MasterChef's Gregg Wallace steps down as Kirsty Wark among 13 who claim he made inappropriate sexual jokes

MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has stepped down over allegations he made a series of inappropriate sexual comments on a range of programmes over 17 years.

Broadcaster Kirsty Wark is among 13 people who have made claims, with Wallace being investigated by MasterChef's production company Banijay UK.

In an interview with the BBC, the Newsnight presenter, who was a celebrity contestant on MasterChef in 2011, claimed Wallace used "sexualised language".

"There were two occasions in particular where he used sexualised language in front of a number of people and it wasn't as if anyone engaged with this. It was completely one-way traffic," Wark said.

"I think people were uncomfortable and something that I really didn't expect to happen."

Sky News has contacted Wallace's representative for comment.

Wallace avoided questions when asked by Sky News about the claims.

'Fully cooperating'

Banijay UK said the complaints were made to the BBC this week by "individuals in relation to historical 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-presenter and judge of the popular cooking show since 2005, was "committed to fully cooperating throughout the process".

"Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate," the company said.

"While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process.

"Banijay UK's duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.

"Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately."

A BBC spokesman 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."

The TV star's lawyers say "it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature", BBC News reports.

Previous investigation

Last month, Wallace responded to reports that a previous BBC review had found he could continue working at the corporation following reports of an alleged incident in 2018 when he appeared on Impossible Celebrities.

Wallace said those claims had been investigated "promptly" at the time and said he had not said "anything sexual" while appearing on the game show more than half a decade ago.

In an Instagram post following an article in The Sun newspaper, he wrote: "The story that's hitting the newspapers was investigated promptly when it happened six years ago by the BBC.

"And the outcome of that was that I hadn't said anything sexual. I'll need to repeat this again. I didn't say anything sexual."

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Alongside MasterChef, Wallace presented Inside The Factory for BBC Two from 2015.

Wallace has featured on various BBC shows over the years, including Saturday Kitchen, Eat Well For Less, Supermarket Secrets, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals, as well as being a Strictly Come Dancing contestant in 2014.

He was made an MBE for services to food and charity last year.

Recorded episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals featuring Wallace will be transmitted as planned, the PA news agency understands.

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