Gregg Wallace ‘fascinated by my intercourse life and made lesbian jokes’

Tv host Gregg Wallace has been accused of constructing “lesbian jokes continually” by a lady who labored on a journey present with him.

The girl, who we’re calling Anna, mentioned he was “fascinated” by the very fact she dated ladies and requested her the “logistics” of the way it labored. She is one in every of various employees throughout a variety of exhibits who got here to BBC Information with claims in regards to the TV presenter.

On Thursday, MasterChef’s manufacturing firm mentioned Wallace is to step away from presenting the present whereas allegations of historic misconduct are investigated.

Wallace’s legal professionals say it’s completely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature. Masterchef’s manufacturing firm Banijay UK has launched an investigation and mentioned Wallace is co-operating.

Downing Avenue mentioned allegations about Wallace had been “deeply regarding”.

A Quantity 10 spokesman mentioned it was “proper” {that a} thorough investigation is carried out however that “this in fact is one for the BBC”.

“Whereas that course of is beneath means it would not be proper for me to remark,” the spokesman added.

Different allegations the BBC has heard are that Wallace talked about spanking and threesomes in entrance of crew.

In a video posted on Instagram on Thursday night, Wallace mentioned: “I want to thank all of the folks getting in contact, reaching out and displaying their help.

“It is good of you – thanks very a lot.”

Warning – this text comprises distressing content material

Anna labored on Gregg Wallace’s Massive Weekends in 2019. She informed us that Wallace often talked about intercourse, and about domination and spanking.

“[It] was extremely inappropriate,” she mentioned.

She says he additionally continually made feedback about her sexual orientation, together with when he met her associate.

“I date ladies and Gregg Wallace was fascinated by that,” she mentioned.

She added that he requested her if she was “positive” she did not wish to date males.

One other girl, who we’re calling Georgina, labored on the BBC’s Eat Nicely For Much less TV present with Wallace in 2019.

She says he would continually say inappropriate issues to her, comparable to making feedback that his spouse was solely two years older than her.

“It made me uncomfortable,” she mentioned. “What am I meant to say in response to that?”

On one other event, she says she needed to go to Wallace’s automotive to kind out his parking ticket for him.

She requested him if that was OK, to which he allegedly responded: “You possibly can come to my automotive, however are you able to deal with the very fact everybody will suppose you simply received off with a celeb?”

Each Georgina, and her colleague, who we’re calling Lisa, additionally say he got here out a WC topless in entrance of them as soon as throughout a shoot and requested them to take his espresso order.

“[Wallace’s] behaviour isn’t acceptable,” Lisa mentioned.

“To not solely proceed to place ladies in these eventualities however to proceed publicly platforming him is a shame to our trade requirements.”

Georgina mentioned she refused to work on a present with him afterwards.

One other younger feminine employee, who the BBC is asking Amanda, highlighted two experiences with Wallace whereas filming the Channel 5 present, Gregg Wallace’s Massive Weekends, in 2019.

The primary, she mentioned, was once they had been travelling collectively by automotive. She mentioned he took out his telephone and confirmed her photographs of a lady in her underwear.

A second time, she mentioned that they had simply completed filming in Italy and she or he took him again to his resort room.

She mentioned he began displaying them his outfits for the following day, after which took off his prime and mentioned “let me provide you with a style present”.

A male colleague was initially within the room, however she mentioned he then left, leaving her alone with Wallace.

She mentioned she nonetheless remembers the Millwall tattoo on his chest and that she discovered the resort room expertise very uncomfortable.

“It is bizarre to be alone in a room with a topless stranger.”

BBC Information, which is editorially impartial from the broader organisation, began investigating Wallace in the summertime, after changing into conscious of allegations. The claims we have now heard are from 13 folks, throughout 5 exhibits, from 2005 to 2022.

One in every of them was the broadcaster Kirsty Wark, a Superstar MasterChef contestant in 2011, who mentioned he informed “sexualised” jokes throughout filming.

On Tuesday, we despatched a letter to Wallace’s representatives setting out allegations we have now heard.

Two days later, it was introduced that Wallace is to step away from presenting MasterChef pending an investigation.

Since then, extra folks have come ahead with allegations in regards to the presenter.

Writing on Instagram on Thursday, singer Sir Rod Stewart described Wallace as an “ill-mannered bully”, and mentioned the presenter “humiliated” his spouse when she was on MasterChef in 2021.

BBC Information has requested Wallace’s representatives for a touch upon Sir Rod’s publish.

