BBC's letter to Gregg Wallace's six biggest bombshells - early warning to final blow

The BBC have banned Gregg Wallace from working with them again in a scathing letter. Wallace issued a statement earlier this week to say he "will not go quietly" ahead of a report by Banijay about his conduct on MasterChef.

Wallace stated in his lengthy message that he had been cleared from the most serious allegations by the Banijay report - which has yet to been published - but it was confirmed he had been let go by the production company with his MasterChef role.

Claire Powell, head of compliance for BBC Television, wrote a lengthy letter to the former MasterChef star as seen by The Mirror. In it, she spoke of the broadcaster having "no confidence" Wallace could change.

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No confidence

In the letter, Powell said that Wallace "struggled to distinguish the boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in the workplace" and said they did not have the confidence he could change.

"I do not have the confidence that you can change what seems to be learned behaviour for you to make what you perceive to be jokes in the work environment, without understanding the boundaries of what is appropriate," she wrote.

"You acknowledge some of your comments have offended or upset people. But it is clear that you struggle to distinguish the boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, as well as lacking an awareness of why your behaviour impacts others. I do not have confidence that your behaviour can change."

Previous warning

It was also revealed in the letter that Wallace had been previously warned by the BBC after a complaint in 2018. He was offered counselling and was told in a meeting to change his behaviour.

He had coaching the following year. There were also complaints about him that same year on MasterChef. He was given a dressing down by Kate Phillips, who was then controller of entertainment and is now the BBC’s chief content officer.

Coaching given

In their letter, the BBC also confirmed they had given some coaching to Wallace. Whilst the nature of the coaching was not detailed, it took place in 2019 - a year after the BBC received a complaint.

Duty of care

In the letter, Powell wrote about duty of care to other participants in the shows and said Wallace's behaviour was not able to change enough to allow for a "sufficiently safe and respectful environment".

"I have further taken into account the 2025 findings as they relate to your health and recent autism diagnosis (as you have publicly stated). I have noted that you do not consider certain environments to now be ‘safe’ for you," she penned.

"In addition to the duty of care towards you, the BBC equally to take into account the safety and duty of care owed towards contributors, members of the public and colleagues on production teams that you may engage with and the appropriate use of licence fee payers’ money in establishing a safe working environment for all."

Future concerns

In the lengthy letter, Powell explained that they could no longer work with Wallace on the shows they currently do with him. As well as MasterChef and its related shows - like the celebrity version - he also fronted other shows for the BBC including Eat Well for Less? and Inside the Factory and Powell wrote about the broadcaster's concern that these were "not heavily scripted programmes".

She added: "Such productions are not heavily scripted programmes and involve sound and consistent levels of judgment in relation to interactions with others which cannot constantly be monitored or supervised."

Final blow

At the end of the lengthy letter, the BBC confirmed they would not be allowing him to work with them again.

"Given my conclusion, I do not believe that the BBC should make plans to work with you in the future on any of its productions, whether directly or indirectly," she wrote.

"I have also taken into account whether your behaviour could be improved with training and/or coaching. However, having reviewed the 2025 findings, I do not have the confidence that you can change what seems to be learned behaviour for you to make what you perceive to be jokes in the working environment, without understanding the boundaries of what is appropriate."

She concluded: "I do not have confidence that your behaviour can change to ensure there is a sufficiently safe and respectful environment for others working with you in the types of programmes the BBC has engaged you to present."

BBC and Wallace's statements

The BBC also said it would not comment beyond the statement issued on Tuesday, which stated: “Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published."

In his own statement released prior to the letter becoming public, Gregg wrote: "I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all. For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand. Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem. My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of Master Chef. Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over twenty years. That failure is now being quietly buried.

"Unfortunately, the full report (over 200 pages) will never be seen. Later this week, the BBC will publish a short Executive Summary. What really concerns me about the short summary is others who have been found guilty of serious allegations have been erased from the published version of events. I, and I'm sure the public, would like to know why? I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience. I was tried by media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established. The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest."

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