Gregg Wallace has been dropped from the festive TV schedule after the BBC and Channel 5 cancelled episodes featuring him amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
The BBC has pulled its planned two MasterChef Christmas specials, which featured celebrities including The Wanted singer Max George, Emmerdale actor Amy Walsh, reality star Luca Bish and comedian Shazia Mira.
The second, called MasterChef Meets Strictly Festive Extravaganza, was due to feature Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden, Gorka Marquez, Kai Widdrington and Nancy Xu, with Motsi Mabuse setting a challenge.
It is understood the celebrities involved are being spoken to about the reasons behind the change in programming, and that no changes will be made to iPlayer content.
The BBC previously said it would continue airing all filmed episodes of MasterChef, although the announcement today appears to mark a major U-turn.
But the corporation said the celebrity Christmas specials are ‘obviously a different type of show’ as it justified its decision to axe them.
It comes after the BBC was criticised for showing a semi-final of the current series of MasterChef: The Professionals despite the ongoing storm surrounding its co-host Wallace.
The former greengrocer, 60, has stepped back from the BBC‘s MasterChef while allegations into alleged misconduct are investigated. Wallace’s lawyers say ‘it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’.
But in another blow for Wallace, Channel 5 has removed Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends Away from its streaming platform My5 after complaints of the presenter’s inappropriate behaviour during his time filming the show.
The BBC has pulled its planned MasterChef Christmas specials amid a series of allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behaviour against presenter Gregg Wallace (right, pictured with co-host John Torode)
The BBC previously said it would continue airing all scheduled episodes of MasterChef, but the announcement today is a departure from its stance
MasterChef: The Professionals is hosted by Gregg Wallace and Monica Galetti – with the latest episode airing last night
Wallace co-hosted MasterChef for 17 years alongside John Torode (left) – yesterday, Wallace unfollowed Torode on social media
He is facing claims from at least 13 women across five shows over a 17-year period, who have accused him of inappropriate behaviour, including roaming around on set naked with a sock on his penis, inappropriate jokes and groping crew members.
Other allegations include talking openly about his sex life on set, including details of intimate acts, flirting with crew members and asking younger female colleagues for their numbers.
Now Channel 5 has also pulled planned repeats of Gregg Wallace’s Copenhagen Christmas Market and Gregg Wallace’s Lapland Christmas Adventure from its festive schedule.
Allegations were raised by staff members about Wallace’s behaviour on Channel 5′ s Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends during a BBC News investigation, with producer Rumpus Media saying was investigating allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’.
One woman said that while making Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends in 2019, he became ‘fascinated’ by her relationships with women and wanted to know the ‘logistics’ of her sex life.
Another woman said that while working on the Channel 5 programme at the same time, Wallace’s conversation often revolved around sex, including spanking and domination.
A third woman who worked on the show, who BBC News called Amanda, said Wallace allegedly showed her photos of a woman in her underwear while they were travelling in a car together.
She also recalled how he allegedly took off his top and said ‘let me give you a fashion show’ in front of her and a male colleague when trying on outfits in his hotel room after filming had wrapped for the day.
Her colleague then left the room and she told BBC News: ‘It’s weird to be alone in a room with a topless stranger.’
Another person who worked with him on Channel 5 travel show, claimed that he treated women dismissively.
She told The I: ‘I remember him being really unbelievably rude and obnoxious through the entire shoot. He was extremely rude and misogynistic… He would dismiss directions from the female producers.’
Channel 5 said it took the allegations ‘extremely seriously’ and that the production company Rumpus was looking into the claims. Rumpus said: ‘We do not tolerate inappropriate behaviour on our productions.’
At least 13 people have made a formal complaint against Wallace, while other celebrities and former contestants have also spoken about his alleged behaviour
Sykes (centre) today claimed Gregg Wallace greeted her on set by asking if models eat, which she said she found ‘unprofessional’
Gregg Wallace (pictured) last week stepped away from hosting the show after nearly 20 years. His absence comes while allegations of inappropriate comments he made towards staff and celebrity guests over 17 years are investigated
Also this afternoon the BBC bosses appeared to be reconsidering their stance on Wallace’s position.
‘MasterChef is life-changing for the chefs that take part and the show is about more than one individual,’ a BBC source had said on Monday afternoon. And on Friday as the MasterChef specials were unveiled, the BBC had promised ‘fireworks, great Christmas banter and good food.’
