BBC rejects Gregg Wallace's harassment damages claim

The BBC has said Gregg Wallace is not "entitled to any damages", in response to a legal claim filed by the former MasterChef host last month.

Wallace is taking legal action against the BBC and BBC Studios after being sacked from the cooking show in July.

The presenter is seeking up to £10,000 in damages for "distress and harassment" he says the broadcaster caused by failing to comply with a request for copies of his personal data.

In its defence filed at the High Court, the BBC said it denied that he "has suffered any distress or harassment" as a result of its responses to his requests.

It also argued that Wallace pursued his claim without giving it prior notice, and added that the BBC provided him with a copy of the personal data to which it says he was entitled on 7 October.

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In court documents filed by Wallace, he claimed that he requested "personal data" from both the BBC and its subsidiary, BBC Studios, under data protection laws in March.

Both requests related to his "work, contractual relations and conduct" spanning 21 years.

Wallace's documents said that as of 5 September, he had still not received any of his personal information from the BBC.

They further claimed that BBC Studios told Wallace it was withholding parts of his data on the basis of "freedom of expression". Wallace claimed it had "unlawfully failed to supply" all of his data, and had "wrongly redacted" information.

He is seeking damages for "distress, harassment and loss of amenity not exceeding £10,000" as well as interest.

In its defence, the BBC has said it gave Wallace earlier this month a copy of his personal data to which he was entitled under UK data protection rules.

It said BBC Studios has now also given Wallace the information that was previously withheld, except from where such information amounted to the personal data of third parties.

"That voluntary disclosure demonstrates that the claimant has no basis to claim damages for distress (or otherwise) in respect of the withholding of such information," it said.

"It is denied that the claimant is entitled to any damages, interest or other relief," it added.

Wallace's representatives have been approached for a comment. The BBC declined to comment.

BBC News is editorially independent from the wider corporation.

Complaints

Wallace hosted MasterChef for 20 years, but stepped away from presenting the show last year after facing a string of misconduct claims.

The show's production company Banijay ordered an inquiry, which heard 83 allegations against the TV presenter.

Of those, 45 were upheld, including one of unwelcome physical contact and three of being in a state of undress. Most related to inappropriate sexual language and humour, and also culturally insensitive or racist comments.

In response, he said he was "deeply sorry for any distress" he caused and that he "never set out to harm or humiliate", but that "none of the serious allegations against me were upheld".

A separate claim that his co-host John Torode had used a severely offensive racist term was also substantiated. Torode has said he has "no recollection" of the incident.

Both presenters were sacked in July.

Last month, it was revealed that food critic Grace Dent and chef Anna Haugh are the new hosts of MasterChef.