A letter containing multiple allegations of inappropriate behavior from Greg Wallace was sent to the BBC in 2022, but did not then prompt further investigation, the Observer can reveal.
The letter described a “pattern of conduct” by MasterChef leading that it “clearly does not meet the sexual harassment and harassment standards that prohibit unwanted sexual acts and sexual innuendos.”
On Thursday it was reported that Wallace would step down from the role on MasterChef while the allegations of historical misconduct are investigated. A BBC News investigation revealed that Wallace is facing allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people who worked with him over 17 years. Channel 5 is also looking into the allegations of inappropriate behavior of the presenter when making the program Greg Wallace’s Big Weekends in 2019
The 2022 letter seen by Observercontains the experiences of several women and details some of the allegations reported last week by The BBCincluding complaints of sexualized comments and Wallace showing herself naked to the waist in front of co-workers.
It was sent to the BBC four years after Wallace had already received a formal warning following an HR investigation into his behaviour.
It emerged last night that five years earlier, in 2017, Wallace had been warned by a BBC executive that his behavior on set was “unacceptable and could not continue” after broadcaster Asmah Mir, who appeared in the 12th series of Celebrity MasterChef, complained about sexist comments made by Wallace during filming.
Kate Phillips, who is now in charge of the BBC’s unscripted programmes, told Mir she would “make sure there is a system in place and that I will be informed immediately if something like this happens again”.
Dawn Elrick, the director and producer who sent the letter in 2022. on behalf of other women who contacted her, said the BBC assumed that each individual would have to make their own complaint directly to the corporation.
“It’s very difficult for people to freelance without identifying themselves, which makes life extremely difficult in the freelance world,” she said. “Putting the onus on individual employees/freelancers means they didn’t get that I was trying to tell them there was a pattern of alleged behavior.”
Elrick, who sent her letter with the support of industrial union Bectu, received the allegations against Wallace via her Instagram account, Shit men on TV Have Said to Me, which has become a place for workers in the UK film and television industry to share incidents of sexism and sexual harassment in the workplace. She had received numerous messages about Wallace and felt compelled to report this to the BBC.
Elrick said that soon after she sent the letter, she also sent the allegations to the BBC through Navex Global, an external whistleblowing service. She said she had not received any further contact regarding this report.
Elrick said the lack of action by the BBC showed there was “no satisfactory means of reporting sexual harassment and bullying in the television industry”.
A BBC spokesperson said Observer: “If problems arise with us, we have robust processes in place to deal with them quickly and appropriately. We will always listen if people want to inform us directly about something.
“It would be inappropriate to comment on something that may be part of Banijay [MasterChef’s production company] ongoing investigation or otherwise influence it.’
BBC News reported last week that the 2018 internal investigation. has looked into allegations of “sex jokes” and other sexualized language that reportedly made colleagues “uncomfortable” and concluded that some aspects of Wallace’s behavior were “unacceptable and unprofessional”.
Presenter Kirsty Wark told BBC News that Wallace told stories and jokes of a “sexual nature” when she was Celebrity MasterChef contestant in 2011 Rod Stewart claims Wallace “humiliated” his wife Penny Lancaster on the 2021 show.
In October, Wallace posted on his Instagram account a rebuttal to claims that he talked about his sex life and took off his top in front of a colleague, saying: “I didn’t say anything sexual.”
Wallace’s attorneys said the suggestion that Wallace engaged in sexually harassing behavior is completely false.
on Thursday MasterChefBanijay UK’s production company said it had launched an investigation after the BBC told the company it had received complaints and that Wallace was “committed to co-operating fully throughout the process”. The company said “it is appropriate to conduct an immediate external review for a full and impartial investigation” and that anyone with issues or concerns can contact speakup@banijayuk.com confidentially.
A BBC spokesman said: “We have always been clear that any behavior that falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated. Where a person is employed directly by an external production company, we share any complaints or concerns with that company and will always support them when approached.” The allegations against Wallace are the latest in a string of talent-related scandals at the BBC. Professional dancers of Strictly come to dance facing charges of bullying and harassment, while in August, soccer expert and One show host Jermaine Jenas was fired after a colleague raised concerns about his behavior.
The newsreader Hugh Edwards, who was found guilty of making indecent images of children this year, was taken off the air in 2023. after allegations he paid a teenager for sexually explicit images. The Sunday Times reported that the BBC warned Edwards about his online behavior two years ago. In October, the BBC announced a review of its workplace culture, focusing on “preventing the abuse of power and ensuring that everyone at the BBC behaves in line with our values”.
Bectu Unscripted posted on its Instagram account on Friday: “We would urge anyone affected by the revelations to come forward in confidence… Harassment, harassment, unwanted sexual behavior or any behavior that makes you feel uncomfortable is unacceptable.”
Elrick said the existence of Instagram accounts, WhatsApp groups and Reddit forums where TV staff can share their experiences with peers “are symptomatic of sexism, classism and racism in the TV industry”.
“People are fed up with bad behavior and having to put up with things that no one should have to put up with in the workplace because people have influence,” she said.
