Gregg Wallace attends the 2024 Smiley Charity Film Awards at Odeon (Image: Getty)
TV chef Andi Oliver has called for real action in the wake of the scandal.
The presenter stepped back from the series following allegations about his conduct from 13 individuals spanning 17 years. The 60 year old Wallace has refuted claims that he made inappropriate sexual remarks.
Banijay UK, the production company behind the show, is conducting an external review of the historical complaints, with Wallace pledging to fully cooperate.
Great British Menu’s Andi Oliver, who has been tipped as a potential successor to Wallace on MasterChef, stated that the industry harbours “tons of others who go around behaving badly”. Speaking to the Guardian, she expressed her lack of surprise at the accusations levelled against Wallace, which include making “inappropriate sexual jokes”.
”Oh God,” she replied, “I’m not surprised by it.”
Andi Oliver is a presenter on the Great British Menu (Image: Getty Images)
The TV chef continued: “There’s a certain culture that allows it to happen. Somebody should have nipped that s**t in the bud a long time ago. It’s not like nobody knew it was happening. I heard stuff. Everyone did. And there are tons of others who go around behaving badly.”
Andi, who initially served as a judge before taking on the role of host for Great British Menu, commented: “But culture will only change if we stop all the fake outrage and actually implement change. Thousands of people shouting about Gregg Wallace on Twitter doesn’t interest me. What does is whether we remember this in six months, or will there be more fake shock and outrage when it happens all over again with the next person whose antics were an open secret?”
When asked about joining the MasterChef team, Andi disclosed: “I can’t talk about that.”
It has been recently confirmed that Grace Dent, the restaurant critic, will join John Torode to judge the upcoming series of Celebrity MasterChef.
Grace, an author and podcaster, is no stranger to MasterChef, having frequently appeared as a guest and competed last year in MasterChef: Battle Of The Critics.
executives have previously stated that they will not “tolerate behaviour that falls below the standards we expect” and are committed to fostering “a culture that is kind, inclusive and respectful”.
Earlier in the month, Banijay UK released a statement saying: “It is important to note that MasterChef welfare processes are regularly adapted and strengthened and there are clear protocols to support both crew and contributors.”
“These include multiple ways of reporting issues, including anonymously. HR contact details are promoted and contributors are assigned a point of contact on set available to discuss any issues or concerns.”