Gregg Wallace, presenter of MasterChef since 2005, is to step away from the role as a result of historical misconduct allegations, it has been confirmed.
BBC News have reported that this has come after 13 people, with Kirsty Wark, former host of Newsnight, among them, who've have come forward to accuse 60-year-old Wallace of making inappropriate sexual comments.
The 13 people in question had worked with Wallace on a range of different TV shows spanning a 17-year period.
Wark appeared on MasterChef in 2011 and alleged to the BBC that Wallace had made 'sexualised' jokes during filming, which she said were 'really, really in the wrong place.'
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Wallace's lawyers have stated to the BBC that the allegations are completely false.
Following the news of Wallace's departure, Banijay UK, the producers of MasterChef, have issued a statement.
They said: "This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows.
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“Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate.
“While this review is underway, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully cooperating throughout the process.
“Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.
“Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.”
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They concluded: “If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact [email protected] in confidence.”
A BBC spokesperson commented: "We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them.
“We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
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“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.”
Last month, Wallace took to Instagram to address allegations that he had made inappropriate sexual comments during the filming of 2018's Impossible Celebrities.
He shared: "The story that’s hitting the newspapers this morning was investigated promptly when it happened six years ago by the BBC.
“And the outcome of that was that I hadn’t said anything sexual. I’ll need to repeat this again. I didn’t say anything sexual.”
Kya Buller