Author and comedian Stephen Fry has suggested that people working in TV should consider who may be the "victim" or "stereotype" at the root of "light banter".
The remark comes following the news that presenter Gregg Wallace, 60, has been accused of making inappropriate sexual comments. Last week it was announced that Gregg has stepped away from his role on MasterChef whilst production company Banijay UK review apparent historical misconduct complaints. As previously reported, his lawyers said it was 'entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature'.
Gregg has since spoken out himself, saying in a video over the weekend: "Now in the newspaper I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age just from Celebrity Masterchef. This isn't right." He was met with backlash and has since apologised for "any offence" caused by it.
Asked about the culture of broadcasting, Stephen, 67, said on Sky News Breakfast on Tuesday: "It's a sort of collision of generations and attitudes that makes a very ugly noise when they bang together." Stephen said it was "unbelievably foolish" of Gregg to publish a video over the weekend in which he claimed the accusations, which include making "inappropriate sexual jokes," came from "a handful of middle-class women of a certain age".
Addressing Gregg's response, Stephen said: "It was obviously unbelievably foolish of [Gregg] to make that video over the weekend. It really showed that he simply wasn't understanding. Even if he felt that he'd been misunderstood himself, he could surely see that there were some women there who were truly hurt and had felt not listened to, and that he should first of all address that"
Stephen added: "I think, if by now, people who work in television, men who work in television, don't understand that light banter is no longer something that can be aired in ways unless they're thinking hard about is there a sort of victim or a stereotype at the root of this banter who might be hurt.
"And it's just good manners, really. Good manners have changed. In Victorian times, certain things couldn't be referred to or seen and it was only polite to obey this because people were sort of shocked and upset if things were not respected that they respect. And so I think we've all just got to realise it's not about wokeness, it's just about being sensitive to the atmosphere."
Image:
GC Images)Image:
Dave Benett/Getty Images)The comments come after it was announced on Thursday that Gregg would be stepping away MasterChef while allegations from 13 people that he made inappropriate sexual comments are investigated. The allegations are said to have been made by people working across a range of shows over a 17-year period.
Gregg later said in his video message: "I have been doing MasterChef for 20 years - amateur, celebrity and professional MasterChef - and I think in that time I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds [and] all walks of life. And apparently now I am reading in the paper there's been 13 complaints in that time. Now in the newspaper I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age just from Celebrity Masterchef. This isn't right." He added: "In over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants, on MasterChef have made sexual remarks or sexual innuendo. Can you imagine?"
He's since apologised for "any offence" caused though, saying in a message: "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."
Last week, Banijay UK said in a statement: "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 BBC spokesperson previously 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. 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."
New episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals, in which Gregg is a judge, will be shown on BBC One on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with the current series airing as planned. "MasterChef is life-changing for the chefs that take part and the show is about more than one individual," a BBC spokesman said.
Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
English (US) ·