Former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace is suing the BBC and one of its subsidiaries for up to £10,000 following his axe from the show as he claims he suffered ‘distress and harassment’
The BBC has issued a response to Gregg Wallace’s claim against them following his axe from MasterChef. Last week, it was reported the TV presenter was claiming up to £10,000 in damages from the BBC and one of its subsidiaries.
He claimed they allegedly caused him “distress and harassment” by failing to disclose to him his personal data. Wallace is suing the BBC and BBC Studios Distribution Limited after he was sacked from the hit cooking competition in July.
Last year, it was announced that Wallace would step away from his role on the BBC cooking show while historical allegations of misconduct were investigated. Over the summer, production company Banijay UK and the BBC said they had agreed “Mr Wallace’s return to MasterChef is untenable.”
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In court documents last week, barrister Lawrence Power said that Wallace was seeking damages for “distress, harassment and loss of amenity not exceeding £10,000”, damages under the UK General Data Protection Regulation, and interest. He is also seeking a court order that the BBC and BBC Studios comply with the subject access requests.
Now, the BBC has responded as they filed a defence at London’s High Court. They insisted Wallace was not “entitled to any damages” and said Wallace pursued his claim without giving them prior notice.
According to the Sun, the BBC said: “That voluntary disclosure demonstrates the claimant has no basis to claim damages for distress in respect of the withholding of such information.” The publication claimed Wallace is planning to launch a disability claim for damages regarding his then-undiagnosed autism.
Wallace began co-presenting MasterChef in 2005, but it was announced in November 2024 that he would step away from his role while the misconduct allegations were investigated. A review by law firm Lewis Silkin later upheld 45 of the 83 allegations against him, including one of “unwelcome physical contact”.
The report found that the “majority of the allegations against Wallace (94%) related to behaviour which is said to have occurred between 2005 and 2018”, with only one allegation substantiated after that year.
It also concluded that the “majority of the substantiated allegations against Mr Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour”, adding that “a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated”.
The report noted that during the course of the investigation, which was over a seven-month period, Wallace was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and said that the findings should be viewed in the context of his neurodiversity.
Wallace issued an apology saying he was “deeply sorry for any distress caused” and that he “never set out to harm or humiliate”. The former greengrocer said: “For eight months, my family and I have lived under a cloud. Trial by media, fuelled by rumour and clickbait.
“None of the serious allegations against me were upheld. I challenged the remaining issue of unwanted touching, but have had to accept a difference in perception, and I am deeply sorry for any distress caused. It was never intended.”
In July, the BBC said: “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.”
The Mirror has contacted the BBC and Wallace’s representatives for comment.
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