Downing Street calls Gregg Wallace comments 'misogynistic' in statement on Masterchef star

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy held talks with BBC bosses following allegations of 'inappropriate' 'sexual' comments made by Gregg Wallace.

The MasterChef presenter faces a slew of accusations of making “inappropriate sexual jokes” and complaints about his behaviour over his 17 years on a range of shows. He has since said the accusations have come from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”.

This morning, No 10 called Wallace’s comments defending his actions “inappropriate and misogynistic”, and confirmed Wigan MP Lisa Nandy had held talks with the BBC over the row.

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The 60-year-old faces allegations from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News on Thursday, with many others since sharing their experiences.

Among the complainants was former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark who told BBC News on two occasions Wallace relayed stories and jokes of a “sexualised nature” in front of contestants and crew when she competed on Celebrity MasterChef in 2011.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Culture Secretary spoke with the BBC leadership at the end of last week on this matter and wider workplace culture issues to seek assurances that there are robust processes in place to deal with complaints.

“Clearly the comments we have seen from the individual over the weekend were completely inappropriate and misogynistic.

“More broadly the BBC is conducting an independent review into workplace culture which must deliver clear and timely recommendations. It’s essential that staff and the wider public have confidence that the BBC takes these issues seriously.”

Asked whether MasterChef should be