An investigation into the conduct of MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace said more than 40 allegations of inappropriate behaviour were "found to be substantiated", including inappropriate sexual language, being in a state of undress and one incident of "unwelcome physical contact".
Wallace stepped back from presenting the BBC show in November 2024 after several historical allegations were disclosed.
An investigation by law firm Lewis Silkin, commissioned by MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK, was conducted over a seven-month period, hearing 83 allegations against Wallace from 41 complainants, all relating to his time as presenter on the show.
The investigation found 45 of the allegations against Wallace to be substantiated.
The team found evidence that during the period from 2005 to 2024, six complaints were raised with the production company and six with the BBC, four of which had also been raised with the production company. More formal action was taken by the production company in 2015 and the BBC in 2017, the report said.
Banijay UK also said that during the course of the investigation, Wallace was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, with the report saying that the findings "should be viewed in the context of his neurodiversity".
Last week, BBC News reported that Wallace had been sacked from his hosting role on Masterchef ahead of the review’s release.
In light of the review’s findings, the BBC said it had agreed with Banijay UK that his return to the cooking show was "untenable".
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the allegations against Wallace were “horrendous and appalling”, and she welcomed the BBC’s decision to end its association with the MasterChef presenter.
In a statement on his Instagram account last Tuesday, ahead of the report, Wallace said: “After 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others.
“I have now been cleared by the Silkins (sic) report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me.
“The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.”
He continued: “I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks."
“I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience. I was tried by media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established. The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest, " he added.
Meanwhile, a review found a Gaza documentary narrated by the son of a Hamas official breached one of the BBC’s editorial guidelines on accuracy.
The programme ‘Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone’ aired in February but was later pulled by the BBC after it emerged the 13-year-old who narrated the documentary, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.
The review, led by Peter Johnston who is the director of editorial complaints and reviews, was set up to determine whether editorial guidelines were broken and whether any disciplinary action is needed.
It found the BBC breached its editorial guidelines on accuracy by "failing to disclose information about the child narrator’s father’s position within the Hamas-run government".
BBC Director-General Tim Davie has since apologised following the review findings.
He said: “Peter Johnston’s report identifies a significant failing in relation to accuracy in this documentary.
"I thank him for his thorough work and I am sorry for this failing.
“We will now take action on two fronts – fair, clear and appropriate actions to ensure proper accountability and the immediate implementation of steps to prevent such errors being repeated.”
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