Gregg Wallace 'deeply sorry' after more than half of allegations against him upheld

Gregg Wallace says he's "deeply sorry" for causing any distress, and never set out to "harm or humiliate," after more than half of the allegations of inappropriate behaviour against him were upheld.

While the majority of the substantiated claims related to inappropriate sexual language and humour, one related to "unwanted physical contact," and three were about being "in a state of undress".

MasterChef's production company Banijay UK shared a summary of its report into historical allegations of misconduct against the 60-year-old presenter, carried out by independent law firm Lewis Silkin over seven months.

The report said the number of sustained allegations made Wallace's return to MasterChef "untenable".

Last week it emerged he had been sacked as MasterChef presenter, with reports of more than 50 fresh allegations against him.

In a statement on Monday, Wallace said "some of (his) humour and language missed the mark," but he said, after nearly 20 years on MasterChef, "I now see that certain patterns, shaped by traits I've only recently begun to understand, may have been misread".

Wallace, who said a "late autism diagnosis" had helped him understand how he is "perceived", criticised the BBC, saying the corporation had left him "exposed to trial by media".

"This has been brutal," he said.

"For a working-class man with a direct manner, modern broadcasting has become a dangerous place. I was the headline this time. But I won't be the last.

"There will be more casualties if the BBC continues down this path, where protecting its legacy matters more than protecting people. For my part, with full legal support, I will consider my next move."

What did the investigation find?

The investigation heard evidence from 78 witnesses, including 41 complainants. The investigations team spoke to Wallace three times for the report, conducting 14 hours of interviews with him.

There were 83 allegations against Wallace, and 45 of them were upheld. All were related to MasterChef.

The upheld allegations were:

• Twelve claims he made inappropriate jokes and innuendo;

• Sixteen reports he made sexually explicit comments;

• Two allegations that he made sexualised comments to or about someone;

• Four complaints that he made culturally insensitive or racist comments;

• Three claims that he was in a state of undress;

• Seven allegations of bullying;

• One allegation of unwanted touching.

Nearly all the allegations against Wallace were related to behaviour which is said to have occurred between 2005 and 2018, with just one substantiated allegation taking place after 2018.

Ahead of the publication of the summary, Wallace had said he had been "cleared of the most serious and sensational accusations" made against him.

BBC held no 'central' information over Wallace concerns

Additionally, the report summary found there were 10 standalone allegations about other people between 2012 and 2018/2019, two of which were substantiated. These were unrelated to Wallace, and those people were not named in the summary.

The investigation found that complaints against Wallace had previously been raised with the production company between 2005 and 2024.

While the report flagged inadequate reporting procedures before 2016, when Endemol merged with Shine ahead of Banijay acquiring Endemol Shine in 2020, it said there were significant improvements to HR processes and training after 2016.

The investigation said some formal action was taken by the BBC in 2017, but it also noted the corporation held no information regarding concerns raised over Wallace centrally, resulting in issues being addressed as a first offence.

Responding to the findings of the report, the BBC said the corporation had "no plans to work with [Wallace] in future", saying his behaviour "falls below the values of the BBC".

The BBC said "opportunities were missed" to address Wallace's behaviour, adding, "We accept more could and should have been done sooner".

Concerning the allegations against other individuals flagged in the report, the BBC said they had asked Banijay UK to take action to address these issues, and said it would "be completed as a priority".

The corporation has yet to decide if the unseen MasterChef series that was filmed with Wallace last year will still be aired.

It's been a tough day for the corporation, which, just a few hours after the release of the Wallace report, was deemed to have breached its editorial guidelines by failing to disclose that the child narrator of a Gaza documentary was the son of a Hamas official.

Production staff deserve 'much, much better'

Banijay UK chief executive Patrick Holland called the report "uncomfortable reading", but said its findings provided "valuable insight" for production teams moving forward.

In a nod to Wallace's recent autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, Mr Holland said Wallace's neurodiversity was "relevant to certain behaviours identified in the report", admitting "the production could have done more to identify, manage and communicate patterns of inappropriate behaviour".

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the allegations against Wallace were "horrendous and appalling", and she welcomed the BBC's decision to end its association with him.

Philippa Childs, head of creative industries union Bectu, said the report findings made it clear that "inappropriate behaviour has gone unchecked for far too long," adding: "This is a real failure by Banijay to take these issues seriously and act accordingly".

Ms Childs said the report highlighted the precarious position of production staff, the majority of whom are freelance workers, who she said deserve "much, much better".

Wallace was the original presenter of the BBC show Saturday Kitchen in 2002 and has also featured on Eat Well For Less?, Inside The Factory, Turn Back Time, Harvest and Supermarket Secrets.

He was best known, however, for presenting MasterChef, MasterChef: The Professionals, and Celebrity MasterChef.

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