Greg Wallace: What are the implications for the BBC?

Presenter Greg Wallace is a national figure, who has been in people’s living rooms several times a week for 20 years.

Its programs, most notably MasterChef, are produced by independent production companies.

But his name and face are associated with the BBC, and, As the allegations continue to emerge The corporation is under fire.

This is the last thing it needs, so soon after other high-profile scandals involving disgraced BBC News presenter Hugh Edwards.

The BBC has questions about the allegations about what it knew about Wallace’s behavior on and off set, and – if it had been made aware of such allegations – whether it had reported them. what did

BBC News was made aware of two occasions when complaints were made. One, from radio host Asma Mir on Celebrity MasterChef in 2017.

She says she complained to the production company behind the show and later spoke to the BBC’s Kate Phillips, then controller of entertainment commissioning. I understand that Phillips was later assured that the issue had been addressed.

Another complaint, just over a year later, related to impossible celebrity appearances made by a different production company.

In a 2018 letter obtained by BBC News, Phillips wrote that he spoke to Wallace for 90 minutes to clarify what the BBC expected of him. He also confirmed in the letter that many aspects of his behavior were unacceptable and unprofessional.

six years later, Allegations emerging about Wallace’s conduct It raises questions about whether executives at the production company Benjay and the BBC reacted appropriately.

But BBC News has not been told whether BBC executives involved in Wallace’s shows were made aware of any complaints about him and conversations between him and Phillips after 2018. If they weren’t, there’s something debatable that they think the issues raised have been resolved.

Then again, that defense can only go so far. There are broader questions about how much investigation a TV executive should do, if they are aware that rumors have started circulating.

Popbitch, the weekly celebrity newsletter that finds its way into the inboxes of most media executives, for example, has in the past run stories based on allegations about Wallace’s language and behavior. When does an outlandish claim about talent misconduct become a problem that bosses should take a look at?

Should the BBC have asked more questions after 2018?

Some have pointed out that these types of scandals involving high-profile TV presenters only come to light when the media highlights them.

Only then, it is argued, do executives take action and initiate investigations. The claim is that before journalists get involved, executives are more concerned about protecting the star, the show and their bottom line.

Under Huw Edwards, the BBC launched a workplace review to prevent abuse of power. At the time, BBC chair Samir Shah said “the feeling continues that the powerful ‘get away with it’.”

But to me, how Wallace’s claims were handled is not entirely comparable to the Edwards scandal.

Hugh Edwards was employed directly by the BBC, Wallace was contracted by production companies who made his shows and sold them to the BBC.

To put this in context, 326 independent companies produced programs for the BBC in 2023/4, accounting for 55% of the BBC’s TV hours.

I have some frustration on the corporate side of the BBC that the corporation is criticizing a program it doesn’t make.

A BBC insider told me that it had essentially bought a product from a third party and was now being held responsible for staffing operations in a different organisation.

My guess is that if there were complaints – or claims of bad behavior on set – the first port of call would be the production company.

But this defense – that the BBC is pretty much on it – only goes so far. Audiences don’t make that distinction. Finally, they associate Wallace with the BBC, not a production company.

The damage is at the BBC’s door.

The aim of the workplace review will be to look at how to ensure that junior people with less power feel able to speak up, when a presenter is behaving badly. Director-General Tim Davey has already said he wants to ban the word “talent” for BBC stars, to help eliminate the hierarchies that can be a part of making programs when powerful, Include people with high-paying audience identification.

But, understandably, the review will not have independent sector oversight. These are independent companies responsible for their own codes.

However, it would be useful for the review to explain when rumors about a particular star start to emerge and what the BBC expects from its executives and indeed the production companies from which it buys programmes. What processes begin?

Philippa Childs, head of Union Buckto, told Radio 4 on Wednesday “It’s time for the whole industry to come together and accept that there needs to be some independent scrutiny of broadcasters. [and] Production companies try to solve this local problem.

Wallace’s story could be a wake-up call for the manufacturing sector. Over the years, we have heard of junior staff being unable to speak truth to power in such scenarios.

Now, some women are refusing to be silenced. If this sector doesn’t find its home, it can be career-limiting not only for high-profile names but also for executives.

At the center of this latest story is a star accused of misconduct and splashed across the media daily. The presumption of innocence doesn’t always sit well with journalistic endeavors, but it should.

Greg Wallace has denied the allegations against him. The media isn’t always fair when it comes to scalping. But he is entitled to a fair and just process.