Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the UK House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, has suggested that production company Banijay and the BBC need to “raise their game” in terms of complaints processes following the publication of the investigation into the behaviour of TV presenter Gregg Wallace.“More than half of the allegations have been substantiated – showing long-standing failure to protect people against unacceptable workplace behaviour,” noted Dinenage. “The majority of accusations pre-date 2019 and a confused complaints process and inadequate record keeping meant missed opportunities to address it. Most complaints were not raised with Mr Wallace himself, suggesting a reluctance to confront this head on and risk upsetting the on-screen talent.”“Recent progress to weed out unacceptable behaviour in the industry, like the BBC’s Workplace Culture Review, risks being undermined with the raft of new claims relating to Mr Wallace. When complainants still find it easier to go to the press rather than use internal processes, there is clearly still a long way to go.”“This report sets out the facts. It is for Banijay and the BBC to say what comes next. Acknowledging the need for change at MasterChef is a welcome first step. Both Banijay and the corporation now need to raise their game to ensure their complaints process is robust enough to inspire confidence in both staff and freelancers,” she concluded.In response to the report, the BBC said: “We welcome the publication of the findings by Lewis Silkin, following the investigation into the conduct of Gregg Wallace. In light of these findings, Banijay UK and the BBC have agreed Mr Wallace’s return to MasterChef is untenable. The BBC has informed Mr Wallace we have no plans to work with him in future.”“The investigation details a substantial number of allegations of inappropriate conduct spanning 19 years. This behaviour falls below the values of the BBC and the expectations we have for anyone who works with or for us.”“Although the full extent of these issues were not known at the relevant time, opportunities were missed to address this behaviour – both by the production companies running MasterChef and the BBC. We accept more could and should have been done sooner.”“We want to thank all those who took part in the investigation, including those who first raised concerns directly with the BBC in November last year. We apologise to everyone who has been impacted by Mr Wallace’s behaviour.”“Lewis Silkin’s findings include two further allegations which were upheld, relating to other individuals. The BBC takes these findings very seriously and we have asked Banijay UK to take action to address these issues, which is underway. This will be completed as a priority.”“The BBC will not be commenting further at this stage, but we are clear we expect the highest standards of respect at work to be upheld on the production.”““At this stage we are not going to make a final decision on the broadcast of the series that was filmed last year. We know this is disappointing for fans of the show and those who took part and at the appropriate time Banijay UK will consult further with the amateur contestants.”“In April the BBC published a detailed response to an independent review of workplace culture, which reinforces expectations around behaviour and that we will act more decisively when standards are not met. This also requires all TV production partners to align with the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) standards.”“We want to reaffirm, there is no place for the abuse of power, unacceptable behaviour or language at the BBC, or shows made for the BBC.”
© 2001-2025. Advanced Television.