Gregg Wallace's damning MasterChef report in full: sex slurs to state of undress

Irish Daily Mirror

18 hours ago

Gregg Wallace's role on MasterChef became unsustainable after a seven-month investigation confirmed 45 out of 83 allegations of misconduct. The majority of complaints against him involved sexual language and humour, while a smaller number concerned "being in a state of undress", with multiple women alleging he exposed himself without wearing undergarments.
Additionally, one allegation of "unwanted physical contact" was substantiated among complaints of groping by Wallace. The findings follow a seven-month inquiry by law firm Lewis Silkin, which interviewed 41 complainants among 78 witnesses to verify the 83 allegations against Wallace.
Most complaints related to incidents between 2005 and 2018, when Wallace received a 90-minute reprimand from former head of unscripted content Kate Philips, now the BBC's director of content. The complaints were categorised into seven areas: inappropriate comments (jokes and innuendo), sexually explicit comments, being in a state of undress, sexualised comments made to or about someone, cultural insensitivity or racism, bullying, and unwanted physical contact.
Back in December 2024, an initial group of 13 women stepped forward, igniting the launch of the review process. Now, BBC News has disclosed that the number of women lodging complaints against Wallace has surged to 50 – with allegations linked to MasterChef being referred to the investigative team.
The enquiry unveiled that numerous incidents now under complaint were originally dismissed at the time. "Mr Wallace was consistently described as energetic, humorous, and generally able to put contestants at ease, which contributed to the show's success," the report admitted, reports the Mirror.
"However, these interactions and some comments made within earshot of contestants or colleagues sometimes resulted in offence and/or left people feeling uncomfortable. Sometimes other people who were present laughed along. Occasionally these comments were called out in the moment by people who heard them, but very often they were not."
Regarding the findings, the report acknowledged Wallace's recent autism diagnosis as pertinent, yet insufficient to retain his role as a presenter. "Mr Wallace's neurodiversity diagnosis is 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, the review states. "Mr Wallace accepts that his diagnosis may help to explain some of his actions, but he does not wish to hide behind it."
Banijay CEO Patrick Holland, who previously held the role of controller at BBC2, has stated that the report offers "much needed clarity" on Wallace's conduct spanning two decades.
Regarding Wallace's autism, Holland remarked that the condition cannot be used as an excuse to retain his position. He elaborated: "Whilst acknowledging Mr Wallace's autism diagnosis, which is relevant to certain behaviours identified in the report, and accepting that the production could have done more to identify, manage and communicate patterns of inappropriate behaviour, the volume and consistency of substantiated allegations, ranging between 2005 and 2024, make Gregg Wallace's return to MasterChef untenable."
Holland expressed confidence that measures are in place to prevent a recurrence of such issues.
"Whilst it makes for uncomfortable reading, highlighting failures in legacy reporting and HR procedures, it also provides valuable insight to ensure that going forward everyone working on our productions feels safe and supported, and that inappropriate behaviour is quickly and professionally dealt with," he commented.
Following the acquisition of Endemol Shine in 2020, Banijay announced the immediate implementation of "an additional externally run whistle blowing service across all our productions with immediate effect".
He expressed his regret that in the past, individuals with grievances felt powerless to come forward and offered an apology for it: "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."
Emphasising a fresh start, he mentioned that the programme's team is eager to resume work, leaving these issues in the past. "MasterChef is a much-loved show which year in, year out, changes the lives and careers of contestants, amateur and professional alike. It's made by a brilliant team of outstanding professionals, and we look forward to bringing more exceptional cooking to screens in the coming months and years."
Karen Baxter, heading up investigations at Lewis Silkin, noted her findings that Wallace had altered his conduct post-2018 following a chat with the BBC brass. She shared: " There is evidence which shows that Mr Wallace took some proactive steps to modify his behaviour, seek guidance from colleagues on his choice of language, and to remove himself from work-related social situations."
Wallace, in anticipation of the report's release last week, spoke up: "I have taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkins report – a decision I do not take lightly."
His words were marked by a sense of urgency to defend his name, stating: "After 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others.
"I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me.
"The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation."
The investigation revealed that, before 2024, there had been a total of 11 complaints lodged about Wallace either to the production company or to the BBC or both - despite 19 individuals claiming to have filed a complaint.
Of these 11, three were actually observations or comments rather than a complaint, it was discovered.
Out of the remaining eight, most were addressed informally until the BBC stepped in response to a specific allegation in 2017 - which was when Wallace attended a meeting with his agent and was warned by Kate Phillips of "the need to change his behaviour". Report author Baxter notes: " Mr Wallace took steps to heed that warning."
She also observed that Wallace had been "co- operative and forthcoming" with the process, having been interviewed three times by the Investigation Team, totalling more than 14 hours.
The investigator found that when concerns were reported to the production company, they tended to address them on an individual basis, which meant that it was not considered in context with any previous allegations, or against what had been observed by senior members of staff.
She discovered a lack of "retain records" regarding actions taken, especially in the earlier period from 2005 to 2011. Employees were not properly briefed on the escalation process for complaints, which would have allowed them to voice concerns when incidents first occurred.
Furthermore, she noted that issues were not consistently communicated to the presenter, leaving Wallace "was not necessarily aware" that his conduct had caused offence. Even when matters were formally addressed, Wallace wasn't always informed, with the report stating, "Issues were still not always raised clearly and directly with Mr Wallace, to the extent that he remained unaware of some, (although not all), of these concerns."