Introduction to the Lawsuit
The BBC has responded to a lawsuit filed by former MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace, stating that he is not entitled to compensation. Wallace is taking legal action against the BBC and BBC Studios after being fired from the cooking show in July. He is seeking up to £10,000 in damages for the "distress and harassment" he claims the broadcaster caused by failing to comply with a request for copies of his personal information.
The BBC’s Response
In its response to the High Court, the BBC denied that Wallace had "suffered any distress or annoyance" as a result of the responses to his queries. The BBC also argued that Wallace had pursued his claim without prior notice, adding that on October 7, the BBC provided him with a copy of the personal data to which he claimed to be entitled. Furthermore, BBC Studios has now given Wallace the information that was previously withheld, unless this information concerns the personal data of third parties.
Wallace’s Claims
In court documents filed by Wallace, he claimed he requested "personal information" from both the BBC and its subsidiary BBC Studios in March under data protection laws. Both inquiries related to his “work, contractual relationships and conduct” over a period of 21 years. Wallace’s documents state that as of September 5, he had not received any of his personal information from the BBC. They further claimed that BBC Studios told Wallace that they were withholding parts of his data due to "freedom of expression." Wallace claimed it “unlawfully failed to provide all of its data” and “misredacted” the information.
Background to the Firing
Wallace hosted MasterChef for 20 years but stepped down from hosting the show last year after he was hit with a series of allegations of misconduct. The show’s production company, Banijay, ordered an investigation during which 83 allegations were made against the TV host. Of these, 45 were confirmed, including one for unwanted physical contact and three for being unclothed. Most involved inappropriate sexual language and humor, as well as culturally insensitive or racist comments.
Aftermath
In response to the allegations, Wallace said he was "deeply sorry for the distress he had caused" and that he had "never sought to hurt or humiliate" but that "none of the serious allegations against me have been confirmed." A separate claim that his co-host John Torode used an extremely offensive racist term was also substantiated. Torode said he had “no recollection” of the incident. Both presenters were fired in July. Last month, it was announced that food critic Grace Dent and chef Anna Haugh were the new hosts of MasterChef.
