You’ve probably heard by now that Gregg Wallace has stepped down from BBC’s Masterchef after being hit with a whole bunch of misconduct allegations from ‘a handful of middle-class women of a certain age’ (his words). They’ve accused him of making inappropriate sexual comments, asking for phone numbers of female production staff, undressing in front of and standing “too close” to women working on his shows, and more.
Well, a Masterchef clip from all the way back in 2011 has now gone viral on X, and gives some insight into the sort of attitude Gregg Wallace had around female contestants on his show. Watch below and see what you think:
This is not AI The BBC really did broadcast Gregg Wallace saying this pic.twitter.com/neEBOXrIw1
— Andrew McBride (@andrewmcb) November 28, 2024
Incredible. Now, you might say there’s nothing really wrong with a bit of sexual innuendo on Masterchef. After all, she did cook a tart for him and maybe he’s really just that enthusiastic about trying it. If it was Harry Hill saying the same thing on Burp everyone would probably lap it up and laugh about it. But I guess the context does change a tad when you’re notorious for being a bit of a creep on set; talking openly about your sex life, telling junior female colleagues that you’re not wearing underwear, simulating sex acts with female colleagues who bend down to clean your trousers, and more (all alleged, of course).
Here’s what Katy Brand had to say about the clip this week:
“I took it as an innuendo-laden remark at the time, and I still see it that way now. My reaction on camera was one of shock and disbelief at such a crass and idiotic joke, and so I laughed and said, ‘Excuse me?’ To which he reacted with a deadpan expression and remark about my laughter.
“The video online is a pretty accurate representation of my recollection of what happened. It was awkward.”
For the sake of clarity, I am not one of those who has made an official complaint. I applaud those who have, especially those who work off-camera and who often find they do not have the opportunity or support to react in the moment. I hope they find it now. That’s all I have to say. Thanks.”
Fair play really. But if that clip is the sort of the stuff that was being broadcast on Masterchef, just imagine what Gregg Wallace was coming out with behind the scenes. Well, we don’t have to imagine because a whole bunch of former contestants and staff are now coming out and telling their stories.
Even Rod Stewart had a dig at him after Wallace apparently ‘humiliated’ his wife on an episode years ago:
Love how he’s left off the extra ‘g’ on Gregg there – that’s sure to wind him up.
For what it’s worth, Wallace’s lawyers say that the claims against Wallace are ‘entirely false.’ I guess people will just have to ignore the growing list of accusations from females who spent time around him, and take the lawyers’ word for it.
