Kirsty Wark has levelled accusations of "sexualised jokes" against Gregg Wallace, from her time on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011. It has been recently announced that TV personality Gregg is taking a step back from his MasterChef duties after production company Banijay logged complaints pertaining to past allegations of misconduct.
Newsnight stalwart Kirsty alleged on Thursday 28 November that during filming, Gregg made inappropriate "jokes of a sexualised nature" twice in the presence of crew and other participants. Divulging her experience to BBC News, she described the comments as "really, really in the wrong place". The allegations against Gregg include 13 people reporting inappropriate sexual comments made by him across multiple shows over 17 years.
BBC News has been informed of further allegations against the presenter, including him "talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to 'give her a fashion show', and telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans." These historical allegations of misconduct are now under investigation.
Gregg Wallace, age 60, has pledged full cooperation throughout any investigative proceedings, Banijay UK — who produce the show — have confirmed. A statement from Banijay UK read: "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," reports the Mirror.
Banijay UK and the BBC are taking action following historical allegations of misconduct, with an external review underway and Gregg Wallace temporarily stepping back from MasterChef.
Banijay UK stated: "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 underway, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully cooperating throughout the process."
They further outlined their duty of care: "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 these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately."
The BBC has also acknowledged the situation, stating they take any issues raised "seriously" in light of the news that Gregg Wallace will be stepping away while an investigation into the complaints proceeds.
A BBC spokesperson has made it clear that the corporation takes any complaints seriously, stating: "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."
In light of allegations about inappropriate remarks made to a female BBC employee in 2018, Gregg Wallace previously took to Instagram to defend himself, saying: "With reference to what's in the newspapers, these allegations were investigated by the BBC six years ago - and my comments were found to be not sexual. I repeat not sexual. Thank you for your time."
He further emphasized his personal integrity, adding: "Something else that I feel very strongly about, strong enough to be on here, nobody six years ago or since has accused me of flirting with anybody or hitting on anybody. And that's important to me, and I say this for my wife Anna, who I've been true to and madly in love with since the day I met her."
Gregg Wallace has stated: "I don't want anybody to misunderstand this and make it look like I was flirting with somebody. Nobody accused me of that and I never have."
In response to the allegations, a BBC spokesperson said: "Whilst we do not comment on individuals, if issues are raised they are dealt with swiftly and appropriately at the time. We do not tolerate any form of inappropriate behaviour and have robust processes in place."
Gregg, known for co-presenting MasterChef with John Torode since 2005, will still feature in pre-recorded episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals, with the next episode airing on Thursday 28 November.
