Gregg Wallace responds with “A handful of comments from middle class women of a certain age”

[Conniebygaslight]

Just heard his comments on the news….unbelievable.

Why?

The same thing needs to happen for complaints of all types and levels of sexual harassment in the workplace to be dealt with.

People have to realise the concept of consent and that it requires men as well as women to challenge and not accept it as 'just banter'.

The BBC really need to get their shit together, they are a countrywide disgrace.

It is possible to be concerned with more than one issue.
I'm as GC as them come and I also think we need to tackle sexual harassment and in appropriate behaviour. it doesn't have to be an either/or situation here.

Brushing it off as a David Brent style gaff is just minimising the issue. This is real life, not comedy. The type of behaviour exhibited by the likes of Gregg Wallace does harm women. It's symptomatic of a misogynistic culture which is damaging.

If I repeatedly made inappropriate sexual comments to my colleagues then I would expect my career to be over. Why should it be any different for the likes of GW?

@SueSuddio girls in school encounter this behaviour on a regular basis in schools. It needs to be called out and they need to see it being called out

The thing is, he's already been kicked off his other programme Inside The Factory because he was so boorish, so he should know and be addressing his Brent Tendencies

@SueSuddio it absolutely does harm women. How many female production assistants, camera technicians (etc) on the first step of the ladder give up and do something else because some dickhead who has power at work is creepily interested in their sex life or gets his dick out at the office party?

And if the message from society is “this isn’t a big enough deal to complain about” then how do things change? Who stops the flasher boss/“talent” from groping his juniors, cos he has got away with sexualised behaviour so far?

When female producers are outnumbered ten to one (or whatever it is) by men and that impacts what stories are told, do we look back to the young women that quit before they had a chance to gain skills and experience?

I know, right @nettie434 - I started noticing it a while ago and once I saw it, I couldn't not see it. Sometimes you can see it during the challenges in how other people help or not, depending on the kind of show it is. I think it would be interesting if all the judging was done blind - and then feedback was given.

@RenoDakota is spot on about the innuendo on GBBO. Why is it fine for Alison Hammond to invite fellas to squeeze her big buns? Why is it ok for Shirley Ballas to openly lust after male dance contestants to the point where I cringe with embarrassment?
Also I'm not defending GW but why are people slinging out 'bald' 'fat'. i e. focusing on personal physical characteristics. Let's stick to his behaviour, the fact that he's bald is irrelevant.

THIS.
I came here to see of anyone had mentioned this.
To be honest, compared to the behavior actually ON camera from Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding in the Bake off, id much rather watch Gregg on Master Chef. In fact, if I had to be left alone in a room with any of them, Gregg would be the preferred choice.

If those are the parts of Bake off that are actually aired, imagine what's not aired and off camera. The things that are said and done make my skin crawl. Why are neither of them under the spotlight? Or is it because it's channel 4 and anything goes?

It's always going to be the case with this type of programme. It's not like a quiz show where it's a right or wrong answer. The judges are forming an opinion about the food, its presentation, etc but also it can depend what they personally prefer ingredients wise. There's definitely also a preference relating to personality or any rapport felt between judges and contestants.

When I did Masterchef and didn't win, the Director and Producer came straight to me from the gallery as soon as filming stopped. They said I hands down should have won. It was lovely of them to say that, and to get their feedback. What they saw on their screens obviously came across differently to them as to what the judges saw / tasted during the actual filming. Everyone will think differently. It is what it is.

Oh, and the Producer and Director asked if I would reapply and try again. I'm afraid my reply was "thank you so much, but sod that, I'm not going through all this palaver again"

I agree, it should be judged blind.

I agree it’s not right to slate someone on physical characteristics (up to and including Trump) when their behaviour is critical enough.

However, I would say there is more than a whiff of “if a woman isn’t fuckable, she’s irrelevant” about both Gregg’s “of a certain age” comment and about his only “allowing” his considerably younger wife to have their kid if she promised to stay the “fun, sexy girlfriend” - so posters criticising his attractiveness are on ground he has already stamped on.

I watch Bake Off and haven't noticed anything offensive. Could you give an example? I didn't watch Masterchef so can't comment on that, although I liked GW's programme about European Christmas Markets.

<tangent> @RainbowZebraWarrior would it be possible to “judge blind” or would judges pick up “signatures” over time? (eg oh this must be Brian’s dish, he always uses coriander with lamb)

I think it's always going to be possible to guess, especially once you get to know someone's style / presentation etc. Also, the year I did it, a vegetarian contestant won so her food would also have been a giveaway. I still think it would make it more fair, though to at least try this approach. To my mind, the show needs a bloody good shake up anyway.

They judge blind on Great British Menu I think?

While I have no doubt sexism comes into play, reality shows are for entertainment not to empirically find the best chef.

They choose the person most likely to get viewing numbers and sell cookbooks etc via future tie-ins and adjust accordingly. Why do you think the contestant who does the best at the beginning of the season doesn't win? It's because they need to create a narrative arc otherwise the show would be boring.

This is also why they have non-professionnels judging, like Greg. Whether he's actually entertaining is another issue lol.

I think part of the issue is that the GBBO presenters make their comments on camera for everyone to hear, like a pantomime, but GW comments and actions take place behind the scenes. If he did that stuff on camera IE waving his willy, sex talk etc, he'd have been history years ago.

Thank you for indulging my curiosity @RainbowZebraWarrior

I agree some blind judging would be good!

Yes!

And (I don’t watch GBBO or Strictly anymore so don’t know the current state of play) there is a difference between general innuendo and specific and personal eg “so what do you and your girlfriend do in bed?”

General innuendo can absolutely cross the line sometimes, of course, but specific and personal is likely to cross the line quicker, because the recipient is a clear target of a person in a greater position of power.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/dec/03/gregg-wallace-was-the-reason-i-quit-tv-says-melanie-sykes

For anyone who thinks he didn't destroy lives just because he didn't rape hundreds of women.

Yes, this isn't about no one ever being allowed to make dodgy jokes on TV. It's about women speaking up about intimidating behaviour. Obviously if anyone from GBBO does come forward in future about being intimidated then that's different.

I agree, and while I liked a lot of what he said, there was one bit that did not sit well - where he seemed to be saying GW was just like that, and this is why people did not take it seriously. Maybe I did not hear it right, but I was surprised as most of what he said was spot on.

I stopped watching GBBO some years ago, in large part because of the innuendo, but agree with the comments above that it is different to the targeted behaviour of a person in power towards inferiors.

For those who would rather be in the same room as Gregg Wallace than the GBBO presenters, remember that Inside the Factory was not permitted to return to the Nestle factory due to his behaviour: factories apparently take employee welfare legislation much more seriously than broadcasting organisations.

This reminds me of another thread about a youth minister in a church who is (I think) under investigation for bullying, and inappropriate behaviour with young boys and interns. Several people did raise concerns or make complaints but came across the same attitude "that's just him, that's what he's like" as if it's just accepted and tolerated.

So he will be atoneing in the jungle next year like the MP's do. It will be like I'm so sorry it wasn't me it was...the media...my age...someone else made me.....!!! Saw the error of my ways!! They just find out they need money to live more like!

I'd much rather be alone in a room with people who have never been accused of being intimidating behind the scenes than I would GW. But then I'm not dismissive of all the women who have spoken up about GW intimidating behaviour, plus the people at Nestlé who banned him from coming back.