GROWING allegations of inappropriate behaviour by TV star Gregg Wallace sparked calls for beefed-up whistleblowing protections for TV and film workers today.

Head of Bectu union Philippa Childs warned of the industry’s “particularly extreme” power imbalances as former colleagues of the MasterChef presenter claimed he had made “lesbian jokes” and “highly inappropriate” comments.

She said: “The allegations levelled at Gregg Wallace are very serious, as is their scope and the significant time period they span.

“Everyone deserves to work in a safe and respectful environment, free from any form of harassment or inappropriate behaviour.

“And in a sector where power imbalances can be particularly extreme, it’s critical that people feel empowered to come forward with concerns, and without fear that their careers will be adversely impacted.

“But too often historical allegations come to light or open secrets are allowed to fester — it’s clear that more needs to be done to ensure film and TV workers can have confidence that allegations will be taken seriously, investigated and dealt with swiftly, and perpetrators held to account.”

Further allegations against Mr Wallace surfaced today after the BBC announced he would step away from hosting its hit cooking show MasterChef while historical misconduct complaints are externally reviewed by the show’s production company, Banijay UK.

A woman who worked on Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends in 2019 told BBC News that he was “fascinated” that she dated women and asked her the “logistics” of how it worked.

She also said he reportedly talked about sex, domination and spanking, which she said was “highly inappropriate.”

Another woman who worked on the show said he allegedly showed her photos of a woman in her underwear while they were travelling in a car together.

On Thursday, BBC News reported that the 60-year-old faces allegations from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period including former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark.

Ms Wark told the BBC that on two occasions Wallace relayed stories and jokes of a “sexualised nature” in front of contestants.

The TV star’s lawyers say “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.”

A spokesperson for Channel 5, which aired Gregg Wallace’s Big Weekends, said: “We take any allegations of this nature extremely seriously.”

The show’s producers Rumpus Media added: “We do not tolerate inappropriate behaviour on our productions.”