Over half of allegations against ex-MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace substantiated, report

The Journal

10 hours ago

A TOTAL OF 45 out of the 83 allegations made against former MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace during his time on the show were substantiated, including one allegation of 'unwelcome physical contact', a report has said.
The show's production company, Banijay UK, announced last November that Wallace would step away from his role on MasterChef while historical allegations of misconduct were investigated.
The report, led by law firm Lewis Silkin, found that the 'majority of the allegations against Mr Wallace (94%) related to behaviour which is said to have occurred between 2005 and 2018', with only one allegation substantiated after 2018.
It also concluded that the 'majority of the substantiated allegations against Mr Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour'.
It added that a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated, with 'one incident of unwelcome physical contact' also upheld.
The report noted that during the course of the investigation, which was over a seven-month period, Wallace was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and said that the findings should be viewed in the context of his neurodiversity.
It was also found that '10 standalone allegations were made against other people, two of which were substantiated'.
Wallace, 60, has been 'co-operative and forthcoming' and was interviewed three times by the investigations team, for a total of 14 hours of interview. But Banijay said that his return to MasterChef is untenable following the number of sustained allegations.
Patrick Holland, chief executive of Banijay UK, said that while the report 'makes for uncomfortable reading, highlighting failures in legacy reporting and HR procedures', it also provided insight to ensure that it does not happen again.
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He added that it was 'clear' that the correct escalation procedures were not as robust as they should have been prior to 2016 and that awareness policies were lacking, particularly amongst freelance staff.
Holland said: 'We are extremely sorry to anyone who has been impacted by this behaviour and felt unable to speak up at the time or that their complaint was not adequately addressed.'
The BBC also said it has informed Wallace that it has no plans to work with him in future, adding in a statement: 'The investigation details a substantial number of allegations of inappropriate conduct spanning 19 years.
'This behaviour falls below the values of the BBC and the expectations we have for anyone who works with or for us,' it said.
The broadcaster accepted that more could and should have been done sooner, despite not having knowledge at the time of the 'full extent of these issues'. The BBC added that it would not be broadcasting a series of MasterChef which was filmed last year.
Their statement added: 'We want to reaffirm, there is no place for the abuse of power, unacceptable behaviour or language at the BBC, or shows made for the BBC.'
A statement from Wallace's lawyers to BBC News last year said that it 'is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature'.
In December, Wallace claimed in an Instagram video that complaints about his behaviour came from 'a handful of middle-class women of a certain age'. After a backlash, he apologised for any 'offence' caused and said he would 'take some time out'.
Ahead of the official publishing of the external review, Wallace claimed in an Instagram post on 8 July that he had been cleared of the 'most serious and sensational accusations' against him.
He added that his neurodiversity had 'now formally [been] diagnosed as autism', saying in the social media post that it was 'suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef'.
His social media post and the report come as the TV presenter and former greengrocer faced claims from 50 or more people, as reported by BBC News last week, with the majority saying he made inappropriate sexual comments, and 11 women accused him of inappropriate sexual behaviour, such as groping and touching.