Christopher Biggins has been called out after attempting to defend sacked MasterChef host Gregg Wallace with the admission that he used to “grab women” while working on sets.
The 76-year-old pantomime actor bizarrely joked that his past conduct towards women would’ve landed him in “prison” if he did it today.
Biggins, who also appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2014, claimed that this type of misconduct was not uncommon 25 years ago and was considered “affection”.
Speaking to The Sun, he said: “Years ago, I would approach a woman from behind and grab her... Well, I’m gay, so it didn’t matter. And I’d like to still be doing it, but I don’t think I can anymore.
“If I were to do that now, I’d be put into prison. Twenty-five years ago, we were all doing it. It was a thing of affection.”
He continued: “Everybody is now terrified. I wouldn’t want to be a comedian. I think comedians have a really tough job.”
Refuge ambassador and former Love Island star Sharon Gaffka told the publication: “Touching someone without their consent, regardless of the context, is never funny.”
The Independent has contacted Biggins’ representatives for comment.
His remarks come after he revealed that he had reached out to Wallace and his family following his departure from MasterChef.
“I love Gregg and I love his wife,” he explained during an appearance at the National Reality TV Awards. “I’ve tried to get hold of her because they must be going through a terrible time, because suddenly careers are vanishing, it’s so wrong.”
Wallace’s position on MasterChef was deemed “untenable” last month when an investigation into historical misconduct upheld 45 of 83 allegations against the presenter, including claims of inappropriate sexual language and one incident of unwelcome physical contact.
Meanwhile, John Torode, who had presented MasterChef alongside Wallace since 2005, was sacked just a day later, as the same report upheld a complaint against him involving “an extremely offensive racist term”.
The latest series of MasterChef, which is presented by Wallace and Torode, premiered this week. The heavily edited first three episodes were made available on BBC iPlayer and appeared to feature fewer jokes and interactions between the hosts and contestants.
Some viewers said they felt “conflicted” seeing the hosts on screen following the accusations against them. One contestant, Sarah Shafi, agreed to be edited out of the series after objecting to it being broadcast over concerns that it sent the wrong message to women.
The BBC later revealed that news about the show had an impact on ratings, as the launch show was watched by just 1.96 million, as opposed to the 2.73 million who watched last year’s debut episode. The fact that this series launched in August, rather than in the usual April slot, may also have affected the viewership.
