Wallace accused of behaving 'highly inappropriately' while filming

Gregg Wallace has been accused of "highly inappropriate" behaviour including making "lesbian jokes constantly", regularly discussing spanking and threesomes, and making sexually explicit comments while filming programmes, several sources have said.

- Alexandra Topping

Further details of the allegations facing the MasterChef host have emerged since Thursday's announcement that he was stepping away from his role after the BBC received complaints about alleged misconduct.

In the hours after the news, Wallace, who has presented the BBC One cooking show alongside John Torode since 2005, thanked his supporters in a video on Instagram, in which he said: "I would like to thank all the people getting in touch, reaching out and showing their support. It's good of you - thank you very much."

Wallace, 60, is facing allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people who worked with him across a range of shows over a 17-year period, according to an investigation by BBC News. The presenter's lawyers have said the suggestion that Wallace engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature was entirely false.

One woman who worked with Wallace on the travel show Gregg Wallace's Big Weekends in 2019 told BBC News that he made "lesbian jokes constantly", was "fascinated" by the fact she dated women, and asked her the "logistics" of her relationships.

Another woman, who worked on the same programme in 2019, said he regularly talked about sex and about domination and spanking.