MasterChef replacement confirmed amid BBC investigation into Gregg Wallace allegations

MasterChef will be replaced over the Christmas period amid allegations against co-host Gregg Wallace. The 60-year-old presenter is facing complaints about his behaviour including making inappropriate sexual comments on various shows.

He faces allegations from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News on Thursday, with others sharing their experiences in recent days. However, Wallace vehemently denies the accusations against him.

As reported by the Mirror, his lawyer has said: "It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature."

Amid the enquiry, questions have been raised about the BBC's decision to continue airing the current MasterChef The Professionals edition. It has now been officially confirmed that the holiday specials of the MasterChef series planned for this Christmas will not be broadcast, with alternative programming in their place.

Instead of the Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off set for Monday, December 23, viewers will see Celebrity Escape To The Country. Meanwhile, the MasterChef Meets Strictly Festive Extravaganza scheduled for Monday, December 30 will be switched for Repair Shop Favourite Fixes.

The BBC has faced a strong backlash for deciding to continue airing MasterChef The Professionals - which will roll out on BBC One this week and next. A BBC spokesperson has justified the decision, telling The Sun: "As we have said, MasterChef is an amazing competition which is life-changing for the chefs taking part and the current series of MasterChef: The Professionals is continuing as planned. The celebrity Christmas specials are obviously a different type of show and in the current circumstances we have decided not to broadcast them."

Labour MP Rupa Huq had suggested that airing MasterChef could be 'triggering' for some women who have made serious allegations against Mr Wallace. She argued that pulling the episode would send a strong message and show that the BBC was taking the situation seriously.

In the wake of a video that Wallace himself shared on social media on Sunday, defending himself and blaming "middle-class women of a certain age" for the crisis, one TV viewer wrote: "As a #MiddleClassWomanOfaCertainAge paying the license fee in this household, @‌BBCOne shouldn't be showing #MasterChef @‌MasterChefUK this evening." Another added: "Shame Gregg Wallace couldn't be edited out, even a bit."

A further viewer commented: "No acknowledgment whatsoever." And a further viewer wrote: "It's impossible for me to watch #MasterChef and not think 'You absolute t**t Wallace!'" Another viewer shared: "After the revelations of the last few days I'm finding Gregg Wallace more irritating than usual." And another quipped: "Warning: this programme may contain traces of Gregg Wallace."