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Gregg Wallace, formerly a presenter on MasterChef, is seeking damages of up to £10,000 from the BBC. According to court documents, Wallace alleges the broadcaster caused him “distress and harassment” by not fulfilling his request for copies of his personal data.
The legal action against the BBC and BBC Studios follows Wallace’s dismissal from the cooking programme in July.
His departure occurred after a report substantiated over 40 allegations regarding his conduct on MasterChef, including claims of unwelcome physical contact and instances of being improperly dressed.
Wallace previously expressed “deep sorrow for any distress” caused and stated he “never set out to harm or humiliate” anyone.
The BBC and BBC Studios have stated they will not comment on ongoing legal proceedings. They have submitted a defense to the claim, the details of which are not yet publicly available.
BBC News maintains editorial independence from the broader BBC corporation.
In High Court filings, Wallace claims he requested “personal data” from both the BBC and its subsidiary, BBC Studios, in March, citing data protection laws.
Both data requests pertained to his “work, contractual relations, and conduct” over a 21-year period.
According to the court documents, Wallace alleges the BBC deemed his request “complex” and requested an extension to the standard one-month deadline for providing such information.
The documents state that in August, the BBC emailed Wallace, apologizing for the delay and stating they were “taking all reasonable steps” to process the request “in a timely manner,” yet he has not received a response.
Furthermore, the documents allege that BBC Studios informed Wallace it was withholding portions of his data, citing “freedom of expression.”
However, Wallace claims they “unlawfully failed to supply all of the claimant’s personal data” and had “wrongly redacted” information.
“By reason of the defendants failing to fully comply with the [subject access request] made by the claimant for his own personal data, the defendants acted in breach of their statutory duty and in doing so caused distress and harassment to the claimant,” he stated.
He is seeking damages “not exceeding £10,000” for “distress, harassment and loss of amenity,” as well as interest.
Wallace is also seeking a court order compelling the BBC and BBC Studios to comply with his data requests.
Representatives for Wallace have been contacted for comment.
Wallace hosted MasterChef for two decades, leaving the show last year following misconduct allegations.
Banijay, the show’s production company, initiated an immediate inquiry into the allegations, conducted by an independent law firm.
The law firm’s report, released this summer, revealed that 45 claims against Wallace were substantiated.
In total, the report detailed 83 allegations against the TV presenter. The majority of upheld claims pertained to inappropriate sexual language and humor, but also included culturally insensitive or racist comments.
Following the report, Wallace issued a statement to the PA news agency, asserting that “none of the serious allegations against me were upheld.”
A separate claim that his co-host John Torode used a severely offensive racist term was also substantiated. Torode has stated he has “no recollection” of the incident.
Both presenters were dismissed in July.
Last month, it was announced that food critic Grace Dent and chef Anna Haugh would be the new hosts of MasterChef.
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