Fresh allegations have been made
MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has been accused by a former colleague of making ‘racist’ comments in fresh allegations of inappropriate behaviour by the BBC presenter.
A former staff member has claimed Wallace made ‘offensive Asian remarks’ on the set of MasterChef.
A former member of the show’s production team submitted a formal complaint to the BBC about what they alleged is ‘racist’ language used by Wallace.
The crew member worked on a series filmed in 2017, which included an Asian contestant.
According to the complaint, Wallace would make comments to the crew when the contestant walked off set.
These allegedly included making “kung fu fighting noises” and comments such as “me so horny” and “me sucky sucky”.
The fresh allegations follow a four-month investigation by the Telegraph which exposed claims that Wallace made sexually inappropriate comments on set and made staff feel uncomfortable by taking his clothes off.
The member of the crew who complained about the alleged ‘racist remarks’ said they felt empowered to come forward following the Telegraph investigation.
They said: “I found this [Wallace’s behaviour] very offensive, but due to my position at the time, I did not speak up with the fear of being treated differently. I still remember it clearly as this was a pain point for me while working on MasterChef UK.”
He has since announced he has stepped down from presenting MasterChef while these incidents are investigated.
Downing Street described the comments as ‘deeply concerning’ on Friday while several celebrities who appeared on the show have since spoken out on their experiences.
Ulrika Jonsson told The Telegraph that Wallace was forced to apologise on the 2017 series after he told an offensive rape ‘joke’.
The production company Banijay has launched its own investigation.
Following the latest allegations, the BBC said: “We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them. We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
“Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.
“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on anything that could form part of Banijay’s ongoing investigation or otherwise influence it.”
