Gregg Wallace’s comment that accusations of inappropriate behaviour against him came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age” has prompted an angry backlash.
The MasterChef presenter faces various allegations of making “inappropriate sexual jokes”, asking for the phone numbers of female members of production staff, and undressing in front of and standing “too close” to women working on his shows.
Ulrika Jonsson, who competed on Celebrity MasterChef in 2017, said she was “seething” while Kirstie Allsopp described his response as “unacceptable”.
In a post on Instagram on Sunday, 60-year-old Wallace said: “I’ve 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, all walks of life.
“Apparently now, I’m reading in the paper, there’s been 13 complaints in that time.
“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.
“In 20 years, 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?”
In a third video, Wallace claimed “absolutely none” of the people he had worked with on his shows had made a complaint about him.
Jonsson, who competed on Celebrity MasterChef in 2017 and claimed Wallace had been forced to apologise for one comment, told the Telegraph: “When he made reference to women of a certain age I was just seething… I was just absolutely wild.”
Allsopp, who alleged Wallace once made a comment to her about his sex life which left her “so embarrassed” she thought she “might cry”, said she was angered by the video.
“That is unacceptable. Because he is essentially saying this is a class issue and middle-class women don’t understand the type of things he says because he’s working-class. Well I’m sorry, but he’s doing an incredible disservice to men,” she told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend.
“What’s he saying? That working-class men do this kind of thing, embarrass their wives and girlfriends and sisters and mothers? That’s unacceptable, of course, that’s not the case.”
Actress Emma Kennedy, who won Celebrity MasterChef in 2012, told BBC News “it doesn’t matter what the age of any woman is”.
She added: “Playing the ‘they’re having a go at me because I’m working class’ card is ridiculous.”
Kennedy, who returned to Celebrity MasterChef as a guest judge on three occasions in 2016, 2017 and 2018, said she had told a number of people at MasterChef about one incident which concerned her but had “no idea” what happened next.
The Sunday Times reported that BBC executive Kate Phillips raised concerns Wallace’s behaviour was “unacceptable and cannot continue” after broadcaster and former Celebrity MasterChef contestant Aasmah Mir complained about inappropriate comments during filming.
The newspaper claimed Wallace received another warning the following year after a complaint was raised about his behaviour on the quiz show Impossible Celebrities.
The Sunday Telegraph reported producer Georgia Harding, who worked on MasterChef between 2014 and 2015 and later Eat Well For Less, claimed she raised concerns about “inappropriate” behaviour from him while working on the show.
She alleged the presenter undressed in front of colleagues and “made inappropriate sexual jokes” in front of the crew and people appearing on the shows, and said “nothing was done” about concerns raised, claiming there was “an acceptance” of his behaviour.
In response to reports in the Times and Telegraph, a BBC source said: “While we are not going to comment on individuals or any internal HR processes, particularly when there is an ongoing process in place being run by Banijay who have the direct contractual relationship with Gregg Wallace.
“It would be wrong to report the BBC has done nothing if or when matters have been raised with us – not least because it is already being widely reported there were interventions in both 2017 and 2018 where action was taken.
“We continue to urge caution about pre-judging any of this, particularly the involvement of BBC staff members and any inference they have not acted appropriately.”
The former greengrocer was also accused of making lewd comments and asking for the personal phone numbers of female production staff in a letter that Dawn Elrick, a producer and director, claimed to have sent to the BBC in 2022.
Elrick told the Observer the letter had been submitted with the support of industry union Bectu, and added she also submitted the allegations to the corporation via Navex Global, an external whistleblowing service.
She claimed the BBC suggested each individual would have to make their own, direct complaint to the corporation, and said she had received no further contact with regard to the report.
Wallace’s lawyers say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
In response to the letter, a BBC spokesperson said it had “robust processes” to deal with complaints “swiftly and appropriately” and added it “will always listen if people want to make us aware of something directly”.
Allegations were also raised by staff members about Wallace’s behaviour on Channel 5’s Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends to BBC News, with producer Rumpus Media saying it would be investigating allegations of “inappropriate behaviour”.
It comes after it was announced Wallace is to step away from the BBC cooking show while historical misconduct complaints are externally reviewed by MasterChef producer Banijay UK.
He also faces allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News, which said it sent a letter to the TV star’s representatives earlier this week.
The production company confirmed it has appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead an investigation into Wallace’s alleged behaviour.
