The BBC has been warned of a ‘culture of silence’ and of ‘issues being swept under the rug’ by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy as she prepares to launch a bid to ‘root out’ harassment in the wake of the Gregg Wallace scandal.
Wallace, 60, faces multiple complaints of inappropriate behaviour, originally from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, which production company Banijay UK has said it is taking ‘incredibly seriously’ amid an external investigation.
The Masterchef co-host apologised last week for claiming in an Instagram video that complaints about his behaviour came from ‘a handful of middle-class women of a certain age’, and added he would ‘take some time out’.
Wallace faces accusations he told a junior female colleague he wasn’t wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans, wandered into the studio naked apart from a sock on his penis and mimicked a sex act on a producer when she knelt down to clean his trousers.
The latest allegations include one woman who said he groped her, another who claims he pressed his crotch against her while filming BBC show Eat Well For Less and a third who alleged he flashed her in his dressing room.
The BBC has pulled two MasterChef celebrity Christmas specials from its schedule.
Lawyers for Gregg Wallace strenuously deny wrongdoing and say it is false that he has engaged in ‘sexually harassing’ behaviour.
Ms Nandy has said she is ‘prepared to take further action’ if the media industry cannot address ‘cultures of silence and issues being swept under the rug’ in relation to claims of misconduct.
The Labour MP appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Tuesday to discuss the work of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Ms Nandy addressed recent questions of behaviour, including those around MasterChef host Wallace, who has stepped back from the cooking show while its production company investigates allegations of misconduct.
She said: ‘I have spoken with the BBC in recent weeks about the Gregg Wallace allegations; I am really clear that we’re seeing too many of these cultures of silence and issues being swept under the rug.
‘People who cannot advance through the current complaint system because it would have an impact on their career, potentially ending their career.
‘And I am clear that people need to be heard, action has to be taken, and perpetrators have to be held to account.’
Ms Nandy added: ‘I think instinctively that it is better if the industry grips this, but if they don’t, I will be prepared to take further action.’
A government source said last night: ‘Lisa is committed to working with CIISA and the creative industries to tackle these issues.’
BBC executives held crisis meetings last week as the claims about Gregg threatened to undermine its Christmas schedule, which includes two MasterChef specials.
The BBC have decided to go ahead and broadcast the rest of Masterchef: The Professionals, which will conclude on December 12, and the two Christmas editions, while they await the conclusion of the investigation by production company Banijay.
It is understood that the BBC and Banijay have been scouring the forthcoming episodes of MasterChef that have yet to air for any sexually inappropriate comments by Wallace.
A BBC source said: ‘The BBC is very supportive of steps to improve industry standards and will take a leadership role in doing so.’
The broadcaster has provided funding to CIISA, and is working with it to improve the experience for people working on productions, including freelancers.