Gregg Wallace’s allegations are ‘tip of the iceberg’, claims former MasterChef contestant | Ents & Arts News

The allegations against Gregg Wallace are just the “tip of the iceberg”, a former MasterChef contestant told Sky News – claiming he witnessed a “toxic environment” and was so “horrified” that he was shocked by it on day one thought about leaving the show.

He claimed “abuse” of contestants was rife among the “production team” but was too scared to speak out after signing a non-disclosure agreement.

The contestant, who did not want to be named, told Sky arts and entertainment correspondent Katie Spencer: “I was horrified. I had never seen anything like it, really, I was really quite shocked by this really toxic environment.”

“What I witnessed as a participant was that I felt there was a systemic problem that was bigger than just him.”

“Gregg… occasionally made jokes that seemed inappropriate in various ways, but he wasn’t the only one.”

Wallace has stepped down from presenting BBC cooking show MasterChef after allegations he made sexual comments to staff and celebrity guests on various shows over 17 years.

Broadcaster Kirsty Wark is among 13 people who have made claims Wallace is under investigation from MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK.

Aaqil Ahmed, the BBC’s former head of religion and ethics, said he did not believe Wallace understood the “magnitude” of the claims.

He told Sky News’ Jonathan Samuels the presenter’s defiant Instagram statement on Saturday – in which he dismissed his accusers as “middle class women of a certain age” – demonstrated “a lack of judgment.”

Ulrika JonssonThe 57-year-old, who appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2017, also said she was “seething” over Wallace’s comments.

The TV presenter told The Telegraph: “My first reaction was just: ‘Keep digging, Gregg. Keep digging,’ because that shows the arrogance of a man who has no introspection or self-awareness.”

Author and actress Emma Kennedy, who won Celebrity MasterChef in 2012, said she thought she saw Wallace touching the bottom of a young woman who was working as a photographer’s assistant.

“As she bent over, Gregg walked in front of me and put his hands on her buttocks, then turned to me and said ‘Cor’ and then laughed like it was a great joke,” she told Ayesha Hazarika on Times Radio.

Kennedy said she didn’t believe he was “a sexual predator” but confronted him about his “totally inappropriate” behavior, even though “it kind of went in one ear and out the other.”

She said she reported the incident to a production assistant, a producer and MasterChef’s then head of public relations, but received no formal response.

The behavior of the staff was “well used”.

Kennedy said she “felt like this was something they were well used to”, but months later the PR boss was talking about it in a pub: “When is the Gregg Wallace issue going to come to light?”

The former contestant, who spoke to Sky News, said he didn’t want to “let Gregg Wallace off the hook for a second, but I don’t think it’s just him.”

“My concern is that he will be completely scapegoated in a culture that… was mostly about ridicule. That was insulting.”

He said: “You know, I think it’s good that these things are coming out and I’m glad that people are speaking out, it’s great. But I think it’s just the tip of the iceberg. I think if you really cleared it up. And if you look at what’s going on in this culture as a whole, you see a lot more, you know, abuse.”

MasterChef contestant wanted to quit

The contestant was so shocked by what he saw on the first day of filming that he said he wanted to leave.

“I actually don’t know why I didn’t do it. But I think it was partly because I was just too embarrassed. I didn’t want to be humiliated,” he said.

“I felt like the only way I could go was to just cook something terrible and get thrown out of the show. And I guess my own pride got the better of me. And I thought, “No, I didn’t want to cook,” something terrible. So I continued.

Regarding the language he allegedly saw, he said Wallace was “the least offensive.”

“I mean, there was fights and cunts and cunts and all sorts of things and that was the kind of language that you kind of got used to, especially from some of the cameramen, but also from some of the producers. “He was the least sweary person.” he said.

“I think I got off pretty lightly, but I saw the other contestants and thought I would have been very upset if that person had said that to me.”

When Katie Spencer asked if the camera crew and directors were involved, he replied: “The producers too… it wasn’t everyone, of course, and I found some people incredibly respectful and very professional. So it definitely wasn’t like that.” Not everyone, but there were definitely people from all levels of the organization present.

“It was all men… I don’t think I ever saw any of the women take part. I think there was some kind of separation within the entire team… between some men and women. “

“Slight anxiety” when I talk about the show

“I remember thinking: Should I say something here or does this mean I’m going to get dumped? And there were a few times when I thought, I’m just going to walk away. And then I thought: What does that really mean? “You know, what if I just walk away, will I get thrown off?” he said.

“The contract we signed, the non-disclosure agreements and the wording was, ‘You’re not allowed to talk at all about anything that’s going on… you’re a little scared. I mean, I remember saying nothing at all about some things.” Time. I’m just thinking about whether I could just be dragged to court.

Now, if someone brings up the show, they will try to change the subject, he said.

“I haven’t talked about it in a long time,” he said.

“I really wouldn’t be seen dead again watching this show… I’ve seen too much behind the scenes.”

He added: “I remember thinking: ‘My goodness, does the BBC really know what’s going on? Is that ok? Is this how television works? Is this how the BBC works?’ I had all these questions at the time.”

Read more:
Wallace: Accusers are only “a handful of middle-class women”
Analysis: Wallace just doesn’t get it

Sky News has contacted Banijay and Wallace’s agent for comment on the latest allegations.

A BBC source said: “While we will not comment on individuals or internal HR processes, particularly when there is an ongoing process led by Banijay, who has a direct contractual relationship with Gregg Wallace, it would be wrong to comment on that report.” The BBC took no action if or when the matter was raised with us – not least because it has already been widely reported that there were interventions where action was taken in both 2017 and 2018.

“We continue to urge caution in pre-judgment, particularly with regard to the involvement of BBC employees and any conclusion that they did not act appropriately.”

Wallace cooperates fully with the review

Banijay UK previously said the complaints were made to the BBC this week by “individuals relating to historic allegations of misconduct while working with Gregg Wallace on one of our shows”.

The company said the 60-year-old, who has been a co-host and judge on the popular cooking show since 2005, was “committed to his full cooperation throughout the entire process.”

“Although these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we believe it is appropriate to conduct an immediate external review to conduct a full and impartial investigation,” the company said.

“While this review is ongoing, Gregg Wallace will be stepping down from his role at MasterChef and is committed to cooperating fully throughout the process.

“Banijay UK’s duty of care to employees is always a priority and our behavioral expectations are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple opportunities to raise concerns on set, including anonymously.

“While these allegations are historic, incidents reported to us where these expectations are not met are thoroughly investigated and appropriately addressed.”