Gregg Wallace live: BBC says MasterChef will air tonight as ex host blames women jibe on feeling ‘under siege’
In a video posted on Instagram, the presenter said he was ‘under a huge amount of stress’
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Your support makes all the difference.Gregg Wallace has apologised for “any offence that I caused” following a backlash over his response to allegations of inappropriate behaviour, claiming he made the comments after feeling “under siege”.
Mr Wallace described complaints against him as being from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”.
“I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it, I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it,” he said in a video posted to Instagram, adding that he will “take some time out”.
Downing Street condemned Wallace’s remarks as “inappropriate and misogynistic”.
The BBC is resisting calls to pause broadcasts of MasterChef as it investigates allegations by 13 individuals of sexually inappropriate comments made by Wallace, who stepped down from the programme on Thursday.
The current series of MasterChef: The Professionals, with Gregg Wallace as a judge, will continue to be aired as planned. “MasterChef is life-changing for the chefs that take part and the show is about more than one individual,” a BBC spokesman said.
“Any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated,” the broadcaster reiterated.
Wallace is ‘full of jokes’, says TV chef Tom Kerridge
TV chef Tom Kerridge said he has always known Gregg Wallace to be “full of jokes”.
“And he’s always full of charisma. And that front of camera charisma is always something that continues into off-screen as well”, Mr Kerridge told Sky News’ Politics hub.
Kirstie Allsopp ‘so embarrassed’ by Gregg Wallace sex remark
TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp has said she was “so embarrassed” she thought she “might cry” after Gregg Wallace allegedly made a comment to her about his sex life.
Allsopp, 53, said the encounter took place several years ago in a performers’ lounge while she was filming a pilot for a TV quiz show alongside Wallace and his partner.
She told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend: “I’d been chatting to her, she left the room and he (Wallace) made a reference to something they did in bed.
“You know that feeling when you’re so embarrassed that you think you might cry. You just feel kind of internally scarlet. I had that feeling and I always remembered it.”
Gregg Wallace tells Strictly partner he does not wear underwear
Comment | The BBC has a Gregg Wallace problem that goes beyond MasterChef
In a comment piece for Independent Voices, former head of BBC news Roger Mosey writes:
Is the fate of a television cookery presenter more important than Syrian insurgents seizing Aleppo and the turmoil on the streets in Georgia? The BBC thinks so, based on its news judgements in recent days, which have seen exhaustive coverage of the accusations against Gregg Wallace take precedence over matters of life and death around the world.
Once again, the “independence” of BBC News has been trumpeted in its ability to report on the corporation’s own business – but for many it reflects a self-obsession and lack of perspective which questions the judgement of the news division. Senior BBC executives share this view, I know, but they feel powerless to intervene without the risk of being accused of corporate cover-ups.
And yes, of course, the Wallace affair should be reported on – proportionately. It is both a genuine story, with obvious upset caused to those who’ve had a nasty experience with the former MasterChef host, and it is a further blow to the BBC which has been battling against misbehaviour by its presenters for decades.
What makes this case particularly damaging – and we should note that investigations are continuing and no conclusions have yet emerged – is that it seems that managers in the BBC and in the production company Banijay must have known that there was a Wallace Problem.
Read the full article with Independent Premium:
The BBC has a Gregg Wallace problem that goes beyond MasterChef
Rather than demonstrating transparency and accountability, recent news coverage shows how self-obsessed the organisation is, writes former head of BBC news Roger Mosey. But there’s no masking the stink coming from the kitchen...
Timeline of events as Gregg Wallace faces wave of accusations
Gregg Wallace has faced a series of accusations since it was announced he would step away from presenting MasterChef while complaints about historical allegations of misconduct are externally reviewed.
The presenter, 60, faces various claims of making “inappropriate sexual jokes” and complaints about his behaviour – with his lawyer saying “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
Here is a timeline of events:
Timeline of events as Gregg Wallace faces wave of accusations
The presenter faces various allegations of making ‘inappropriate sexual jokes’ and complaints about his behaviour.
Watch: Gregg Wallace issues apology over ‘women of a certain age’ remark
Gregg Wallace says head ‘not in a good place’ in new apology
A visibly emotional Gregg Wallace has apologised after posting a video saying complaints about his alleged inappropriate behaviour came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”.
In a new Instagram message, posted on Monday, the MasterChef presenter said his head was “not in a good place” and that he is “under a lot of stress”.
My colleague Lucy Leeson reports:
Gregg Wallace issues emotional apology as he confirms time away from public eye
A visibly emotional Gregg Wallace has apologised after posting a video saying complaints about his alleged inappropriate behaviour came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”. In a new Instagram message, posted on Monday (2 December), the MasterChef presenter revealed his head was “not in a good place” and that he is “under a lot of stress”. The presenter left the BBC programme on Thursday (28 November) after historic claims were made by 13 people. A BBC spokesperson said “any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated”.
Downing Street says Wallace comments on middle class women were ‘misogynistic'
Downing Street has said Gregg Wallace’s response to the accusations being made against him was “inappropriate and misogynistic”.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has since held talks with BBC bosses in the wake of the Wallace row, Downing Street said.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Culture Secretary spoke with the BBC leadership at the end of last week on this matter and wider workplace culture issues to seek assurances that there are robust processes in place to deal with complaints.
“Clearly the comments we have seen from the individual over the weekend were completely inappropriate and misogynistic.
“More broadly the BBC is conducting an independent review into workplace culture which must deliver clear and timely recommendations. It’s essential that staff and the wider public have confidence that the BBC takes these issues seriously.”
Asked whether MasterChef should be pulled off air, the spokesman added the decision was for the BBC and the show’s production company, and reiterated that Downing Street believes it is “right” that a thorough investigation is conducted.
Essential that staff and public are confident BBC takes workplace issues seriously, says No 10
Downing Street has warned that it is “essential that staff and the wider public have confidence” that the BBC takes issues relating to workplace culture seriously.
After revealing that culture secretary Lisa Nandy spoke to BBC bosses last week after the Gregg Wallace row began, No 10 said: “More broadly the BBC is conducting an independent review into workplace culture which must deliver clear and timely recommendations.
“It’s essential that staff and the wider public have confidence that the BBC takes these issues seriously.”
Gregg Wallace apologises for ‘any offence that I caused'
Gregg Wallace has apologised for “any offence that I caused” after posting a video saying complaints about his behaviour came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”.
In a video posted on Instagram, Wallace said: “I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I may have caused to a lot of people.
“I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it, I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it.
“It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out, now, while this investigation is under way I hope you understand and I do hope you will accept this apology.”