2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Keith Perry, Daniel Bird, Kenzi Devine)
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A BBC executive, Kate Phillips, is said to have warned Gregg Wallace in 2017 that his on-set behaviour was "unacceptable and cannot continue", according to The Sunday Times.
However, it is alleged that Gregg - who stepped away from Masterchef earlier this week - continued to make demeaning comments towards women for another six years. The Sunday Times claims to have seen internal emails showing that Kate, who now oversees unscripted programmes, was informed of the allegations and vowed to be notified immediately if further complaints were made. This followed a complaint from broadcaster Aasmah Mir, who appeared on Celebrity MasterChef, about Gregg's inappropriate comments during filming.
Aasmah's email, allegedly forwarded to Phillips in 2017, stated: "Should anything happen in future, I don't want to feel guilty when people say 'why wasn't anything said before? ', or for producers or editors to claim they didn't know." She later wrote: "This must not happen again to another woman." Gregg's lawyers have denied allegations of sexual harassment.
If true, the reports will increase pressure on the BBC, suggesting that bosses were aware of the allegations but failed to take action, reports the Mirror . BBC bosses issued another warning to the TV personality following a complaint about his behaviour on the quiz show Impossible Celebrities. Banijay UK, MasterChef’s production company, confirmed hiring law firm Lewis Silkin to conduct an investigation into allegations of misconduct by Gregg.
"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," said the BBC to the Mirror. They added: "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." After complaints were lodged concerning "historical allegations of misconduct", Banijay UK released a statement saying: "Lewis Silkin is a major City law firm with a highly experienced specialist investigations team which has overseen a broad range of high-profile workplace investigations. Banijay UK has been impressed by the firm's rigorous, in-depth, and impartial analysis and reporting.
" The spokesperson highlighted that those with additional concerns could reach out to the investigation team at [email protected], ensuring: "All information will be handled sensitively, and names of those providing evidence to the team will be kept confidential." Earlier on, they confirmed Wallace's dedication: "committed to fully co-operating throughout the process".
.
