Former “MasterChef” host Gregg Wallace, who was fired from the BBC Show in July after an investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct, is taking legal action against the broadcaster.
Wallace filed a request related to data protection on Friday. He is suing both the BBC and its commercial division BBC Studios. Details of his case have not been made public yet, but have been filed in Part 7 of the High Court’s “Media and Communications” Legal Trajectory. Variety understands that Wallace is seeking documents related to his firing.
“We are not formally informed about legal proceedings and cannot comment at this stage,” a BBC spokesperson told Variety.
According to the Sun, Wallace is also preparing to file a disability claim against the BBC in Employment Court after revealing that he was diagnosed with autism, but the broadcaster said he knows that.
Wallace originally left the hosting of “MasterChef” in November after allegations that 13 people made sexually inappropriate comments from the host from 2005 to 2022. The BBC News then condemned Wallace of inappropriate sexual behavior, including glow lodges and touch, revealing the presence of 50 more accusers.
An independent investigation into his conduct in July demonstrated 45 allegations against Wallace and was fired from “Masterchef.” Proven claims involve largely inappropriate sexual language and humor, and fewer numbers in the state of being undressed, related to other inappropriate languages. One allegation of unnecessary physical contact has also been demonstrated.
Wallace initially denied the claim, but admitted that between 2005 and 2018 he found “guilty of mostly inappropriate language.”
“I recognize that some of my humor and language are sometimes inappropriate, and for that reason I apologize without reservation,” Wallace wrote in an Instagram statement. He then declared: “I won’t go quietly. I won’t be cancelled for convenience.”
Also in July, John Torode, co-host of Wallace’s “Master Chef,” was fired from the show over racist language allegations. However, the BBC decided to air the show’s season in August. The appearances of Wallace and Trode were frequently edited.
