Former Celebrity MasterChef contestant Helen Lederer has said that "banter often felt like a roped-off men-only area" whilst reflecting on her stint on the BBC show.
The comedian, now 70, was a contestant on the first series of the celebrity version of MasterChef, which aired in 2006, and appeared alongside the likes of Rowland Rivron, now 66. They both later returned for the fourth series in 2009.
Helen recalled having competed on the show - which has been fronted by Gregg Wallace and John Torode since it launched - in an opinion piece recently. She suggested that her attempts at "banter" on the show weren't welcomed.
Writing for the i, Helen said that, as a comedian, she would usually turn up for jobs on TV in a "cheery fashion" and look forward to "banter". She added: "But it would soon be made clear which of the TV personalities would welcome my banter on an equal footing, and who would turn their back on any such expression of confidence from a woman."
Helen said that this was "best illustrated" by her time on MasterChef, with her saying that she was "ready to have a laugh" with the presenters and soon realised that "extra cheeriness may not be welcome". She wrote that she would then tell herself that it's a competition and to "get a grip".
She continued: "But then, wait: I'd notice that banter was being welcomed from my mate and fellow competitor Roland Riveron [sic] – just not me." Helen questioned in the piece why that was the case and suggested that it could have been because she's "not funny". She however went on to write: "Banter often feels like a roped-off men-only area."
Later in the article, Helen wrote about having also been on ITV's the Chase, saying that she turned up in her "cheery way" and "offered up some banter". She said that host Bradley Walsh, 64, returned "with his own banter". Helen said they "had a laugh" and there was "joy," with her adding that "he bantered with everyone" and that "it was equal".
She continued by writing that the Chase is "banter abounds" but suggested that it doesn't live "in the Dark Ages". Helen concluded the recent opinion piece by encouraging presenters to "be less Gregg" and "be more Bradley".
Her comments come amid the scandal involving Gregg, who has stepped away from his role on MasterChef whilst its production company Banijay UK review apparent historical misconduct complaints. It was reported last week that he would be stepping away while allegations from 13 people that he made inappropriate sexual comments are investigated. The allegations are said to have been made by people working across a range of shows over a 17-year period. It's been reported that his lawyers have said it was 'entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature'.
Gregg later said in his video: "I have been doing MasterChef for 20 years - amateur, celebrity and professional MasterChef - and I think in that time I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds [and] all walks of life. And apparently now I am reading in the paper there's been 13 complaints in that time. Now in the newspaper I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age just from Celebrity Masterchef. This isn't right. [...] In over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants, on MasterChef have made sexual remarks or sexual innuendo. Can you imagine?"
He has since apologised for "any offence" caused, saying in a more recent message: "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."
Banijay UK said in a statement last week: "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. 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.
"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. Banijay UK's duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set."
Whilst a BBC spokesperson previously 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."
Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.