The BBC has commented after MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace lashed out on social media about the corporation in the wake of allegations being made against him. A BBC spokesperson said: “Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.” Banijay UK has declined to comment on Wallace’s comments.

Wallace claimed he had been dismissed from the BBC on June 8 following a comprehensive nine-month investigation into allegations of misconduct by the show’s production company, Banijay UK. He said the inquiry examined various claims made against him, but ultimately, he claimed he was exonerated of the most severe accusations, including those related to groping. The 60-year-old stepped away from the BBC cooking competition, which he hosted with Australian chef John Torode after a number of historical complaints came to light last year. He issued a lengthy statement on Instagram today after being informed of the decision by Banijay. His announcement came in advance of the release of the official findings.

The report is due out on Thursday, but the greengrocer turned TV host appears to have been informed early of the findings.

“I have taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkins report – a decision I do not take lightly,” he wrote. “But after 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others. I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me.

“The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.”

His rant continued as he claimed the report “exonerates me of all the serious allegations” and only confirms the use of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018.

He continued: “I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for (online) clicks.

“I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all. For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand. Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem. My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef.

“Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over twenty years. That failure is now being quietly buried.” He concluded defiantly by stating he “will not go quietly.”

He wrote:”I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience. I was tried by media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established. The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest.”