Gregg Wallace was dropped from the BBC after bosses concluded they had no confidence he could “change what seems to be learned behaviour”, the corporation has told him.
A letter of dismissal to the former MasterChef presenter from the head of compliance for BBC television states she cannot be sure his presence on a show would allow for “a sufficiently safe and respectful environment” for others, the Telegraph reported.
The letter from Claire Powell, head of compliance for BBC Television, states that she took into consideration his recent diagnosis of autism, which Wallace himself suggested had made the MasterChef set a “dangerous environment” for him.
She concluded that he “struggled to distinguish the boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in the workplace”, despite being given relevant training in 2019.
RM Block
Wallace stood aside from presenting MasterChef in November after BBC News reported a series of allegations being made against him by 13 people, who worked with Wallace across a 17-year period.
A report on his behaviour, overseen by law firm Lewis Silkin, was then commissioned by MasterChef’s producers Banijay. The report’s findings are expected imminently.
On Tuesday the BBC said in a statement: “Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.”
Wallace has already admitted using inappropriate language and apologised, but claimed earlier this week to have been cleared of “the most serious and sensational accusations made against me”.
Powell’s letter, obtained by the Telegraph, said the corporation had taken into account that Wallace was a presenter on a flagship BBC show and referred to the “impact that your comments had on the BBC’s reputation”.
“I have also taken into account whether your behaviour could be improved with training and/or coaching,” she stated. “However, having reviewed the 2025 findings, I do not have the confidence that you can change what seems to be learned behaviour for you to make what you perceive to be jokes in the working environment, without understanding the boundaries of what is appropriate.
“I also have to consider the fact that various people in the BBC have spoken to you about your behaviour over the course of your career, and that you also already received training/coaching in 2019.
“I do not have confidence that your behaviour can change to ensure there is a sufficiently safe and respectful environment for others working with you in the types of programmes the BBC has engaged you to present.
“Such productions are not heavily scripted programmes and involve sound and consistent levels of judgment in relation to interactions with others which cannot constantly be monitored or supervised.”
The Telegraph also reported Wallace was preparing to sue the BBC for discrimination. The 60-year-old has revealed a recent autism diagnosis. In a statement early this week, he accused the BBC of failing “to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years”. - Guardian
