A restaurateur dubbed the ‘godfather of hospitality’ has set his sights on Gregg Wallace's job on MasterChef and claimed he can "deliver".
Wallace has stepped away from his role on the much-loved cooking show following a BBC News investigation that uncovered allegations accusing him of inappropriate sexual comments and behaviour.
On Tuesday, the BBC reported that further allegations had now been levelled against the presenter, and it has since emerged that the BBC has decided to not air its Masterchef Christmas specials.
However, the ex-greengrocer has strongly denied any allegations levelled against him, with his lawyers stating: "It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature." Meanwhile, somebody else is apparently putting their name forward for his job.
Robert Walton, a 68-year-old restaurateur, recently suggested that he would be the perfect fit for the BBC role while talking to the Daily Mail's Richard Eden at the Restaurant Association's awards dinner in London.
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SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)He said: "I love the idea of working on TV. I can deliver, and I'm a safe pair of hands." The 'godfather' went on to claim that he wasn't acquainted with Wallace, but he knows John Torode "pretty well".
The BBC initially reported that the claims spanned 13 people and 17 years, with MasterChef producers Banijay UK saying that the presenter was "committed to fully co-operating" with the review.
Meanwhile, since the allegations have been made, comments about Wallace by celebrity chef and MasterChef: The Professionals judge Marcus Wareing have resurfaced.
Marcus hasn't issued a response about the claims but did share insights into what it was like working with the presenter. He opened up about him prior to the 15th series of The Professionals in 2023.
He said: "If it was just me and Monica, then we're good at predicting the winner, but because Gregg is in the mix, it f***s it all up a bit. We have times where we do disagree but everyone's entitled to their point of view."
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Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)On Sunday, Wallace posted a video on Instagram, in which he said he could "see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef", adding that it wasn't "right".
However, it only landed him in more trouble, with Wallace later deleting the video in light of further criticism and then issuing an apology for "any offence that I caused".
He said: "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."
English (US) ·