THE BBC has hit back at former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace over his damages claim.
He wants up to £10,000, claiming the broadcaster caused him “distress and harassment” by failing to comply with a request for copies of personal data.
The BBC has hit back at former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace over his damages claim[/caption]
In a defence filed at London’s High Court, the Beeb insisted he was not “entitled to any damages”, pointing out that he pursued his claim without giving the corporation prior notice.
Wallace, 60, was sacked in July after a probe into historical allegations of misconduct, which upheld more than 40 accusations.
Lawyers requested his data from the BBC in March.
It was finally provided on October 7.
The BBC said: “That voluntary disclosure demonstrates the claimant has no basis to claim damages for distress in respect of the withholding of such information.”
A source said the disgraced ex-presenter – sacked in July for making lewd comments on the show – is planning to launch a disability claim for damages that will focus on his then undiagnosed autism.
The 60-year-old says it was “suspected and discussed” by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef.
But nothing was ever done to investigate it, he says.
Under the 2010 Equalities Act, employers are duty-bound to protect those with disabilities – including autism, a condition he was formally diagnosed with in January.
In a statement issued after his dismissal Wallace said: “I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer.
“A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all.
“For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand.
“Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem.
“My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of Masterchef.
“Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over twenty years.
“That failure is now being quietly buried.”
Wallace was fired after a damning report upheld 45 of 83 complaints about his behaviour between 2005 and 2024.
One included unwelcome physical contact and another three of being in a state of undress.
The star was sacked in July after a probe into allegations of misconduct[/caption]
Gregg Wallace – MasterChef scandal in Brief
GREGG Wallace has stepped down from his MasterChef hosting role after a probe into alleged inappropriate behaviour. But what’s the situation?
Regular MasterChef host Gregg Wallace is currently the subject of a probe after an investigation was launched into his alleged misconduct over a number of years.
Gregg has been accused of making sexual remarks to 13 colleagues including Beeb anchor Kirsty Wark – accusations he denies.
The 60-year-old has now stepped away from the BBC show while historical misconduct allegations against him are investigated.
Yet the former greengrocer spoke out on social media to blast the “women of a certain age” who he claimed were behind the allegations.
The cooking show’s production company, Banijay UK, has said law firm Lewis Silkin would lead the investigation into Wallace’s alleged misconduct.
