Gregg Wallace Vows to Fight On as BBC Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Misconduct Cover-Up

 

The BBC is under mounting pressure to explain its handling of longstanding allegations against TV presenter Gregg Wallace, who has now been removed from his long-held role on MasterChef following a series of misconduct claims. The broadcaster's silence amid a growing number of complaints—now reported to involve more than 50 individuals—has sparked public outrage and calls for accountability at the highest levels of BBC leadership.

 

 

Wallace, 60, was officially dismissed from his presenting role on MasterChef, a programme he had co-hosted since 2005, after a legal review into his conduct. Despite the BBC distancing itself by deferring the investigation to Banijay, the independent production company behind MasterChef, the scandal has nonetheless placed the BBC in the spotlight. Wallace is adamant that he has been treated unfairly, stating, “After 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others.”

 

 

In a defiant statement ahead of the official report's release, Wallace acknowledged that he had used inappropriate language at times, saying, “I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation.” He insists that the findings will clear him of any serious misconduct, though he did admit to once opening his dressing room door naked except for a sock over his genitals, which he claims happened after filming had ended.

 

Wallace also suggested that some of his behaviour may have been influenced by his recently diagnosed autism, which, he said, made the MasterChef environment “dangerous” for him. “Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me,” he said. “That failure is now being quietly buried.”

 

New allegations published by BBC News include disturbing accusations of sexual misconduct spanning more than two decades. Sophie, a junior staffer on the 2013 MasterChef series, alleged Wallace groped her covertly at a wrap party while standing beside co-host John Torode. “Gregg’s time has come,” she said. “But the most senior leadership, who have clearly heard these testimonies over the years and not chosen to remove him, should also resign.”

 

Another accuser, known as Alice, described an incident in 2012 when Wallace allegedly invited her to his dressing room under the pretext of needing help changing into formalwear. Once inside, she claims he pushed her onto a sofa and exposed himself. When she reported the incident to the production team, a senior staff member allegedly dismissed her concerns with the remark: “You’re over 16, you’re not being ‘Jimmy Saviled’.”

 

Earlier complaints include an allegation from a participant on Saturday Kitchen in 2002, when Wallace was said to have touched a woman’s groin during a pre-show dinner and asked, “Do you like that?” A junior production worker on the same show claimed that Wallace had groped her breasts and bottom, but she stayed silent out of fear of losing her job. “It was like no one else had a problem with what was happening, so I couldn’t have a problem either,” she said.

 

Despite these troubling accounts, the BBC has not conducted its own investigation. Given that MasterChef is one of the BBC’s eight flagship programmes, critics argue that the broadcaster had a responsibility to provide better oversight rather than outsource accountability.

 

Wallace has lashed out at the BBC and its news division, claiming the recent coverage amounts to “baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories.” He continued, “The BBC is no longer providing balanced and impartial public service journalism.”

 

He also took aim at his critics, alleging that the complaints were driven by “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age.” According to Wallace, “The most damaging claims including allegations from public figures… have not been upheld [and] were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.”

 

Wallace concluded with a vow not to retreat quietly, stating, “I will not be cancelled for convenience. I was tried by the media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established. The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest.”

 

A BBC spokesperson has said, “Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.”

 

Related Topics:

BBC Faces Scrutiny Over Allegations Against Gregg Wallace Following External Investigations

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Daily Telegraph  2025-07-10

 

 

3 hours ago, Social Media said:

When she reported the incident to the production team, a senior staff member allegedly dismissed her concerns with the remark: “You’re over 16, you’re not being ‘Jimmy Saviled’.”

 

It certainly seems the BBC has raised it's standards significantly if it's over 16's that are now being abused by it's stars. 

 

One step at a time. 

3 hours ago, Social Media said:

Wallace also suggested that some of his behaviour may have been influenced by his recently diagnosed autism, which, he said, made the MasterChef environment “dangerous” for him. “Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me,” he said. “That failure is now being quietly buried.”

 

So he's the victim..😅😅

 

Creepy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/

45 minutes ago, faraday said:

 

So he's the victim..😅😅

 

Well he's trying hard to turn it around to look like that, but it won't work!

Another BBC fail ?

50 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

Creepy.

 

That's pretty much a requirement for a job at the BBC.

 

Probably only second to being a rabid lefty.  

He can always apply for a job as a Premier League football player. Does he have a Lamborghini?