Oh FFS….. Really ?!

I give it a week, max, before you finally snap and grab that cattle prod, roaring “WOOOOOOKE!” across social media like every other grotesque boor that thinks it’s a magic word for excusing their bullshit.

So true.

Bit of a less important point, but where does he get the 4000 contestants figure from?

Celebrity, professionals, amateur MasterChef. A dozen contestants a series, 1 series a year for 20 years, adds up to 720? That’s a long way from 4000.

‘Battle adapted combine harvesters’ is a genius description of middle aged, middle class women.
Is that sexist or complimentary – I can’t tell.

Here Greg, have a bigger spade. You’ll need it dig your hole bigger…

Celebrity, professionals, amateur MasterChef. A dozen contestants a series, 1 series a year for 20 years, adds up to 720? That’s a long way from 4000.

I also wondered this. Unless he and Torode work with the people who apply but never get to the televised stages?

Lying man lies, shock horror.

Middle age women?

Reminded me of this:

https://youtu.be/NBGOryiqZZI?si=Ie91A-D839x-Hifs

A dozen contestants a series

its way more than that. 12 is the second or third round I think

28 amateurs in 2019 a brief google reveals. Plus the celebs (12?) plus the pros (20 odd?)

I’m late to the party but I quite like master chef and always wondered why he was even there… It’s not like he really adds anything of value to the show other than to potentially make it appear a bit less pretentious and a bit more accessible with his more ‘working class banter’.

Coming soon to GBeebies…

Gregg Wallace and Mark Lawrenson do a road trip around good old Blighty in a Range Rover.

“My Aunt’s **** and Another Miserable **** Ride Again”.

The ‘banter’ will be epic. Not.

Awaiting leak of production company’s rushes.

I’m late to the party but I quite like master chef and always wondered why he was even there… It’s not like he really adds anything of value to the show other than to potentially make it appear a bit less pretentious and a bit more accessible with his more ‘working class banter’.

I think you’ve answered your own question there.  He was also the common factor across all the formats (am, pro, celeb) which is an important part of the “brand”.  I suspect he’s more recognisable and nameable by the audience than the chefs.  His “cheeky chappy” persona with some vague food knowledge but not being a chef is actually probably important to the format and its commercial success.  That in no way excuses him behaving like a ****, but it may go some way to explaining why producers didn’t just replace him.  He will actually be quite hard to replace; I’m not 100% sure that the show will survive such a big change amidst a bit of a scandal when it is a bit of a tired format now.  Some producer will possibly try to bring in fresh ideas and kill the show or try to find a new Wallace, but instead of finding truely fresh meat will bring in some C list celeb – perhaps a comedian, and the show will become about them not the contestants/food.

I’m sure he’ll find enough work to keep the wolves from the door, by commentating on things like chlorinated chicken, the importance of farmers to food supply, etc on GB News and even in the tabloid that are currently tearing him to pieces (their enemy is the BBC not Wallace!).  The people who won’t actually learn a lesson here are the producers and production company – but they are essentially complicit.  Contestants and junior production staff are at a huge power disadvantage complaining against one of the judges and still a number of them complained and nothing happened: talent are easily reshuffled before they become part of the scenery.

Just need to get rid of the horrible Monica Galetti and her absurd “skills tests” now.

Just need to get rid of the horrible Monica Galetti and her absurd “skills tests” now

monica only appears on the professional version, I like the skills test and her facial expressions as people who profess to be expert chefs screw them up!

Yeah, the skills tests are my favourite thing about Masterchef the Professionals.

@supernova No mention in the post of age or class of the women. One does not poke the sleeping, hungry, potentially face-eating leopards.

I’m still trying to understand why those complaining have done so to the BBC? The BBC doesn’t make the programme or hire anyone who works on it from the presenters down to the admin assistants.  Surely if you want to complain you would do so at the time and to the people responsible for the programme.

