Gregg Wallace's TV future was hanging in the balance last night after allegations of inappropriate behaviour were reportedly made by 13 people who worked with him over a 17 year period.
Wallace, 60, agreed to "step away" from presenting MasterChef while complaints made to the BBC by two individuals about historical allegations of misconduct were investigated.
And tonight, Sir Rod Stewart waded in, taking to Instagram to suggest that his wife, Penny Lancaster, was unhappy with how he’d behaved when she appeared on the show in 2021. "So Gregg Wallace gets fired from MasterChef.
Good riddance Wallace,” he wrote. “You humiliated my wife when she was on the show, but you had that bit cut out, didn't you?
“You're a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya. Sir Rod Stewart."
As details of the allegations against Wallace came out, albeit mostly from anonymous sources who have not made official complaints, the 60-year-old insisted he was "fully cooperating" with the investigation. He did not make any further comment.
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BBC)BBC broadcaster Kirsty Wark claimed the MasterChef judge told jokes of a "sexualised nature" when she was competing on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011, BBC News reported.
The former Newsnight host is one of 13 people who signed a letter saying they had witnessed or been on the receiving end of inappropriate sexual comments made by Wallace, across a range of shows, over a 17-year period.
Wark told the BBC that on two occasions Wallace relayed inappropriate stories and jokes in front of contestants and crew that she felt they were "really, really in the wrong place”.
But one TV industry source said Wark had been dining out on her tales of his near-the-knuckle jokes from the show for the past 13 years. “I’ve heard her tell dinner-table anecdotes about what Gregg said when she was on Celebrity Masterchef back in 2011, and she was laughing about it,” they said. “If she was upset or offended, surely she’d have said something at the time or made a complaint?”
BBC News revealed it has been investigating Wallace since the summer and reported several allegations to have been made against him, including that was "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".
The Telegraph reported that Wallace mimicked a sex act with a former member of the production team, having spoken to someone who claims to have witnessed the alleged incident. The presenter is said to have held the head of the staff member and thrust his body towards her when she was knelt down in front of him to clean a mark off his trousers.
Wallace is also said to have once walked into the MasterChef studio “completely naked except for [a] sock pulled over his penis” before doing a “silly dance”. The complaint also claims that he was “very touchy feely” and made “disgusting sex-related jokes”.
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BBC/Shine TV/Des Willie)The allegations are now being investigated by the TV production company behind MasterChef, Banijay UK, which has handed it over to an external organisation.
In a statement, the company explained: "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.
"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 under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process.
"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 statement added: "If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact speakup@banijayuk.com in confidence."
If they find that there is truth to the allegations, it could end the career of one of the BBC’s biggest names. But one insider insisted that MasterChef, one of the BBC’s biggest brands, would continue regardless because “no one is bigger than the show”.
MasterChef: The Professionals is currently on air and will continue on screen until the end of its run. Filming on series 21 of MasterChef, which has been a staple of BBC1 since 2005, is nearing the end - Wallace will not appear in the final episodes which will either feature John Torode alone or use a guest judge. This series will be screened later in 2025.
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Adam Gerrard / Sunday Mirror)It is likely a guest judge will be drafted in for the filming of the next Celebrity MasterChef, which starts early next year, unless the review into Wallace’s behaviour concludes very quickly. One favourite contender is Irish chef Anna Haugh, who has previously stood in as a guest judge on both the regular and celebrity versions of the show, so has experience of the role.
BBC News said it started investigating Wallace in the summer, in the wake of the scandal surrounding its own senior news anchor Huw Edwards. The outlet claims to have heard claims relating to five shows, from 2005 to 2022, and has discovered that Wallace was warned by the BBC after a complaint was raised about him in 2018, about the show Impossible Celebrities.
A formal HR investigation took place and, in the outcome letter the BBC concluded that "many aspects of [Wallace's] behaviour were both unacceptable and unprofessional".
A BBC executive said she had held a 90-minute meeting with Wallace at the time to make clear "how seriously the BBC takes this matter". She also reassured the workers that action would be taken "to prevent a similar reoccurrence and to safeguard others in the future”.
Yesterday a BBC spokesman said: "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.
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BBC /Shine TV)"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."
BBC guidelines, which cover both BBC employees and those working on behalf of the broadcaster, state that staff should “always be kind and respectful” while at work.
Wallace is best known for co-presenting the popular cooking show but has also hosted Saturday Kitchen, Eat Well For Less, Inside The Factory, Turn Back Time, Harvest and Supermarket Secrets.
He was recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2022 for his services to food and charity and took part in the 2014 series of Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with Aliona Vilani.
He has two grown-up children, Tom and Libby, from a former relationship. He married Italian Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2016 and the couple have a son called Sid who has been diagnosed with autism and is non-verbal.
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