Hoping that Greg Wallace is forgiven, rather than cancelled

[Toodaloo1567]

Just a few concerns about this whole GW thing. Caveat: I do not condone behaviour that is illegal.

1. It does kind of look like a whole bunch of privileged TV luvvies are clamouring to denounce someone with really quite humble roots. I grew up in London and am constantly paranoid about how I come across to my mainly middle class colleagues. The thing is, middle class and privileged people operate by a set of unwritten rules. It’s like a full time job in itself trying to emulate their way of interacting, lest you be called out for not being ‘nice’ enough or doing something odd to them, like forgetting to start an email with ‘Hope you are well?’. Only, they won’t let you know to your face that you’ve accidentally been too sharp or direct, or maybe that your joke wasn’t woke enough - no, that stuff just goes straight to HR.
2. The equality act 2010 makes it the employer’s responsibility to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Why wasn’t all this lewd stuff dealt with? GW said that no one had made a formal complaint. Again, it makes me wonder whether the middle class luvvies just didn’t want to call things out at the time because it’s ‘beneath’ them to even consider doing something about it.
3. Even though he’s apologised, the public doesn’t think that’s good enough. It’s like only perfect people get to keep their careers. Woe betide you if you said something crass on twitter 10 years ago, or got caught speeding or something.

Of course, lots of you would want to shout me down over this, but you know what? We’re all mums here and many of us have sons. Boys and young men do and say crass things. GW hasn’t raped or systematically abused anyone. It doesn’t make what’s happened right, but I also don’t think it’s right that swarms of pitch-fork waving strangers get to play judge, jury and executioner. I’m a big fan of forgiveness. Am I the only one?

He came out naked, on set with a sock on his cock. Groped women, making sexualised, derogatory comments about what he'd like to to them, and described a dish he was sampling as 'tastes like my aunt's cunt'.

This is completely unacceptable behaviour. He was also told several times, laughed it off and carried on.

The time for forgiveness is long gone.

You really need that spelling out?

Because he’s a toss pot? It’s not either/or.

Women have been complaining about him for years. The question you should be asking is why they were ignored for so long.

He had the chance to apologise. He fucked if and had to apologise for the apology.

I don’t think it’s for me, you, anyone on this thread, the BBC or the general public to decide whether GW should be forgiven. That is for the unfortunate victims of his behaviour which I am sure was no less distressing because it happened to come from a man of humble origins 🙄
I would hope any future potential employer would take their duty of care to women who may cross paths with him seriously enough to not hire to work on any role he would engage with women be they staff, crew, contestants or audience members. As he clearly has shown he is not a safe person to be around. This will probably mean he cannot return to television roles but maybe he can be part of Trumps cabinet?

He had plenty of opportunity to apologise. Instead he went straight to social media to whine about the nasty wimmin.

Actually you know what, you're right. He has had a chance to apologise and he's failed spectacularly. He can get in the bin.

@AgathaMystery - you have articulated what I am thinking much better than I could - thank you.

@Toodaloo1567 - you are free to forgive Gregg if you want to - though I don’t think you have the right to say that the women who were the target of his horrible, misogynistic sexual words should forgive him. Don’t forget, it wasn’t just high profile TV personalities he targeted - some were contestants or show runners etc, and they would have believed - probably correctly - that if it was their word against the star’s word, they would lose.

I also think forgiveness doesn’t mean that the person being forgiven should not face the consequences of their actions. We can forgive someone and still say that their victims must still get justice. If this means Gregg loses his career, so be it.

I don’t think having ‘humble roots’ means a person doesn’t know right from wrong, or is incapable of seeing that their words are causing people distress - I’m willing to bet he knew his words and the way he was treating the women around him were unacceptable - he just didn’t care. Maybe this will be a lesson to him, and to any man who thinks this sort of ‘banter’ is acceptable in this day and age, that women are sick and tired of it, and are not taking it any more.

Is it really sooooo hard for men to avoid sexualised, misogynistic talk? The men I know seem to manage to avoid it.

Creepy misogynistic cock who used his power over women.

