Gregg Wallace BANNED from working at the BBC in scathing dismissal letter as sacked presenter is blasted for using autism diagnosis as an excuse for 'inappropriate behaviour'

Daily Mail​

7 days ago

Gregg Wallace has been banned from working at the BBC after executives ruled they did not 'have the confidence that you can change what seems to be learned behaviour'.
In a letter of dismissal, the corporation made clear that Wallace, 60, would not work as a BBC presenter following an investigation into his behaviour on MasterChef.
When coming to the judgement the BBC said they took into account Wallace's autism diagnosis but concluded that he 'struggled to distinguish the boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in the workplace' despite training in 2019.
The independent report by Lewis Silkins, which was commissioned by Masterchef producers Banijay in November after the initial allegations, has yet to be published but Wallace has insisted he has been cleared of the most serious allegations of groping.
But it is understood that he has been found guilty of making repeated inappropriate comments which he considered 'banter'.
Defending himself on Tuesday, Wallace recognised 'that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate' for which he apologised 'without reservation'.
The dismissal letter from the BBC, which was obtained by The Telegraph, said the corporation had taken into account that 'you were a presenter on a flagship BBC show' and noted 'the impact that your comments had on the BBC's reputation'.
It went on: 'I have also taken into account whether your behaviour could be improved with training and/or coaching.
'However, having reviewed the 2025 findings, I do not have the confidence that you can change what seems to be learned behaviour for you to make what you perceive to be jokes in the working environment, without understanding the boundaries of what is appropriate.'
'I also have to consider the fact that various people in the BBC have spoken to you about your behaviour over the course of your career, and that you also already received training/coaching in 2019.'
The letter added: 'I have further taken into account the 2025 Findings as they relate to your health and recent autism diagnosis (as you have publicly stated).
'I have noted that you do not consider certain environments to now be 'safe' for you. In addition to the duty of care towards you, the BBC equally to take into account the safety and duty of care owed towards contributors, members of the public and colleagues on production teams that you may engage with and the appropriate use of licence fee payers' money in establishing a safe working environment for all.
'The 2025 Findings reflect that you acknowledge some of your comments have offended or upset people, but it is clear that you struggle to distinguish the boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, as well as lacking awareness of why your behaviour impacts others.'
'I do not have confidence that your behaviour can change to ensure there is a sufficiently safe and respectful environment for others working with you in the types of programmes the BBC has engaged you to present.
'Such productions are not heavily scripted programmes and involve sound and consistent levels of judgment in relation to interactions with others which cannot constantly be monitored or supervised.'
Wallace has been blasted by disability charities for using his autism as an excuse for his alleged inappropriate behaviour.
On Tuesday he claimed that television executives had failed to 'investigate my disability' or 'protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment'.
Fifty people came forward this week with fresh allegations about Wallace, including inappropriate sexual comments, touching and groping, which he vehemently denies.
Now Wallace has been told by one leading charity that his autism diagnosis was 'not a free pass for bad behaviour', while others warned that his comments risked stigmatising the autistic community.
Seema Flower, founder of disabilities consultancy Blind Ambition, told BBC News there was 'no excuse' for being inappropriate to people in society.
'Where does it leave us if we use autism as excuse to behave in whatever way we like?' she asked.
Emily Banks, founder of neurodiversity training body Enna, also condemned Wallace.
She said: 'To be clear: being autistic is never an excuse for misconduct. It doesn't absolve anyone of responsibility, and it certainly doesn't mean you can't tell the difference between right and wrong.'
While Dan Harris, who runs the charity Neurodiversity in Business and is himself autistic, said people like him 'may miss social cues sometimes.But autism is not a free pass for bad behaviour.'
'Comments like this stigmatise us and add an unfortunate negative focus on our community.'
On Wednesday, friends of Wallace had said his autism is partly responsible for his inappropriate behaviour because the condition has allegedly caused an 'inability to wear underwear because of his autistic hypersensitivity to labels and tight clothing'.
His autism is said to result in him having an 'oddity of filters and boundaries', The Times reported.
A BBC spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace.'
'We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.'
In response to the latest allegations, a spokesperson for Wallace said: 'Gregg continues to co-operate fully with the ongoing Banijay UK review and as previously stated, denies engaging in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.'