Escalation… you’re assuming that complaints haven’t already been made to the programme makers, both at the time and more recently. I assume they have, and this is the next step when those complaints didn’t result in clear action.

I’m still trying to understand

You’re not, are you.

I’m still trying to understand why those complaining have done so to the BBC?

who complained to BBC and when?

ultimately the BBC spends license/tax payers money commissioning the show so I think they do have an interest in ensuring standards are upheld.

it sounds like a number of people did raise concerns with the production company and little or no action was taken.  Others may not have complained at the time if:

– they were in a competition and complaining about one of the judges
– they were media production crew who are on flimsy employment arrangements
– they thought they were the only person / a one off

Just need to get rid of the horrible Monica Galetti and her absurd “skills tests” now.

Au contraire, Monica is the best thing about Masterchef.

I only (sometimes) watch the Professionals one now, and mainly for her.

Plenty of TV chefs and food-adjacent presenters out there to choose from to replace GW.

I reckon they will go for a woman of a certain age.

Plenty of TV chefs and food-adjacent presenters out there to choose from to replace GW.

Just needs a bit of sally salt and polly pepper!

Don’t tease me like that.

Ainsley would be the dream.

I’ll see your Ainsley and raise you,

I’ll see your Ainsley and raise you,

You know it’s going to be Paddy McGuinness, don’t you? 😀

You know it’s going to be Paddy McGuinness, don’t you?

Hang on. What outspoken celebrity recently got into farming…

I’m still trying to understand why those complaining have done so to the BBC? The BBC doesn’t make the programme or hire anyone who works on it from the presenters down to the admin assistants.  Surely if you want to complain you would do so at the time and to the people responsible for the programme.

OK so I never worked on MasterChef, but I’ve seen how it could happen.

After a series or two they start to put their foot down / throw some weight around either making demands about how things are done, editorial decisions’ etc. They stop asking if you’d like a cup of tea and start asking you to make them one. After 20something series they’re f***ing unbearable. I don’t know if that’s an underlying part of personalities common to people who agree to be on TV, or a version of the Stanford Experiment where the power just gets to them.  There’s one show in particular I can’t believe is still running because the star is known for making junior production staff cry, and the production company staffed it with less and less experienced people both because they weren’t paying enough and because no one wanted to do it twice.  My job was niche enough that I didn’t have to be there very often and didn’t rely on it for a paycheck so I may have eyerolled him when he went off on one, which upset him somewhat….

In that particular case there was no show without him.

I guess with longer running shows you end up in a catch 22, do you do the right thing and out them but admit you’ve been covering it up for 20+ series which makes you look just as bad (the Welby paradox?).  Or do you keep quiet, which appealing especially to indie TV producers because there’s f*** all new stuff being commissioned at the moment and long running shows are a cash cow that keeps the lights on.

In that particular case there was no show without him.

A chat show on Friday nights and there are glasses of wine?

A chat show on Friday nights and there are glasses of wine?

No, AFAIK Graham still has national treasure status but I’ve never worked on that sort of show.

TBH the fact I’m not going to tell you who it is shows you the problem.  I’ve zero skin in the game anymore, but he has a mountain of cash and probably better lawyers.   If he ever gets his day in the tabloids I’ll happily be in the “13 other people have come forward since these allegations were made” but I’m not sticking my neck above the parapet.  PopBitch have touched on it before though so maybe that time will come.

Cougar2Free Member
I’m still trying to understand

You’re not, are you.

Yes I am. Presumably you can’t explain it hence your comment.

You complain to the company that you contracted to appear in the programme with. You complain about other employees at that company. You don’t complain to a third party who neither you or the other participant have a contractual arrangement with.

Fingers crossed for Ainsley.

It’ll send the “no matter what the cause I’m on the side of the anti-woke bloke” lot into an attack of the vapours that will be magnificent to behold.

It’s hard to believe that, in 20 years of straying over the being an out of order prat line fairly regularly, no one ever said “Err, Gregg, that’s a bit too close to the knuckle old chap”. He will have had multiple opportunities to stop being a berk. There will be other former contestants out there too who were pretty pissed off about stuff he did or said and who haven’t made a complaint.

