Gregg Wallace launches legal action against BBC following MasterChef sacking

Gregg Wallace has filed a High Court legal claim against the BBC following his sacking as a co-presenter of MasterChef over misconduct allegations, court records show.

The former TV host was sacked in July after an investigation into historical allegations of misconduct upheld multiple accusations against him.

Wallace, who began co-presenting the show in 2005, said following the investigation he was “deeply sorry for any distress caused” and that he “never set out to harm or humiliate” in the wake of the probe, which also upheld one allegation of “unwelcome physical contact”.

Court records now indicate that a legal claim was filed on Wallace’s behalf against the BBC and BBC Studios on Friday, with the case type listed as “data protection”.

The Sun newspaper, which first reported the legal action, said that Wallace wants hundreds of pages of confidential documents to be published because he believes they will help clear his name.

No further details or documents for the legal action are publicly available.

A BBC spokesperson said: “We have not been formally notified of any legal proceedings so at this stage we are unable to comment.”

In November 2024, it was announced that Wallace would step away from his role on the BBC cooking show while the misconduct allegations were investigated.

In July, MasterChef production company Banijay UK and the BBC said they had agreed that “Mr Wallace’s return to MasterChef is untenable” after the Lewis Silkin review upheld 45 of the 83 allegations against him.

The report found that the “majority of the allegations against Mr Wallace (94%) related to behaviour which is said to have occurred between 2005 and 2018”, with only one allegation substantiated after 2018.

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”.

In a statement to the PA news agency, he 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.”

The former greengrocer also said: “There will be more casualties if the BBC continues down this path, where protecting its legacy matters more than protecting people.”

The BBC said in a statement in July that Wallace’s “behaviour falls below the values of the BBC and the expectations we have for anyone who works with or for us”.

It 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 review also led to the sacking of Wallace’s former co-host, John Torode, who was the subject of an allegation about using racist language that was upheld as part of the Lewis Silkin review.

Torode confirmed he was the subject of the allegation in July “for the sake of transparency”, but said he had “no recollection of the incident” and was “shocked and saddened” by the accusation.

The BBC confirmed the latest series of MasterChef, which was filmed last year before allegations against Wallace and Torode were upheld, would be broadcast, adding that it had “not been an easy decision in the circumstances”.

Two contestants have been edited out of the series, which was first broadcast last month.