Gregg Wallace ‘fascinated by my sex life and made lesbian jokes’

One of Britain’s biggest trade unions says it was aware of allegations about Wallace’s behaviour.

“I’d like to say I’m surprised by these reports, but… I guess my reaction is it was a matter of when, not if these stories started to emerge,” Philippa Childs, head of Bectu, told BBC News.

She said it was difficult for freelancers to be able to make complaints because of the precarious nature of the industry.

“They’re always concerned about where their next job is coming from or indeed are they going to be able to establish themselves in the industry,” she said.

“So there is quite a tendency not to report, to feel that it’s not safe to report, to feel that even if they do report, the production company or the broadcaster are not going to take them seriously and are not going to take action because of the power that people on screen might hold.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, former BBC One controller Lorraine Heggessey said Wallace was “the latest in a long line of presenters behaving badly”.

She said she was “particularly concerned” that the issues had been raised and investigated, “and yet the behaviour was allowed to continue”.

“Somehow we’ve got a culture, I guess because it started in showbiz, of pandering to those who are in front of camera, and letting them get away with behaviour that other people in teams would not be allowed to get away with,” she said.

Also on Friday, the charity Ambitious About Autism dropped Wallace as an ambassador.