Kirsty Wark among 13 people to accuse Gregg Wallace of inappropriate behaviour at BBC

Former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark has accused Gregg Wallace of making inappropriate sexual comments, according to BBC News.

Ms Wark is one of 13 people who have made complaints, the broadcaster has revealed. Mr Wallace, 60, is to step away from presenting MasterChef while complaints made to the BBC about historical allegations of misconduct are investigated.

A statement from Masterchef’s production company, Banijay UK, said that Mr Wallace is “committed to fully co-operating throughout the process”. The broadcaster is best known for co-presenting the popular cooking show MasterChef alongside John Torode since 2005, as well as its spin-offs Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.

READ MORE: BBC MasterChef host Gregg Wallace future in doubt as he 'steps away' amid external review

BBC News said it sent a letter to Mr Wallace’s representatives on Tuesday setting out allegations of inappropriate sexual comments by 13 people who worked with him across a range of shows over a 17-year period. Broadcaster Ms Wark, who was a Celebrity MasterChef contestant in 2011, said he told "sexualised" jokes during filming, the BBC said.

She told BBC News that on two occasions during filming, the presenter told stories and jokes of a "sexualised nature" in front of the contestants and crew. The broadcaster said she felt that the comments were "really, really in the wrong place".

A statement from Banijay UK said: "This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows. Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate."

It added: "Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set. Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately."

A BBC spokesman said: "We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them. We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.

"Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them."