It’s hard to feel too much sympathy. Personally I think this probably wouldn’t have ended his career if it hadn’t been for his doubling-down on Instagram.

It’s hard to believe that, in 20 years of straying over the being an out of order prat line fairly regularly,

Is there any evidence beyond he said she said to support that statement. Or are you just assuming he is guilty. I have no idea if he is guilty or not. Nothing has been shared in public to substantiate either sides case hence investigations are being carried out.

You complain to the company that you contracted to appear in the programme with. You complain about other employees at that company. You don’t complain to a third party who neither you or the other participant have a contractual arrangement with.

so @chrismac do you know for sure that none of the people you claim have complained to the BBC: 1. Complained to the production company?  2. Have no contractual arrangement with the BBC?  The story is not really that Wallace was out of order, it’s that the producers knew he was out of order and did nothing.

Do you think that BBC News had no right to investigate this?  Because that seems to be what you are implying.  Surely any journalist who hears rumours of impropriety and complaints going without action is entitled to investigate that and if there is a story to progress it.  Are you confusing “spoke to a BBC journalist” with “complained to the BBC”.

Yes I am. Presumably you can’t explain it hence your comment.

TBF, when you’re a poster who everyone thinks “I know exactly what their stance will be” as soon as they see the username on this kind of thread…

Then expect to be called out on stuff.

Is there any evidence beyond he said she said to support that statement. Or are you just assuming he is guilty. I have no idea if he is guilty or not. Nothing has been shared in public to substantiate either sides case hence investigations are being carried out.

QED. Thanks for making my point for me a second time.

Touché. You seem to be signed up to the guilty without any knowledge of the facts.  From what I’ve read the bbc have both been spoken to as journalists and complained at as if they are responsible. I have no idea as to who version, if anyone’s, is the truth. If he is found to have done something wrong I expect to see him in court accused. I’m struggling to see why Monica or Marcus would hang around and risk thier reputations if they thought there was something wrong that could tarnish their image.

All I’m suggesting is we wait to see what the outcome of the investigations are rather than sack him and decide who should replace him before we know the facts.

Ooh wait.

Tell Ainsley to hang fire.

What about Jack Monroe?

Now that would be magnifico. The ‘proper blokes’ on Twunter will go into meltdown. It’d be epic.

If he is found to have done something wrong I expect to see him in court accused.

You are unlikely to end up in court for being a a complete knob, he has not been accused of stuff that would end up in court.

Not trying to derail the conversation, but struck by the number of column inches dedicated to GW, versus the almost total non-mention of Conor Mcgregor’s (civil) conviction for a very serious sexual assault.

You complain to the company that you contracted to appear in the programme with. You complain about other employees at that company. You don’t complain to a third party who neither you or the other participant have a contractual arrangement with.

@chrismac honestly, depending on where in the food chain you were then you probably would go to the channel not the production company. If we were talking about everyday production staff then maybe it’d be different. But anything senior or on-screen I’d probably say the channel isn’t the wrong answer.

For starters the channels now have whistleblowing numbers for exactly this sort of shit. They’re on the call sheets.

Secondly if you’re runner/researcher/junior/assistant your complaint will have to pass up through so many pairs of hands who are paid weekly that I can see how it would eventually reach the desk of “well I’m not biting the hand that feeds”. That’s not a slight against people working in TV production, it’s human nature proven time and time again.  Even if it reaches the production company executives they’re then balancing a precarious job that could be canceled at any minute (not in a cancel culture sense, just not commissioned) that pays hundreds of peoples mortgages Vs someone who has probably already moved onto the next gig.

The channel on the other hand is writing the cheques and it’s their name metaphorically above the door. No-one outside the industry knows who Banijay are.  The channel is the the one with the power to tell your boss’ boss’ boss to fire someone.