Masterchef should be paused after Wallace allegations, says MP

The BBC should see pausing Masterchef portion Gregg Wallace is investigated, an MP has suggested.

Rupa Huq, who is besides a subordinate of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said the continued broadcast of Masterchef could beryllium "triggering" for the women involved.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today, she said: "I deliberation perchance determination is an statement for pausing portion this probe takes its course, and possibly not airing it tonight."

Wallace has denied behaviour of a sexually harassing nature, aft 13 radical came guardant past week with allegations of inappropriate comments.

Currently, the adjacent occurrence of Mastechef: The Professionals is scheduled to aerial astatine 21:00 GMT connected Monday connected BBC One.

It volition beryllium the 16th occurrence of the 21 which person been recorded for the existent series. The adjacent 2 episodes are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday.

There are besides much than 250 episodes of humanities programmes featuring Wallace disposable to ticker connected BBC iPlayer, the bulk of which are Masterchef oregon its spin-offs.

On Sunday, Wallace said the accusations had travel from a "handful of middle-class women of a definite age".

His effect was criticised by his accusers, 1 of whom said the comments showed helium "clearly hasn't learnt his lesson".

Huq told Today: "I recognize it's scheduled for 9pm contiguous [Monday], and it's already successful the Christmas schedules, but it seems to beryllium not going distant from the news."

She added the broadcast of further episodes of Masterchef "could beryllium massively triggering for the women involved, successful information immoderate pistillate progressive successful immoderate benignant of akin incidents", and said the BBC should see pausing the bid "out of sensitivity".

Huq, the sister of TV presenter Konnie, acknowledged that Wallace had stepped backmost from presenting the show, but noted the pre-recorded episodes are inactive scheduled to air.

"To the casual viewer, there's not going to beryllium immoderate difference," she said. "If it's connected TV tonight, it looks similar helium benignant of got distant with it, and I deliberation the BBC should nonstop a beardown awesome [about] this benignant of behaviour."

She added: "We request to fto the probe bash its work, but astatine the aforesaid time, if he's being dangled connected our screens portion this is going on, I conscionable deliberation astatine the infinitesimal possibly intermission it."

Wallace stepped speech past week aft a BBC News probe revealed allegations of inappropriate intersexual comments and inappropriate behaviour against him.

The probe heard from 13 radical spanning a scope of ages, who worked crossed 5 antithetic shows.

Production institution Banijay UK said it has launched an investigation, with which Wallace was co-operating, portion the BBC has said it volition “always perceive if radical privation to marque america alert of thing directly”.

The BBC News probe besides recovered that Wallace was warned by the BBC aft a ailment was raised astir him successful 2018 astir the amusement Impossible Celebrities, thing Huq referred to connected Monday.

"Apparently this is not the archetypal time, determination were warnings before," she said.

"So it does rise the question that erstwhile these BBC investigations person happened, what was the consequence? Were they taking the conclusions seriously, [or] did they person their fingers successful their ears?"