Gregg Wallace: I never set out to harm or humiliate

Times

7 days ago

Greg Wallace has said he 'never set out to harm or humiliate' after a report into the MasterChef presenter's behaviour substantiated 45 complaints against him.
A seven-month inquiry, conducted by the law firm Lewis Silkin on behalf of the programme's production company, spoke to 78 witnesses and used analysis of relevant documentation and unedited programme footage as it examined 83 complaints against the 60-year-old star. More than half were upheld.
The investigation was launched after high-profile former Celebrity MasterChef contestants, including Penny Lancaster, Vanessa Feltz and Kirstie Allsopp, spoke out against Wallace last year. At the time, he dismissed them as 'a handful of middle-class women of a certain age'.
In a statement today, he said he was 'deeply sorry' for the distress his behaviour caused.
Wallace said: 'For eight months, my family and I have lived under a cloud. Trial by media, fuelled by rumour and clickbait. None of the serious allegations against me were upheld. I challenged the remaining issue of unwanted touching but have had to accept a difference in perception, and I am deeply sorry for any distress caused. It was never intended.
'I'm relieved that the Banijay report fully recognises that my behaviour changed profoundly in 2018. Some of my humour and language missed the mark. I never set out to harm or humiliate. I always tried to bring warmth and support to MasterChef, on screen and off.
'After nearly 20 years on the show, I now see that certain patterns, shaped by traits I've only recently begun to understand, may have been misread. I also accept that more could have been done, by others and by myself, to address concerns earlier.
'A late autism diagnosis has helped me understand how I communicate and how I'm perceived. I'm still learning. Banijay have given me great support, and I thank them. But in the end, the BBC left me exposed to trial by media and the damage it leaves in its wake.
'To those who've shown kindness, thank you. It mattered. This has been brutal. For a working-class man with a direct manner, modern broadcasting has become a dangerous place. I was the headline this time. But I won't be the last.
'There will be more casualties if the BBC continues down this path, where protecting its legacy matters more than protecting people. For my part, with full legal support, I will consider my next move.'
The vast majority (94 per cent) of the complaints received related to behaviour which occurred between 2005 and 2018, and the bulk related to inappropriate sexually explicit language and humour.
Just one incident was substantiated after 2018, the year after Wallace was spoken to about his behaviour by BBC bosses. They have admitted that opportunities were missed to address Wallace's behaviour, who fronted one of its highest-profile television shows for two decades.
He is estimated to have come into contact with more than 2,500 people connected to the show. 'We accept more could and should have been done sooner,' said a BBC spokesman.
In 2023, The Times revealed that Wallace had stepped back from presenting the BBC's Inside The Factory documentary after offending staff in a Nestlé factory.
Sexually explicit comments accounted for 14 of the substantiated allegations, with a further six involving inappropriate jokes, comments and innuendo. Two involved 'being in a state of undress'.
Wallace co-operated with the investigation and was interviewed three times for more than 14 hours.
The investigations team found that his neurodiversity diagnosis, which was said to mean he was unable to wear underwear, was 'highly relevant' in the context of the findings made, particularly regarding his use of humour as a 'masking' technique and his difficulty in reading social cues.
Investigators said that Wallace was consistently described by staff as 'energetic, humorous, and generally able to put contestants at ease', which they said contributed to the show's success.
However, they also ruled that some interactions 'resulted in offence and/or left people feeling uncomfortable'.
Many contestants accepted that their reactions in the moment would not have conveyed this distress after they admitted to laughing along due to 'awkwardness or unease, rather than genuine amusement'.
After he was spoken to, Wallace was found by investigators to have moderated his behaviour by 'seeking guidance from colleagues on his choice of language, and to remove himself from work-related social situations'.
A further two allegations about other people working on MasterChef were also substantiated after investigators received ten allegations not involving Wallace. These are related to two separate individuals and involve swearing and racist language.
The production company behind the show was found to have provided little or no formal training or clear escalation procedures to manage complaints prior to 2016, with incidents often handled informally and on a case-by-case basis.
Of the 11 complaints received at the time, six were brought to the attention of the BBC, with Wallace spoken to about his behaviour by the broadcaster in 2017. The BBC was also found to lack any centrally held information at the time.
Patrick Holland, the chief executive of Banijay UK, which commissioned the report, apologised to any individuals who had been affected by Wallace's behaviour.
He 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.
'Whilst acknowledging Mr Wallace's autism diagnosis, which is relevant to certain behaviours identified in the report and accepting that the production could have done more to identify, manage and communicate patterns of inappropriate behaviour, the volume and consistency of substantiated allegations, ranging between 2005 and 2024, make Gregg Wallace's return to MasterChef untenable.'
• BBC boss threatened Wallace with the sack six years ago
A BBC spokesman said that Wallace had been told that there was no way back to the corporation for him after the report's findings.
'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,' they added.
'Although the full extent of these issues was not known at the relevant time, opportunities were missed to address this behaviour — both by the production companies running MasterChef and the BBC.'
No decision has yet been made about whether the broadcaster will screen the final series of MasterChef featuring Wallace. It will largely depend on the response to the report from the amateur chefs who appear in the series, which was filmed last year.
Aasmah Mir, the former BBC and Times Radio presenter, said that she was 'astonished' to learn that her complaint in 2017 had been the first about the presenter.
'Mr. Wallace's behaviour was an 'open secret' in the industry so the BBC should have been more curious,' Mir said.
'The fault very much lies with Banijay. It is very keen to trumpet what a wonderful place it is to work now, but their record from 2005 to at least 2020 in managing the show is shockingly poor.'
Dame Caroline Dinenage, chairwoman of the cross-party culture, media and sport committee, said that the investigation provided evidence of long-standing failure to protect people against unacceptable workplace behaviour.
She said: 'The majority of accusations pre-date 2019 and a confused complaints process and inadequate record keeping meant missed opportunities to address it. Most complaints were not raised with Mr Wallace himself, suggesting a reluctance to confront this head on and risk upsetting the on-screen talent.'
Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said: 'The allegations against Gregg Wallace are horrendous and appalling. This case highlights a wider issue and much more must be done to ensure that everyone working in the creative industries is treated with dignity, fairness and respect.'