But in a dramatic U-turn the BBC not only cancelled its MasterChef Christmas specials, but also the rerun of three episodes of Inside The Factory, a show Wallace hosted until leaving under a cloud earlier this year.
Wallace allegedly offended certain female staff members at the Nestlé UK factory in York with comments about their weight during a ‘friendly’ conversation.
The comments were non-sexual but were deemed ‘inappropriate’ and a complaint was lodged with Voltage TV, the production company responsible for developing the show.
‘He was rude towards staff and continued to talk in a derogatory manner, especially to women.
‘He was given a talking-to and was appalled that he had caused such offence,’ a source said.
Voltage TV asked Wallace to moderate his language and filming continued – but his behaviour seemingly didn’t change.
Gregg Wallace posted on Instagram on Sunday hitting back at the allegations made against him
Wallace pictured in February last year after being made an MBE at Windsor Castle
Staff reportedly informed management that they did not want the show to return while Wallace remained at the helm.
A source said: ‘He felt that he was just trying to be friendly but no longer knew what the right thing to say was any more and decided to leave.’
A Nestlé insider told The Times: ‘He comes in cracking jokes but is from a very different world to our workers.’
The show featured Wallace alongside Cherry Healey and saw the pair explore factory floors across Britain to get a closer look at production lines.
The episodes were due to air on December 11, 17 and 18 on BBC Two.
Celebrities including actress Emma Kennedy, former Newsnight host Katie Wark and even Sir Rod Stewart have spoken out about alleged sexual behaviour and ‘bullying’.
Today, Melanie Sykes said Wallace was the reason she left her TV career behind, while Vanessa Feltz alleged he had told a lewd sex story about his wife in a BBC lift.
Sykes said she made an informal complaint against Wallace, and claimed she found conduct on the MasterChef set ‘jaw-dropping’.
And broadcaster Vanessa Feltz claimed he had described a sex act he had performed on his wife while in a BBC lift with her friend.
Speaking on her YouTube channel, she said: ‘My friend did not know Greg Wallace. Had never met him before, and in the lift was a young girl who worked on another show.
‘So the three of them were going up in the lift together and completely unprompted Greg Wallace described a sex act that he had performed on his then-wife that morning.
‘So my friend had not met Greg Wallace before, hadn’t asked him about his sex life. Was simply taking him to participate in a BBC programme, and the young lady in the lift was just an innocent passenger.
‘So this is something that a very close friend and associate of mine told me about at the time.
‘What did anyone do about it? Of course, absolutely nothing.’
It follows ongoing backlash after Wallace took to Instagram on Sunday with a furious rant in which he accused the allegations of being made by a handful of ‘middle-class women of a certain age’.
Wallace issued an apology on Monday for any ‘offence’ or ‘upset’ he caused with his statement over the weekend, saying: ‘I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it, I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it.’
Wallace quit BBC show Inside The Factory in March last year after allegations that he had been ‘rude towards staff’ and spoke to them in a ‘derogatory manner, especially to women’
He added: ‘It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out now while this investigation is under way. I hope you understand and I do hope you will accept this apology.’
His apology came after it sparked a backlash, with Downing Street saying his response to the accusations was ‘inappropriate and misogynistic’.
Others have branded the video a ‘classic’ non-apology.
The presenter, 60, apologised after his controversial comments on Instagram over the weekend caused another PR storm, blaming ‘a huge amount of stress’ and ‘a lot of emotion’ for the error.
The U-turn came hours after an insider told MailOnline he had ‘gone rogue’ and was ignoring ‘all advice’ about how to salvage his TV career following the scandal.
Wallace, who has stepped back from the BBC‘s MasterChef while allegations into alleged sexual misconduct are investigated, said: ‘I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I have caused to a lot of people’.
TV psychologist Jo Hemmings said: ‘When is an apology, not an apology? Gregg Wallace backtracking on his misogyny to salvage his career, but no regrets about his long-term inappropriate behaviour’.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said on Monday, when asked if the cookery show should be pulled off air, that the decision was for the BBC and the show’s production company and reiterated that Downing Street believes it is ‘right’ that a thorough investigation is conducted.
Downing Street also said that the TV star’s response to the accusations being made against him was ‘inappropriate and misogynistic’ and confirmed that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy held talks with BBC bosses in the wake of the Wallace row.
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘As we have said, MasterChef is an amazing competition which is life-changing for the chefs taking part and the current series of MasterChef: The Professionals is continuing as planned.
‘The celebrity Christmas specials are obviously a different type of show and in the current circumstances we have decided not to broadcast them.’