BBC under scrutiny as ‘Masterchef’ host Gregg Wallace hits back at misconduct allegations

LONDON (AP) - The BBC is facing growing scrutiny after a presenter on its popular cookery show drew an angry backlash for dismissing sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Gregg Wallace, a long-time co-presenter on the cooking contest show "Masterchef," is facing allegations from multiple women that he made inappropriate sexual comments and behaved inappropriately on set over 17 years.

Wallace, 60, said last week he was stepping away from the show while an investigation was launched into his alleged behavior.

But his case received further attention Sunday, when he said in a social media post that the complaints came from "a handful of middle-class women of a certain age.”

He added that he had worked with thousands of contestants on "Masterchef" "of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life" for two decades and "there’s been 13 complaints in that time."

His comments angered some of the women who made complaints against him.

"This illustrates how he just has no insight or understanding of how he behaves. He just doesn't get it,” said television presenter Aggie MacKenzie, who competed on "Celebrity Masterchef" in 2011.

MacKenzie told ITV that Wallace made "endless smutty jokes” and alleged that "he’s been allowed to carry on in his own sweet way for many, many years."

Among the complaints are allegations that Wallace undressed in front of women working on his shows, made comments about his sex life or made women uncomfortable with sexualized jokes during filming.

The BBC reported that 13 people who worked with Wallace over a range of shows have complained about inappropriate sexual comments from him over 17 years.

The broadcaster is facing questions on how it handles sexual misconduct allegations and how Wallace had continued to front some of its most popular shows for so long despite the complaints.

The BBC reported that Wallace was warned by his employers after a complaint was raised about him in 2018, and an internal investigation at the time found his behavior was "unacceptable and unprofessional.”

Wallace's lawyers have denied that he "engages in behavior of a sexually harassing nature."

The BBC, which has said it has "robust processes" to deal with issues raised with it, declined to comment on Wallace’s case because of the ongoing investigation into him by "Masterchef"’s production company.