Gregg Wallace quit BBC show after 'inappropriate banter with staff'

Gregg Wallace quit a BBC Two show after complaints were made over alleged 'inappropriate banter' with female staff members over their weight.

Wallace quit BBC show Inside The Factory in March last year after the allegations in regard to female factory workers at Nestle, where he was filming at the time.

Sources said he had been 'rude towards staff' and spoke to them in a 'derogatory manner, especially to women'.

But he later denied accusations, saying the claims were 'inaccurate'.

It comes as Wallace faces accusations of inappropriate behaviour on set across five shows over a 17-year period.

Staff members and former contestants, including celebrities such as Emma Kennedy and Kirsty Wark, have claimed the former greengrocer made them feel uncomfortable on set.

Wallace has been accused of a raft of inappropriate behaviour including walking around on set naked except for a sock on his penis, getting changed in front of female staff, and even groping crew members.

Other allegations include sharing intimate details of his sex life, becoming fixated on a female staff member who was dating women and asking her about the 'logistics' and flirting with younger women on set.

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Wallace has now stepped down from MasterChef while an external investigation is conducted by production company Banijay UK.

But he sparked outrage on Sunday after taking to social media and blaming a handful of 'middle-aged women of a certain age' for the allegations against him.

Yesterday he posted a fresh video on Instagram claiming he was sorry for 'any offence caused' and that he had been under a great deal of 'stress'. 

It was reported by The Times that he had allegedly offended certain female staff members at the Nestlé UK factory in York with comments about their weight during a 'friendly' conversation.

The comments were non-sexual but were deemed 'inappropriate' and a complaint was lodged with Voltage TV, the production company responsible for developing the show.

'He was rude towards staff and continued to talk in a derogatory manner, especially to women.

'He was given a talking-to and was appalled that he had caused such offence,' a source said. 

What are the allegations against Gregg Wallace? 

Gregg Wallace is alleged to have made inappropriate sexual comments towards 13 women who worked with him on a variety of television programmes in a 17-year period.

BBC News contacted the star's representatives on Tuesday outlining the full range of allegations.

Gregg is alleged to have told 'sexualised' stories and jokes while on the MasterChef set, and openly spoken about his sex life in front of colleagues.

He is also alleged to have taken his top off in front of a female colleague saying he wanted to 'give her a fashion show', and to have told another junior worker he wasn't wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans.

Further to this, BBC News reported claims Gregg:

• Showed topless photos of himself to a MasterChef worker and asked for massages
• Walked around on set naked with a sock on his penis 
• Told a female worker on Channel 5's Gregg Wallace's Big Weekends he was fascinated by the fact she dated women and spoke about sex and spanking
• Showed another worker on the 5 show photos of a woman in her underwear 
• Stared at a female colleague's chest at the BBC Good Food Show in 2010
• Openly spoke about his sex life, including how often he was having sex and his ability as a lover, on the show Impossible Celebrities
• Allegedly told an Eat Well for Less colleague: 'You can come to my car but can you handle the fact everyone will think you got off with a celebrity?' 

After receiving the letter, Gregg said he would step back from presenting MasterChef while Banijay UK said the presenter was co-operating with its own internal investigation.

Voltage TV asked Wallace to moderate his language and filming continued - but his behaviour seemingly didn't change. 

Staff reportedly informed management that they did not want the show to return while Wallace remained at the helm.

A source said: 'He felt that he was just trying to be friendly but no longer knew what the right thing to say was any more and decided to leave.' 

A Nestlé insider told The Times: 'He comes in cracking jokes but is from a very different world to our workers.' 

Appearing on Good Morning Britain after his decision to quit, Wallace said: 'There was an argument inside the factory, the reporting isn't accurate. There was an issue and I thought this is the perfect time to come out.

'Offending people? No no. If you look at the headlines you can't see a story that matches those headlines.'

Inside The Factory ran for five series, and Nestle said it would be 'open to participating in future episodes' in the future. 

Banijay UK, Masterchef's production company, previously said complaints were made to the BBC by 'individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with Gregg Wallace on one of our shows'.

The company said Wallace was 'committed to fully co-operating throughout the process'.

'Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate,' the company said.

'While this review is under way, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully co-operating throughout the process.

'Banijay UK's duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.

'Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.'

Representatives for Gregg Wallace and production company Voltage TV have been contacted for comment.