Greg James has made his feelings about MasterChef star Gregg Wallace very clear with the recent change made to his BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show.
Wallace, 60, announced he was temporarily stepping down from the popular BBC show last week after it was revealed that an external investigation is being launched into his behaviour following misconduct claims.
Scots Newsnight host Kristy Wark is one of the 13 people who have accused the star of making inappropriate sexual comments. According to MasterChef production company Banijay UK, the broadcaster is “committed to fully cooperating through the process”.
Wallace has maintained his innocence, telling fans in a social media video on Sunday that the claims have come from a “handful of middle-class women of certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right.”
But while the star is adamant he has committed no wrongdoings, his pals in the industry, including former co-star John Torode, have subtly made their opinions clear.
Greg James, 38, is one of the most recent to take a stance against Wallace after he changed the introduction of his Breakfast Show. Where he usually plays a soundbite of Wallace saying: “Fire ’em up, let’s go” to mark the start of his radio slot, it was revealed over the weekend that he had swapped the soundbite out for something different.
Using a short clip from Daniel Craig ‘s skit on Saturday Night Live, the show began with the James Bond star saying: “Ladies and gentlemen, the weekend.”
This follows TV personality Ulrika Jonsson’s outrage in response to Gregg Wallace making inflammatory remarks in an Instagram video, claiming his detractors are “middle-class women of a certain age”.
Jonsson, who had previously condemned Wallace for making what she claimed was an offensive rape joke to a distressed MasterChef contestant, didn’t mince her words when criticising him, stating: “Somewhere in his misogynistic, thoughtless, ancient mind, he felt it appropriate to tell the world this. Oh, Gregg. Your ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds. Firstly, you have no clue what ‘class’ of women it is that have made complaints about you.”
She also pointed out that the reference to “women of a certain age” was particularly ironic as many from Generation X have endured “sexist, misogynistic, crude and sleazy comments and physical contact” throughout their early lives and careers.
Following the backlash, Wallace posted a follow-up video on his social accounts apologising for his “middle-class women” remark, expressing: “I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it; I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion; I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it.”
He continued by admitting that he needed a break to deal with the situation and said: “It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out, now, while this investigation is under way I hope you understand and I do hope you will accept this apology.”
Since the announcement of his departure from MasterChef last week, Wallace has faced numerous allegations, including claims of using inappropriate sexual language on set and accusations of previous instances of groping women and using racist language. Wallace has refuted these allegations.
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