Cracking a Bad Gregg?

Why does it take so long for complaints about stars to be publicised? Because the legal bar is so high and the BBC still protects 'talent'.

The allegations of sexual harassment and making sexualised comments about Masterchef presenter, Gregg Wallace — which he denies — have made the rounds for years. So why did it take so long for them to be reported? The accusations relate to a 17-year period and follow Wallace leaving another BBC show, Inside The Factory, in 2023 after complaints that he had made inappropriate comments to female staff.

A BBC News investigation into Wallace’s behaviour includes accusations that Wallace talked about his sex life with female colleagues, told one that he wasn’t wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans, said a dish on Masterchef “tasted like his aunt’s vagina”, asked a female runner if she put her finger up her boyfriend’s arse, talked about threesomes with prostitutes and spanking with staff on a travel show, and questioned a member of production staff who is a lesbian about the logistics of her sex life.

Meanwhile, a four-month investigation by The Daily Telegraph — which says it has spoken to more than 20 former Masterchef staff members — reports allegations including mimicking a sex act on a junior colleague, stripping in front of staff, and walking into the studio wearing nothing but a sock over his penis before doing “a silly dance”. It’s inconceivable that even one of these incidents would not result in serious disciplinary consequences for someone who wasn’t a prominent presenter.

Notably, the complaints about Wallace include some from other well-known figures. BBC News revealed former Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark complained about his conduct while filming Celebrity Masterchef in 2011. She said he told stories and jokes of a “sexualised nature” in front of contestants and crew, and that his comments were “really, really in the wrong place”. Ulrika Johnson says Wallace made a rape joke during the filming of Celebrity Masterchef in 2017 and was told to apologise. Times Radio presenter Aasmah Mir, who also appeared on the show that year, posted a picture of herself in the Masterchef studio on X with the message, “Always keep your receipts”. She is among those who complained to the BBC about Wallace’s conduct.

Rod Stewart, whose wife Penny Lancaster was a Celebrity Masterchef contestant in 2021, posted on Instagram:

Good riddance Wallace ... You humiliated my wife when she was on the show, but you had that bit cut out didn’t you?

“You’re a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya. 

In October, The Sun reported that the BBC had investigated Wallace in 2018 for making inappropriate sexual comments to production staff and taking his top off in front of female crew. Wallace responded to the Sun story by issuing a statement:

With reference to what’s in the newspapers, these allegations were investigated by the BBC six years ago… my comments were found to not be sexual. I repeat, not sexual. Thank you everybody for your time. 

A BBC source told The Sun that Wallace was ordered to change his behaviour after the complaints and said:

The BBC took immediate action and Gregg was called in to have a meeting with them. He made it clear that he didn’t mean anything by what he said but he was read the riot act and told to change his behaviour. 

But the BBC stuck with the presenter even after he left Inside the Factory five years later. Also in October, in the aftermath of the Huw Edwards scandal, BBC Director General, Tim Davie, said he had “banned the word ‘talent’” at the corporation and would make it clear that no one was indispensable. If he applies that principle now, it seems unlikely that Wallace will front any more programmes for the BBC.

The 'Talent'

The status of ‘talent’ at the BBC is just one of the reasons it has taken so long for the weight of allegations against Wallace to break out into a big story. The precarious nature of employment in the TV industry contributes to a culture where making complaints is hard. While production companies make a big noise about having whistleblower procedures, staff — particularly junior staff — are often afraid that speaking up will result in them being marked out as troublemakers and losing out on future work.

For reporters, the legal environment makes covering these kinds of allegations very difficult. Wallace is facing scrutiny now because the sheer volume of complaints and the number of news organisations looking at them offers a kind of safety in numbers. When I was reporting on allegations of misconduct in British TV newsrooms last year, it was clear that those who complained about abuse and harassment are often punished professionally for doing so. Bringing accusations about prominent people to light carries major legal risks for publications and broadcasters.

The accusations around Wallace are the latest in a long line of scandals for the BBC but it’s far from the only media organisation where the ‘talent’ is allowed to act appallingly while junior staff are forced to endure their behaviour. Some of the very newspapers that will attack the corporation most vociferously have toxic cultures where big names are protected from the consequences of their actions.

The BBC’s HR investigation in 2018 concluded that “many aspects of [Wallace’s] behaviour were both unacceptable and unprofessional”. At the time, a BBC executive told crew members that action would be taken “to prevent a similar reoccurrence and to safeguard others in the future”. But further incidents did occur and the details of that 2018 investigation have only emerged because BBC News has reported on them. It’s creditable that BBC News reporters continue to cover the failings of the wider organisation so vociferously but it also feels somewhat farcical.

Wallace won’t be the last presenter to cause the BBC this kind of issue. The biggest question in his case is this though: What made him so vital to its programming that the stream of complaints was ignored for so long? Is it that difficult to find someone else to make asinine comments about food while making unsettling noises? Calling presenters “the talent” is ridiculous at the best of times but in Wallace’s case, it was always beyond a joke.

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