A report on the behaviour of Gregg Wallace has substantiated 45 allegations made against the former BBC presenter, including claims of inappropriate sexual language and one incident of unwelcome physical contact.
A seven-month investigation into the MasterChef presenter’s behaviour covered 83 allegations against him, of which more than half were substantiated. The BBC confirmed Wallace would not be returning to any of its programmes and admitted that opportunities had been missed to deal with his behaviour.
Most of the substantiated allegations related to inappropriate sexual language and humour. An overview of the report, however, said a “smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated”.
The production company Banijay and the BBC said the number of sustained allegations made Wallace’s return to MasterChef untenable, despite his recent diagnosis as autistic.
Wallace has already admitted using inappropriate language. In a statement after the report was released, he said he was “deeply sorry” for the distress he had caused, but he had “never set out to harm or humiliate”.
“For eight months, my family and I have lived under a cloud,” he said. “Trial by media, fuelled by rumour and clickbait. None of the serious allegations against me were upheld. I challenged the remaining issue of unwanted touching, but have had to accept a difference in perception, and I am deeply sorry for any distress caused. It was never intended.
“A late autism diagnosis has helped me understand how I communicate and how I’m perceived. I’m still learning. Banijay have given me great support, and I thank them. But in the end, the BBC left me exposed to trial by media and the damage it leaves in its wake.”
He said he was considering his next move with “full legal support”.
The report summary revealed 10 other standalone allegations made against other people, two of which were substantiated – one relating to swearing and one to racist language. The BBC said it took those findings “very seriously and we have asked Banijay UK to take action to address these issues, which is under way. This will be completed as a priority.”
On Monday night MasterChef presenter John Torode confirmed he was the subject of an allegation of using racist language.
In a post on Instagram, Torode said: “For the sake of transparency, I confirm that I am the individual who is alleged to have used racial language on one occasion. The allegation is that I did so sometime in 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and that the person I was speaking with did not believe that it was intended in a malicious way and that I apologised immediately afterwards.
“I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened. However, I want to be clear that I’ve always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment. I’m shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.”
The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said the allegations against Wallace were “horrendous and appalling” and welcomed the BBC’s decision to end its association with him. She said the case highlighted the fact that more needed to be done to protect workers in the creative industries, who often work on a freelance basis.
The chair of the Commons culture, media and sport committee, Caroline Dinenage, said there had been a “longstanding failure to protect people against unacceptable workplace behaviour”.
“Most complaints were not raised with Mr Wallace himself, suggesting a reluctance to confront this head on and risk upsetting the on-screen talent,” she said. “When complainants still find it easier to go to the press rather than use internal processes, there is clearly still a long way to go.”
Banijay and the BBC said their complaints processes had improved since most of the allegations took place. The report, overseen by the law firm Lewis Silkin, was ordered by Banijay last year after BBC News said it had heard allegations of inappropriate sexual comments and inappropriate behaviour from 13 people who had worked with Wallace over a 17-year period. He stood back from his MasterChef role at that point.
The investigation heard evidence from 78 witnesses, including 41 complainants. All the report’s findings were linked to allegations made in connection to MasterChef. It found the “vast majority” of the 83 allegations it heard (94%) related to behaviour that was said to have occurred between 2005 and 2018.
It found that 11 complaints or concerns had been raised about Wallace’s behaviour between 2005 and last year. Some were raised with Banijay, others with the BBC. The majority were dealt with informally.
“The production company undertook an investigation into an allegation in 2015 and understood the complainant was happy with the outcome,” the report said. “The BBC intervened in response to a complaint in 2017, following which Mr Wallace was warned of the need to change his behaviour. Mr Wallace took steps to heed that warning.”
Karen Baxter, a partner and head of investigations at Lewis Silkin, said Wallace had been “cooperative and forthcoming”. He was interviewed three times over more than 14 hours. The report’s findings were made based on the civil standard of proof – on the balance of probabilities – rather than the criminal threshold, beyond all reasonable doubt.
It said Wallace’s neurodiversity diagnosis was considered “highly relevant in the context of the findings made, particularly regarding his use of humour as a ‘masking’ technique and his difficulty in reading social cues. Mr Wallace accepts that his diagnosis may help to explain some of his actions, but he does not wish to hide behind it.”
“Mr Wallace was consistently described as energetic, humorous, and generally able to put contestants at ease, which contributed to the show’s success,” it found. “However, these interactions and some comments made within earshot of contestants or colleagues sometimes resulted in offence and/or left people feeling uncomfortable.”
With Wallace dropped by the BBC, its director general, Tim Davie, has to decide whether or not to show the new series of MasterChef, most of which was recorded before the presenter stood aside from the role. The BBC said it had not made a final decision on what to do.
The chief executive of Banijay UK, Patrick Holland, said: “We are extremely sorry to anyone who has been impacted by this behaviour and felt unable to speak up at the time or that their complaint was not adequately addressed.”
