Gregg Wallace isn’t the only male celebrity working on BBC to have allegations made about them (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
The BBC have been experiencing quite the annus horribilis.
Over the past 12 months, the broadcaster has been at the centre of scandals, with some of their high-profile male stars facing allegations about their behaviour and convictions being made.
The most recent debacle has come as former MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace has been accused of making inappropriate sexual comments by 13 people, including Former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark. Production company Banijay have launched a ‘thorough’ investigation, and he will no longer present the long-running cooking show while the investigation is underway.
A BBC spokesperson has told the PA news agency: ‘We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them.
‘We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
‘Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.’
Wallace’s lawyers have claimed it is ‘entirely false’ he engages in a ‘behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’.
Wallace’s exit is just one of the catastrophic incidents during BBC’s year of hell.
Strictly scandal
Pernice was at the centre of the Strictly scandal (Picture: Shutterstock)
Strictly Come Dancing was engulfed in scandal following allegations against Giovanni Pernice, 34, by his former dance partner Amanda Abbington, who quit Strictly last year after five weeks.
The Sherlock actress, 50, made claims Pernice had bullied her during rehearsals, which he denied.
After months of investigating, the BBC finally shared their results in September. They upheld two moments of ‘inappropriate behaviour of sexual banter in the workplace’ and found that Pernice had used ‘swear words’ and ‘belittling’ language while the duo were paired together.
Following the conclusion, BBC issued an apology to Abbington.
Di Prima also left Strictly (Picture: Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/REX/Shutterstock)
Fellow professional dancer Graziano Di Prima, 30, left the BBC series following claims of ‘physical incidents’, including allegations he ‘kicked and hit’ Zara McDermott.
Di Prima said in a statement that he ‘apologised at the time’ and knew he had ‘made a mistake’. He later claimed his foot ‘brushed’ McDermott after he ‘kicked the floor in frustration’ due to the ‘pressure of the show.’
He told the Daily Mail: ‘I’m not a monster. I’m not an abusive man.
‘The only thing I can think of is the time I kicked the floor in frustration. We’d practised hour after hour to perfect a routine with lifts. It wasn’t easy but that’s the pressure of the show,’ told the Daily Mail.
‘I wasn’t meaning to kick her. I’d never, never do that. My foot brushed her after I kicked the floor.’
A friend of Di Prima told Metro: ‘Graziano isn’t making excuses for his behaviour. He’s a good man, who’s done something wrong. He’s apologised and wants to move on with his life.’
‘So much of my Strictly experience was everything I could have dreamt of. The entire production team and everyone behind the scenes as well as my fellow contestants were so amazing to work with,’ Zara, 27, wrote on Instagram at the time.
‘However, my experience inside the training room was very different. Reports have been made about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some events, as well as videos of particular incidents which are incredibly distressing to watch.’
Jermaine Jenas
Jenas was taken off air by the BBC (Picture: Vianney Le Caer/REX/Shutterstock)
In August, Jenas, 41, was hit with multiple accusations of ‘inappropriate’ behaviours in recent months, including ‘sexting’ two coworkers and sexually pursuing a woman who reportedly told him she had a boyfriend.
The face of The One Show and a Match of the Day regular was taken off air and sacked by the BBC.
Jenas told The Sun: ‘I did nothing illegal – these were inappropriate messages between two consenting adults.
‘I am ashamed, and I am deeply sorry.’
Huw Edwards
Edwards pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children (Picture: Lucy North/PA Wire)
In September, News presenter Huw Edwards was handed a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years after admitting three charges of making indecent images of children.
He pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court after convicted paedophile Alex Williams sent him illegal images on WhatsApp.
He will be required to complete a sex offender programme, and will be placed on the sex offenders register for seven years.
Following his sentencing, which drew criticism from the public, the BBC issued a statement, saying: ‘We are appalled by his crimes.
‘He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.’
The BBC admitted it was informed that the 63-year-old had been arrested in November 2023 but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice.
Edwards has now been asked to repay the £200,000 salary he has received since his arrest. BBC director-general Tim Davie said the money should be returned and that the corporation will ‘explore’ the legal process if Edwards refuses.
Prior to his resignation, Edwards was one of BBC’s highest-paid stars and was the person to break the news of the Queen’s death.
He stepped down from his role in 2023. His wife Vicky Flind then released a statement last year naming Edwards as the BBC presenter who had paid thousands of pounds to a young person for sexually explicit images, before the truth of his behaviour came to light. She has now reportedly filed for divorce.
Jay Blades
Jay Blades is part of an ongoing court case (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Jay Blades is currently embroiled in a court case. He has pleaded not guilty to engaging in charges of controlling or coercive behaviour towards his wife Lisa-Marie Zbozen.
The charge against Blades alleges his behaviour had a serious effect’ on his partner, ‘namely that it caused her to fear on at least two occasions that violence would be used against her’. According to court documents, his alleged behaviour included physical and emotional abuse. The case has a possible trial date of May 6 next year.
Amid his court dealings, the future of BBC TV programme The Repair Shop, which he has been a part of ever since it launched in 2017, has been called into question.
The broadcaster confirmed to Metro that Jay, 57, is not currently filming the programme, and the firm is currently not going to be scheduling any programmes in which he is featured, but content that already features Blades will remain on BBC iPlayer.
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