Freelancers must be protected during Banijay’s investigation into the allegations against Masterchef presenter Gregg Wallace - as it is "abundantly clear" they do not feel enough is being done to protect them, Bectu has warned.
Saluting the “brave” freelancers who came forward about the host’s alleged unacceptable behaviour on the show, the union’s unscripted branch declared: “This investigation into historical allegations must not be used as an excuse to terminate the contracts of current crew. Freelancers must not be punished for the alleged deeds of others”.
Meanwhile, Bectu head Philippa Childs told BBC News it had been “a matter of when, not if, these stories started to emerge”.
Highlighting the difficulty for freelancers to make complaints, Childs said: “They are always concerned about where their next job is coming from or indeed are they going to be able to establish themselves in the industry.”
As a result, she said, they often feel a production company or broadcaster will not take them seriously or will be compromised by the power of an on-screen talent.
In a further statement, Childs declared: “Misogyny, intimidation, ageism and sexual harassment should have no place in modern workplaces.
“Yet time and again we see that these issues continue to run rampant in the creative industries – propped up by inadequate reporting mechanisms, a lack of accountability and an industry that enables extreme power dynamics and ‘untouchable’ talent.
“Unless the industry draws a line in the sand and collectively takes meaningful action, we will be in the same place next week, in six months, a year’s time. Historical allegations will continue to surface, alongside revelations that someone knew, but complaints were inadequately dealt with at the time.”
Childs directed the industry to support the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), which has been designed to tackle bullying and harassment in the industry.
“Production companies and broadcasters will cite their own policies and procedures, but it is abundantly clear that freelancers do not feel confident using these, and have little confidence that complaints are taken seriously, properly investigated and appropriate action taken against perpetrators,” Childs said.
Wallace allegations
Allegations against Wallace, dating back 20 years, became public in reports from BBC News and The Daily Telegraph, informed by material gathered by the union’s branch, together with pressure groups including TV Hell.
It recently emerged that Wallace received a warning from the BBC in 2018. The presenter has said that review of his behaviour concluded that he "didn't say anything sexual".
Wallace has been suspended from the BBC show, which is made by Banijay company Shine, while an external review examines the claims.
Banijay highlighted its anonymous reporting procedures, directing anyone to talk anonymously via the email speakup@banijayuk.com.
It stated: “Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”
BBC News has heard claims from 13 people across five shows, dating back to 2005 – when Wallace first hosted Masterchef – to 2022.
The allegations also encompass Wallace’s behaviour during filming for the BBC Good Food Show and on the BBC programmes Eat Well for Less, Impossible Celebrities and Inside the Factory and Channel 5’s Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends.
C5 has asked Rumpus, the indie behind Big Weekends, to look into the claims. The indie has stressed that it had "comprehensive duty of care processes" on the production.
The BBC pointed to its “robust” reporting procedures, adding: “Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.”
While the BBC is not launching its own investigation, the corporation is conducting a wider independent review into its workplace culture.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy has met with the BBC since the claims came to light and a government spokesman said the corporation "must deliver clear and timely recommendations, and it’s essential that staff and the wider public have confidence that the BBC takes these issues seriously”.
High-profile criticism
High-profile figures who have criticised Wallace include Sir Rod Stewart, who branded the host an “ill-mannered bully” who had humiliated his wife Penny Lancaster on the show in 2021.
Meanwhile, 2011 Celebrity Masterchef contestant Kirsty Walk, who said he told “sexualised jokes” during filming, Ulrika Jonsson, who said he had apologised after upsetting a fellow 2017 contestant by making a rape joke, Emma Kennedy, who said she saw Wallace "grope" a camera assistant, and Kirsty Allsopp, who said told the BBC she regretted not confronting him "then and there" when he made off-colour remarks.
Wallace today rode back his dismissal of complainants as "a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”, saying he "wasn't in a good head space" when he posted the comments over the weekend.
Jonsson said she had been "seething" over his comments.
Rupa Huq MP, who sits on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, has urged the BBC to keep Masterchef off air - including a scheduled Christmas special - as "dangling" Wallace on viewers screens could prove "massively triggering for the women involved, in fact any woman involved in any type of similar incidents".
Wallace’s lawyers have denounced the allegations as false and the presenter has said he is co-operating with the review.
