BBC under scrutiny as 'MasterChef' host Gregg Wallace apologizes over misconduct allegations

The British government's culture secretary has held talks with the BBC as the broadcaster comes under growing scrutiny after one of its TV hosts drew an angry backlash for dismissing sexual misconduct allegations against him.

The British government's culture secretary has held talks with the BBC as the broadcaster comes under growing scrutiny after one of its TV hosts drew an angry backlash for dismissing sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Gregg Wallace, a long-time co-presenter on the popular cooking contest show "MasterChef," is facing allegations from multiple women that he made inappropriate sexual comments and behaved inappropriately on set over 17 years.

Wallace, 60, said last week he was stepping away from the show while an investigation was launched into his alleged behaviour. But his case received further attention Sunday, when he said in a social media post that the complaints came from "a handful of middle-class women of a certain age."

His comments angered some of the women who made complaints against him. A spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office described Wallace's remarks as "completely inappropriate and misogynistic."

The spokesperson, Dave Pares, said Monday that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy was seeking assurances from the BBC that the publicly funded broadcaster handled such complaints about workplace culture properly.

Wallace apologized for his comments on Instagram on Monday, saying he needs to "take some time out."

The BBC has faced questions on how it handles sexual misconduct allegations and how Wallace had continued to front some of its most popular shows for so long despite the complaints.