Gregg Wallace: a man out of time?
MasterChef presenter's downfall shines spotlight on how mistreatment of junior staff has all too often been ignored

On screen, Gregg Wallace's down-to-earth charm was one of "MasterChef"'s "key ingredients", said The Daily Telegraph. The former greengrocer from south London was known for lively banter that was often laced with innuendo. It didn't cause offence, but the BBC has now been thrown into crisis by allegations that, off camera, the 60-year-old's "cheeky chappy routine" crossed the line into behaviour that was deeply inappropriate at work – and as a result, Wallace has "stepped aside".
More than a dozen women have alleged that he told "disgusting", offensive and sexualised jokes, talked openly about his sex life and asked staff about theirs. Allegedly, he once arrived in the studio naked except for a sock over his penis. He is also accused of "jokily" pulling a female assistant's head towards his crotch after she'd knelt down to remove a stain from his trousers, and of putting his hands over another's bottom when she was bending over, and saying "Corr!". Didn't Wallace get the memo, wondered Yasmin Alibhai-Brown in The i Paper. Sexist "banter" of this sort was the norm at work in the 1970s when he started in the veg business, but it wasn't by the time he moved into TV in 2002.
And though he insists he's done nothing wrong, he hardly helped his case by dismissing his accusers as "middle-class women of a certain age". He has since apologised for this, but there was a kernel of truth in it, said Eleanor Mills in The Independent. In a precarious industry, older women, with well-established careers, may end up speaking out for the sake of younger ones. Kirsty Wark, who once appeared on "Celebrity MasterChef", got the ball rolling. Kirstie Allsopp later tweeted that the first time she met Wallace, in a TV green room, he'd told her about a sex act. "Did he get off on how embarrassed I was?" she asked. But women had not been silent before. Over the years, several had reported his conduct to the BBC. Yet he just got a "talking to", and it seems nothing changed.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
There's the nub of it, said Aggie MacKenzie in the Daily Express. Wallace deserved to be called out for his offensive behaviour. But in the media pile-on and public shaming, we seem to be forgetting that he has not been accused, let alone convicted, of anything criminal – yet his life is being destroyed even so. And, in this frenzy, we risk missing the broader issue, which is that junior staff didn't feel able to challenge the star presenter, and executives allowed a toxic working environment to fester. Tearing down one man won't bring meaningful change. For that, we must focus on the systemic failures.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Art Review: Hilma af Klint's What Stands Behind the Flowers
Feature Museum of Modern Art, New York City, through Sept. 27
-
Not just a number: how aging rates vary by country
The explainer Inequality is a key factor
-
'There will be a market incentive to build wind and solar anyway'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Art Review: Hilma af Klint's What Stands Behind the Flowers
Feature Museum of Modern Art, New York City, through Sept. 27
-
Geoff Dyer's 6 favorite books about the realities of war
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Ernie Pyle, Michael Herr, and more
-
Book review: 'A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck'
Feature A couple works to keep their marriage together while lost at sea
-
Kartoffelsalat (potato salad) recipe
The Week Recommends German dish is fresh, creamy and an ideal summer meal
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
6 peaceful homes near small towns
Feature Featuring doors with local topographical maps in Oregon and a 1850s homestead-turned-house in Vermont
-
The best TV shows based on movies
The Week Recommends A handful of shows avoid derivative storytelling and craft bold narrative expansions
-
Too Much: London-set romantic comedy from Lena Dunham
The Week Recommends Megan Stalter stars as a 'neurotic' New Yorker who falls in love with a Brit