The corporation and other broadcasters are facing growing questions about how the MasterChef presenter was allowed to remain on screen despite a series of allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
Yesterday Dame Vera Baird KC, the former victims' commissioner for England and Wales, accused the BBC of being "in the dark ages" for tolerating allegedly sexually inappropriate conduct by its male stars.
"It is shocking that repeatedly we see this kind of behaviour being tolerated by the BBC, who do seem to disregard the obligations they have to protect people who go on television," Baird told the Guardian.
The claims surrounding Wallace come after controversy over the corporation's handling of allegations against the news presenter Huw Edwards last year. In 2016, a report found that the BBC missed chances to stop abuse by the TV stars Jimmy Savile and Stuart Hall because of a "culture of fear".
Yesterday Wallace, whose lawyers deny he engages in sexually harassing behaviour, described his accusers in an Instagram video as "a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef".
He claimed he had worked with more than 4,000 contestants on MasterChef since 2005, saying: "Over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants on MasterChef, have made sexual remarks, or sexual innuendo? Can you imagine?"
Wallace, who is 60 and began his career as a grocer at a fruit and vegetable market before becoming a TV personality, claimed that "absolutely none" of the staff on his other shows had complained about him.
This story is from the December 02, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 02, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Jones back to run rule over England as ITV pundit
Eddie Jones will cast a critical eye over England's make-or-break Six Nations campaign with the former head coach signed as an ITV pundit for the forthcoming championship.
UK second most attractive country in investor survey
The UK is the second most attractive country for investment behind the US, signalling a climb up the rankings, according to an annual survey of global business leaders by the consultancy PwC.
Robot retailers Firms embrace automation to cut staffing costs
Electronic shelf labels, returns machines, robot bag packers and yet more self-service tills are just some of the many technologies that UK retailers are embracing as they try to solve the problem of rising labour costs.
Svitolina surges on but watches husband Monfils exit
In the aftermath of a comeback win that put her into the 12th grand slam quarter-final of her career, Elina Svitolina left Rod Laver Arena aware her most difficult task of the day was still to come.
Tielemans now Villa's pacemaker at heart of resurgence
Former Leicester midfielder has proved sceptics wrong with his displays central to the side's transformation
Rashford open to playing for United despite looming exit
Marcus Rashford is ready and available to play for Manchester United, the Guardian understands, after Ruben Amorim indicated the forward had ruled himself out of contention for the defeat by Brighton on Sunday.
Use of rehabilitation and tags could allow a women's prison to close, says minister
A women's jail in England or Wales should be closed by diverting offenders to other forms of punishment and rehabilitation, the prisons minister, James Timpson, has said.
Comedy review: It's strictly stand-up as music stops
\"Twenty-one years of hard graft on the comedy scene, to now be best known for dancing.\" The ironies of his newfound celebrity are not lost on Chris McCausland, not only the winner of last year's Strictly Come Dancing but a contestant so well-loved that he's been credited with redeeming the entire franchise.
Fashion The first lady or a mob wife at a funeral?
In the Capitol rotunda the incoming first lady was nowhere to be seen.
Alaska Resumes Its 'Inhumane' Shooting of Bears and Wolves
Alaska is to resume the aerial shooting of bears and wolves to boost caribou and moose numbers despite an official report casting doubt on the value of the practice.
