troubling reputation, this TV stalwart is facing self-destruction
Gregg Wallace was always an unlikely TV star. Prematurely bald, stout, and the proud wearer of thick glasses, he seemed destined for an unglamorous life amid the vegetable stalls of the capital, rather than on TV screens across the country.
And yet, the presenter, who today has stepped back from his role as a judge on MasterChef after a series of historic sexual misconduct allegations came to light, has made himself part of the furniture at the BBC. And that makes his rapid fall from grace even more troubling for the corporation, though Wallace’s lawyers say it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
Wallace was born in Peckham, in southeast London, in 1964. The Sixties were a time when Peckham, a traditionally working-class neighbourhood with a large African-Caribbean population, started to be redeveloped and re-energised, turning it into a vibrant, multicultural and upwardly mobile area.
Nick Hilton writes:
Gregg Wallace: From troubled childhood to troubling reputation
The greengrocer-turned-presenter is stepping back from ‘MasterChef’ while allegations of historical misconduct are investigated. Nick Hilton looks back on his career as an unlikely TV star, which followed a tough start in life
BBC should examine how complaints against stars are dealt with, Tory MP says
A Tory frontbencher has suggested that the BBC must examine how complaints against its stars are dealt with.
Shadow paymaster general Richard Holden told Sky News: “Quite clearly there’s a lot of issues facing the BBC over this. He’s been a star presenter for a number of years, and quite clearly a lot of this stuff’s been mentioned before.
“And so this needs to be properly looked at, not just around his behaviour, but around how things are dealt with when things are mentioned as well.”
Asked whether the BBC should pull its MasterChef Christmas special, Mr Holden said: “This is going to be a decision for them as far as a broader view. I think it’s really important that they look at this.”
BBC executive raised concerns over Wallace’s ‘unacceptable’ behaviour in 2017, report claims
BBC executive Kate Phillips raised concerns in 2017 that Gregg Wallace’s behaviour was “unacceptable and cannot continue” after former Celebrity MasterChef contestant Aasmah Mir complained about inappropriate comments during filming, the Sunday Times has reported.
In an email forwarded to Ms Phillips in November 2017, Ms Mir wrote: “Should anything happen in the future, I don’t want to feel guilty when people say, ‘Why wasn’t anything said before?’, or for producers or editors to claim they didn’t know.”
The newspaper claimed Wallace then received another warning the following year after a complaint was raised about his behaviour on the quiz show Impossible Celebrities.
Comment | Gregg Wallace is just the latest example of a much bigger problem with men
When I woke up to MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace blaming midlife, middle-class women and their lack of a sense of humour for his troubles, I confess to swearing at my phone. The levels of denial here are off the scale; how can he think it is our collective lack of a sense of humour which is the villain here, not his own over-sexualised, aggressive, Neanderthal-style banter?
Did Wallace – who has been accused of making inappropriate sexual comments over a period of 17 years – not stop for a second to consider that it might be these women who are calling him out because they are the ones with the confidence to do so?
Read the full Voices piece by journalist Eleanor Mills:
Gregg Wallace is just the latest example of a much bigger problem with men
The allegations against the ‘MasterChef’ presenter show that if you are important enough and powerful enough your transgressions will often be overlooked. It’s time for that to change, writes Eleanor Mills
Watch: Ex MasterChef star Aggie Mackenzie claims Gregg Wallace told ‘smutty’ jokes
ICYMI: Gregg not contracted for future series, production company confirms
The company that produces MasterChef, has confirmed Gregg Wallace is not contracted for future series as an investigation into alleged inappropriate behaviour is carried out.
Production company Banijay UK told The Independent that Wallace is contracted on a series by series basis and is not set to be a part of future series while the investigation is ongoing.