He is not sorry.
He has been doing the same thing over and again for years and years.
There is a huge difference between making an off-the-cuff remark and spending years on a TV set making women feel very uncomfortable.
The fact is Masterchef is a huge ratings winner and I’m sure bosses have turned a blind eye, or warned him and then let it continue. I am not sure how much John Torode was aware of his behaviour, but he must have heard some of it.
Why do people in any workplace feel the constant need to make sexual remarks in the first place?
This man strikes me as a perv. And these men do have positions of power, just like Jermaine Jenas did.
It is just at that stage now where we are sick of hearing it. You can go to work, have a laugh, have a jovial atmosphere and be good to others at the same time.
For the women who have to listen to it constantly, it’s just boring. It adds nothing to the conversation.

I grew up in London as well and have properly middleclass colleagues.

Wallace is a fucking creepy knob who doesn't even bother hiding behind the 'I'm a barra boy, mate!' schtick - he's just a bog standard, common or garden, slightly mouldy predatory prick, obsessed with girl on girl action and grotmags - with his nose out of joint because people have stopped assuming that 'oh well, it's just because they're not like the sorts he grew up with, they all love that kind of thing because they don't know any better'.

After probably 50 years, there are people saying 'Actually, no, he's not funny and endearing, he's creepy, intimidating and offensive and because we're wealthy and posh enough to be listened to rather than be dismissed as just another council estate slapper out for some money (as I am sure there will be hundreds of women out there knowing that is what would have been said about them and therefore kept quiet/went to other bars/walked away very quickly), we're actually saying 'No, fuck off you creepy wanker' in the most polite way possible'.

If he is 'forgiven' he will be insufferable!

Let’s not bring out the “but he was abused as a child” excuse.

Plenty of people are abused as children, they don’t go on to be misogynists creeps and generally unpleasant individuals. In fact it’s this attitude that certain behaviours are understandable because “he was abused” that leads to victims of sexual abuse being treated suspicion because of what they’ve been through leading them to become what they had done to them.

My DP was seriously abused as a child. He’s been told by people, professional people, that they’re surprised that he’s not a rapist/paedophile/wife beater because that’s what he went through and it’s to be expected.

I’ve worked with someone who has actively said that victims of sexual abuse go on to abuse and so we should never trust them.

It’s true that some people who have been abused end up being abusers themselves. But that’s to do with the people they are not the experiences they’ve had. How do you square the fact that plenty of people who haven’t been abused don’t go on to abuse, or people who have been abused don’t go on to abuse.

Won't be long before he pops up asking us all to #BeKind.

How can you advocate forgiveness for someone who isn't even sorry?

Get some therapy OP for the chip on your shoulder.

Good point.

Also: working class, my arse. The man's a millionaire.

Gregg?? Is that you??

Hi, Greg

Um, no.

Just, no.

His behaviour was completely unacceptable.

Quite how he was still presenting in amongst the level of complaints about him is difficult to understand.

He was reprimanded about his behaviour a few years back, but continued in the same vein and did not modify his attitude or behaviour. More fool him.

Karma always has a way of catching up, it might just take a while.

But I do actually think the level of coverage of this has been over the top.

I heard Janet Street Porter on Loose Women today. She has come across him a lot. Twice on that cookery programme. She said he was extremely aggressive - and she is no wallflower! She did say there should be someone watching over the contestants in every show to make sure this does not happen again!

Intimidating women with sexual innuendo, in the workplace. My 40 year old son would not Under any circumstances. Nor my 30 year old. Having sons, as a mother you have a duty to bring them up to be decent human beings. Men and boys are not always crass.

They had to get rid off him after hew edwards

privileged TV luvvies
like a full time job in itself trying to emulate their way of interacting
your joke wasn’t woke enough
middle class luvvies
beneath’ them to even consider doing something about it
only perfect people get to keep their careers
GW hasn’t raped or systematically abused anyone
swarms of pitch-fork waving strangers get to play judge, jury and executioner

Jesus Christ, get a grip on reality.

No, but it is inappropriate in a professional setting and can cost you your job, as Greg has now discovered.