TV enthusiasts were taken aback to see Gregg Wallace return to the small screen over the weekend in a weather-themed special. The 60 year old celebrity chef had stepped back from his BBC roles amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of abusive behaviour during his time on the popular series MasterChef.
Despite Gregg’s strong denial of any misconduct, he has been absent from television since the latest season of MasterChef: The Professionals ended in December. Even the festive editions of his programmes were postponed as the inquiry commenced, leaving many viewers concerned that he might not make a comeback to the broadcaster, especially since Grace Dent has already stepped in to fill his shoes.
However, Channel 5 viewers were surprised to witness Gregg appear in a documentary about the severe cold spell that struck the UK in 2018. In the programme, titled Beast from the East: The Big Freeze of 2018, which aired at 5pm on Saturday, Gregg was featured alongside other celebrities such as actress Laila Morse, Countryfile’s Adam Henson, and BBC meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker.
The sight of Gregg on their screens again left viewers astounded, with one commenting on social media: “Gregg Wallace on Beast from the East? Bold move. His reputation’s already been through a storm.”
Another remarked: “Obviously C5 don’t give a f*** about what he’s done.”, reports the Mirror.
As his suspension from the BBC made waves, Gregg defended his actions via social media, pointing fingers at “middle-class women of certain age” for the complaints against him. He mused in a heavily criticised video where he said: “Apparently now, I’m reading in the paper, there’s been 13 complaints in that time. I can see the complaints coming from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age, just from Celebrity MasterChef. This isn’t right.”
And in another video, he expressed frustration saying: “In 20 years, over 20 years of television, can you imagine how many women, female contestants on MasterChef, have made sexual remarks, or sexual innuendo, can you imagine? ” In response to the allegations, Gregg’s attorneys vehemently denied wrongdoing on behalf of their client.
In a statement provided by the BBC back in November, Gregg’s legal representatives affirmed: “It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.”
In the aftermath of the accusations, Gregg received harsh criticism from rock legend Sir Rod Stewart who accused the television presenter of making his wife, Lady Penny Lancaster, cry during her stint on MasterChef in 2021. Lashing out on the internet, the ‘Maggie May’ hitmaker vented: “So Greg Wallace gets fired from Masterchef. Good riddance Wallace… You humiliated my wife when she was on the show but you had that bit cut out didn’t you? You’re a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya.”