BBC’s MasterChef has reportedly hired expert anti-bullying consultants following  Gregg Wallace and John Torode’s scandals.

Gregg stepped down from the hit BBC cooking show in November 2024 after complaints were made about his behaviour and John was sacked in July after he was accused of making a racial comment.

The show’s production company Banijay has now reportedly sought help from Tell Jane, who are HR specialists in bullying, harassment and discrimination.

It is believed that Tell Jane will investigate any inappropriate incidents and an anonymous reporting employee hotline called Speak Up! will be available, according to the Mirror.

Paperwork seen by the publication details three new additions to employee procedures – Safeguarding Reps (on productions), Confidential Reps (core staff) and a confidential Speak Up! hotline.

‘Our people (both core staff and those working on our productions) are encouraged to seek support or raise concerns or issues with senior management, our HR team, Safeguarding Reps (on productions), Confidential Reps (core staff) or our confidential Speak Up! hotline,’ paperwork submitted this month details.

BBC’s MasterChef has reportedly hired expert anti-bullying consultants following Gregg Wallace and John Torode’s behaviour scandals 

Gregg stepped down in November 2024 after complaints were made about his behaviour and John was sacked in July after he was accused of making a racial comment

‘We have engaged a third party, Tell Jane, across all unscripted and scripted productions to offer a confidential and independent whistleblowing service alongside our own internally run service.’

A Banijay spokesperson told the publication: ‘Banijay UK provides multiple ways for staff and freelancers to raise issues when working on productions. This includes our own confidential whistleblowing line and external employee support lines, including Tell Jane.’

The Daily Mail has contacted the BBC for a comment.  

Food critic Grace Dent and chef Anna Haugh will replace Gregg and John for the next series.  

Gregg is said to have lodged a lawsuit at London’s High Court and has vowed he will ‘not go quietly’. 

The TV host is now seeking the release of hundreds of pages of secrets documents which he believes will help clear his name and earn back millions in lost earnings. 

It is also claimed his lawsuit could pave the way for Gregg to launch a multi-million pound disability claim against the BBC. 

A source told The Sun: ‘Things could go nuclear. Gregg previously applied to see all the paperwork concerning him but was blocked by the BBC.

The show’s production company Banijay has now reportedly sought help from Tell Jane, who are HR specialists in bullying, harassment and discrimination 

Gregg is said to have lodged his lawsuit at London’s High Court and has vowed he will ‘not go quietly’ 

‘This is why he’s had to go legal. This is the first, major step towards Gregg taking serious action.

‘Gregg’s team believe that once they have the correspondence in front of them their case – and next steps – will become clear. For the BBC, it’s an HR nightmare waiting to happen.’

The insider also said Gregg is preparing to launch a disability claim which would likely focus on his autism with which he was diagnosed in January.

He previously said nothing was done to investigate his ‘neurodiversity’ while he was working on MasterChef. 

‘My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef,’ he said in a statement. 

‘Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years. That failure is now being quietly buried.’

A BBC spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘We have not been formally notified of any legal proceedings so at this stage we are unable to comment.’

The Daily Mail has also contacted representatives of Gregg Wallace for comment. 

Gregg was fired after more than 45 complaints against him were upheld following a BBC investigation

It comes after BBC Director-General Tim Davie admitted ‘we may see more things coming out’ after he was asked for assurance there won’t be another ‘scandal of BBC talent abusing their position’.

Australian-born chef John also lost his job on the show after two decades over allegations that he used the N-word. 

Gregg stepped down from the hit BBC cooking show after complaints were made about his behaviour and 45 of those 83 complaints were upheld following a report into his conduct. In total, 41 people complained. 

The review concluded that the ‘majority of the substantiated allegations against Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour’.

It added that ‘a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated’, with ‘one incident of unwelcome physical contact’ also substantiated.

The former Eat Well for Less? presenter told The Sun that while he didn’t deny being guilty of some of the claims, he believed things had been ‘perceived incorrectly’.

Gregg claimed that he had worked with around 4,000 people, meaning that just 0.5 per cent of those he has worked with ‘found fault with me’.

He said his actions were the result of learned behaviour and workplace culture and claimed that his recent autism diagnosis also played a role.

‘I know I am odd. I know I struggle to read people. I know people find me weird. Autism is a disability, a registered disability,’ he said.

Gregg has previously said he felt the BBC failed to provide enough support for his condition during his 20 years working on MasterChef.

‘My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef,’ he said.

‘Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years.’