Gregg Wallace hits out at 'handful' of accusers

Gregg Wallace has hit back at allegations of historic misconduct, saying they have come from a "handful of middle-class women of a certain age".

The MasterChef presenter said in a video on Instagram on Sunday morning there had been "13 complaints" from "over 4,000 contestants" he had worked with in 20 years on the BBC One show.

He stepped aside earlier this week after a BBC News investigation revealed a string of allegations of inappropriate sexual comments and inappropriate behaviour against him.

The investigation heard from 13 people across a range of ages, who worked across five different shows, including broadcaster Kirsty Wark who appeared on Celebrity MasterChef.

"I've been doing MasterChef for 20 years - amateur, professional and Celebrity MasterChef - and I think in that time I have worked with over 4,000 contestants of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life," Wallace told his more than 200,000 followers.

"And apparently now, I'm reading in the paper, there's been 13 complaints in that time.

"Now, in the newspaper I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn't right."

He finished his statement by saying: "In over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants on MasterChef, have made sexual remarks or sexual innuendo - can you imagine?"

Wallace’s lawyers have strongly denied he engages in sexually harassing behaviour, while the BBC said it will “always listen if people want to make us aware of something directly”.

Responding to Wallace’s video, actress Emma Kennedy who won Celebrity MasterChef in 2012 and says she complained about his behaviour at the time, said "it doesn’t matter what the age of any woman is".

"If you behave inappropriately, you behave inappropriately," she told BBC News. "It’s a story as old as the tides that people who have been accused of inappropriate behaviour turn the tables on those pointing it out and try and change the narrative."

She added: "Playing the 'they’re having a go at me because I’m working class' card is ridiculous."

TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend about an encounter with Wallace several years ago that left her "so embarrassed", after he "made a reference to something [he and his partner] did in bed".

She also called Wallace's claims on social media on Sunday "unacceptable", adding: "He is essentially saying this is a class issue and middle-class women don't understand the type of things he says because he's working-class."

Writing on X alongside a link to a BBC News article on Wallace, Baroness Harriet Harman said that women now "feel able to challenge" inappropriate behaviour from men.

She said that specifically "older, middle class women [are] more able to challenge than freelance junior women", adding: "It's our duty."

It comes as the BBC faces fresh questions over its handling of allegations against the 60-year-old, and the fact he continued to present the cooking show, after emails emerged showing it was warned about him in 2017.

Radio host Aasmah Mir said she initially complained to MasterChef's production company Banijay that year, about inappropriate comments Wallace had allegedly made during filming of the programme. It's believed she then had to take her complaint to the BBC.

In an internal email, BBC executive Kate Phillips, who now heads up unscripted programmes for the corporation, said that his behaviour on set was “unacceptable and cannot continue," the Sunday Times reported.

She added that she would make sure that she was "informed straight away" should further allegations be made against him.

Mir later sent an email that was copied to Phillips, saying: "This must not happen again to another woman."

Some of the allegations against Wallace in the BBC News investigation relate to events after 2017.

A BBC source commented on Sunday that "it would be wrong to report the BBC has done nothing if or when matters have been raised with us".

"We continue to urge caution about pre-judging any of this, particularly the involvement of BBC staff members and any inference they have not acted appropriately," the source told BBC News.

Separately, the Observer says a letter containing multiple claims of inappropriate behaviour by Gregg Wallace was sent to the BBC in 2022, but did not result in further investigation at the time.

On Thursday, MasterChef's production company Banijay UK said Wallace would step away from presenting the show while allegations of historical misconduct were investigated.

He is "committed to fully co-operating throughout the process", Banijay added.

It came after BBC News sent a letter to Wallace's representatives, setting out allegations we have heard from 13 people, across a 17-year period.

One of them was Ms Wark, a Celebrity MasterChef contestant in 2011, who said he told "sexualised" jokes during filming.

Since then, more people have come forward with allegations about the presenter.

Wallace's lawyers have said it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.

On Saturday evening, Wallace said in an Instagram post: "We are all different."

Alongside his Instagram statement on Sunday morning, he posted apparent screenshots of supportive messages he had received from people who said they were former contestants on the show.

In his video message he wore a navy T-shirt with the Matt Hampson Foundation written on it - but shortly afterwards the charity, which helps people recover from major sports injuries, posted on X to say "we do not condone the kind of behaviour and comments contained in these allegations".

Reacting to Wallace's video, TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall told the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: "I understand the instinct when you feel you’re backed in a corner, but I don't think it’s smart to come out talking like that when at the moment he should probably be listening."

The BBC said it has “robust processes” in place to deal with issues if they are raised.

Earlier on Saturday, MasterChef producers announced they have appointed a "rigorous" law firm to lead an investigation into Wallace's alleged misconduct.

On the appointment of London law firm Lewis Silkin, a Banijay UK spokesperson said it was a "highly experienced specialist investigations team which has overseen a broad range of high-profile workplace investigations".