Stephen Fry has said men in television must consider who may be the “victim or stereotype” at the root of their “light banter” after Gregg Wallace apologised for his response to complaints made about his behaviour.
Author and comedian Fry said it was “unbelievably foolish” of Wallace to publish a video over the weekend in which he claimed the accusations, which include making “inappropriate sexual jokes”, came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”.
The 60-year-old faces allegations from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News on Thursday, with many others since sharing their experiences.
Fry told Sky News Breakfast on Tuesday: “I think if, by now, people who work in television, men who work in television, don’t understand that light banter is no longer something that can be aired in ways unless they think hard about, is there a sort of victim or a stereotype at the root of this banter who might be hurt.
“And it’s just good manners, really. Good manners have changed. In Victorian times, certain things couldn’t be referred to or seen and it was only polite to obey this because people were shocked and upset if things were not respected that they respect.
“And so I think we’ve all just got to realise it’s not about wokeness, it’s just about being sensitive to the atmosphere.”
Wallace issued an apology on Monday for any “offence” or “upset” he caused with his statement over the weekend, saying: “I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it, I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it.”
He added: “It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out now while this investigation is under way. I hope you understand and I do hope you will accept this apology.”
His apology came after it sparked a backlash, with Downing Street saying his response to the accusations was “inappropriate and misogynistic”.
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Addressing Wallace’s response, Fry said: “It was obviously unbelievably foolish of Gregg Wallace to make that video over the weekend. It really showed that he simply wasn’t understanding.
“Even if he felt that he’d been misunderstood himself, he could surely see that there were some women there who were truly hurt and had felt not listened to, and that he should first of all address that.”
The Blackadder actor described the situation as a “collision of generations and attitudes that makes a very ugly noise when they bang together”.
Last Thursday, it was announced that Wallace is to step away from the hit BBC cooking show while historical misconduct complaints are externally reviewed by the producer Banijay UK.
Wallace’s lawyers say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
New episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals, in which Wallace is a judge, will be shown on BBC One on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with the current series airing as planned.
“MasterChef is life-changing for the chefs that take part and the show is about more than one individual,” a BBC spokesman said.
Labour MP Jess Phillips has said she is comfortable with MasterChef continuing to air while Wallace is investigated over his behaviour.
She told BBC Breakfast: “Gregg Wallace isn’t the only person on MasterChef, if it was just the Gregg Wallace show, then I could understand that you would immediately go ‘Yeah, just take it off the air’.
“But it is a launchpad for quite a lot of young chefs. It’s not for me to decide what the BBC chooses to air or not.”
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has also held talks with BBC bosses in the wake of the Wallace investigation.
In response to reports that multiple complaints had been raised with the BBC, a source for the corporation said it would not comment on individuals or any internal HR processes but that it would be “wrong to report the BBC has done nothing if or when matters have been raised with us – not least because it is already being widely reported there were interventions in both 2017 and 2018 where action was taken”.
Allegations were also raised to BBC News by staff members about Wallace’s behaviour on Channel 5’s Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends.
In an updated statement on Monday evening, a spokesperson from production company Rumpus Media said: “We’ve undertaken a close review of the production of Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends Away which finished in 2021 when Rumpus was under different ownership.
“We don’t tolerate inappropriate behaviour and the welfare of our colleagues is a priority.
“If any crew member from this production would like to get in touch regarding their experience we would encourage them to email talktous_rumpus@stv.tv on a confidential basis.”
Production company Banijay UK confirmed it has appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead an investigation into Wallace’s alleged behaviour.
