Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
MP Rupa Huq has suggested that the BBC should consider pausing MasterChef while an investigation into claims of sexual harassment made against Gregg Wallace is ongoing. Huq, who is a member of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told BBC Radio 4’s Today that continuing to broadcast the show, which has already had 16 of its 21 episodes shown, could be “triggering” for female participants. “Maybe not airing it tonight” would be an appropriate measure to take, she said. Wallace denies the allegations which were raised by 13 people last week.
Wallace has stepped aside while an investigation is carried out and the BBC has said that it will always follow up on any complaints.” Ulrika Jonsson and Aasmah Mir, both previous contestants on the show, have said that Wallace made inappropriate comments during their time on it. Last week, Wallace suggested that the current accusations had been made by “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”. His accusers subsequently criticised his comments claiming that they showed he “clearly hasn’t learnt his lesson”.
All three episodes of this week’s MasterChef have already been made available on BBC iPlayer. Huq acknowledged that Wallace is no longer presenting the show. However, she said that the scheduled broadcast of pre-recorded episodes could still compromise efforts to ensure that viewers understand the need for the investigation. “If it’s on TV tonight, it looks like he sort of got away with it, and I think the BBC should send a strong signal [about] this sort of behaviour,” she said.
Production company Banijay UK is conducting an investigation into Wallace’s behaviour. The BBC previously warned the presenter after a complaint was raised about “Impossible Celebrities”, a show he was involved with in 2018
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.