• A feminine employee on MasterChef in 2019, who mentioned Wallace talked about his intercourse life and requested her if her new boyfriend had a pleasant backside
• A feminine employee on the BBC Good Meals Present in 2010, who mentioned Wallace stared at her chest
• A feminine employee on Eat Nicely For Much less in 2019, who mentioned Wallace informed her he wasn’t sporting any boxer shorts beneath his denims
• A male employee on MasterChef in 2005-06, who mentioned Wallace often mentioned sexually specific issues on set. He mentioned Wallace as soon as mentioned a dish tasted like his aunt’s vagina, and on one other event, requested a feminine runner if she put her finger up her boyfriend’s backside
• A male employee who labored on Massive Weekends and different journey exhibits between 2019 and 2022, who says Wallace talked about threesomes with prostitutes and mentioned he “loves spanking” a number of instances a day

One in every of Britain’s greatest commerce unions says it was conscious of allegations about Wallace’s behaviour.

“I’d wish to say I’m shocked by these studies, however… I assume my response is it was a matter of when, not if these tales began to emerge,” Philippa Childs, head of Bectu, informed BBC Information.

She mentioned it was troublesome for freelancers to have the ability to make complaints due to the precarious nature of the trade.

“They’re at all times involved about the place their subsequent job is coming from or certainly are they going to have the ability to set up themselves within the trade,” she mentioned.

“So there’s fairly a bent to not report, to really feel that it’s not protected to report, to really feel that even when they do report, the manufacturing firm or the broadcaster are usually not going to take them critically and are usually not going to take motion due to the ability that individuals on display screen would possibly maintain.”

Talking to BBC Radio 4’s Immediately programme, former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey mentioned Wallace was “the most recent in a protracted line of presenters behaving badly”.

She mentioned she was “significantly involved” that the problems had been raised and investigated, “and but the behaviour was allowed to proceed”.

“[TV presenting] just isn’t a singular ability, and I feel we have now to cease treating presenters as if they’re a particular case, they’re only one individual in an enormous group that will get a present on air, and they’re no roughly particular than anyone else,” she mentioned.

“And one way or the other we’ve received a tradition, I assume as a result of it began in showbiz, of pandering to those that are in entrance of digital camera, and letting them get away with behaviour that different folks in groups wouldn’t be allowed to get away with.”

However others have defended Wallace. TV producer Alice Harper informed the Occasions: ““I’ve come to know Gregg extraordinarily properly and have run a group, a lot of whom are younger ladies, and I’ve by no means, ever seen Gregg do something inappropriate,”

He tells jokes incessantly on set to calm down folks… I needed to type of train him issues that weren’t applicable to joke about. I did must take him apart a few instances and he took it on board and have become extra cautious.”

Journalist William Sitwell, who has recognized Wallace for about 25 years, mentioned in a Every day Telegraph column that the presenter is “at all times genuinely within the wellbeing of individuals round him”.

“He builds up relationships with contestants, there’s palpable heat and, off digital camera, his curiosity just isn’t in what they prepare dinner, however what they do and who they’re.”

Sitwell added Wallace “fires off jokes like he’s working a Bernard Manning comedy workshop. Some are plain foolish, others outrageous. Which is, in fact, the purpose of jokes.”

The allegations come at a troublesome time for the BBC.

In October, the BBC introduced particulars of a assessment into stopping abuses of energy, within the wake of revelations about Huw Edwards, previously its most senior information presenter, who dedicated offences involving youngster abuse pictures.

In November, BBC chairman Samir Shah mentioned in a speech that there “continues to be a way that highly effective folks ‘get away with it’.”

One MasterChef employee we spoke to, who we’re calling Claire, thinks that how the trade responds to allegations is on the root of the issue.

“We needs to be getting higher at coping with this, we needs to be getting higher at shutting issues down, and never permitting movie star or fame or energy to embolden folks to suppose they’ll act like that, and deal with folks actually poorly.”

Saying its investigation on Thursday, Banijay UK, which produces MasterChef, mentioned in a press release: “This week the BBC acquired complaints from people in relation to historic allegations of misconduct whereas working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one in every of our exhibits.”

Wallace, 60, is “dedicated to completely co-operating all through the method”, it added.

If you’re affected by any of the problems on this story, assist and help is accessible at BBC Motion Line

Banijay’s assertion concluded by encouraging anybody who wished to lift any points or considerations to return ahead.

A BBC spokesman mentioned: “We take any points which might be raised with us critically and we have now strong processes in place to cope with them.”

Final month, the BBC additionally introduced an impartial assessment of its office tradition.

A spokesman for Channel 5, which airs Massive Weekends, mentioned: “We take any allegations of this nature extraordinarily critically.

“We’ve requested the manufacturing firm to look into these historic claims. The well being and wellbeing of everybody concerned in our productions is essential to us and we wish all of our productions to be protected and safe locations for folks to work.”

Manufacturing firm Rumpus, which produced Massive Weekends, mentioned: “We don’t tolerate inappropriate behaviour on our productions.

“Our complete responsibility of care processes had been in place throughout manufacturing of those collection and any issues raised would have been investigated in accordance with these.”