Stephen Fry has said men in television must consider who may be the "victim or stereotype" at the root of their "light banter" after Gregg Wallace apologised for his response to complaints made about his behaviour.
Author and comedian Fry said it was "unbelievably foolish" of Wallace to publish a video over the weekend in which he claimed the accusations, which include making "inappropriate sexual jokes", came from "a handful of middle-class women of a certain age".
The 60-year-old faces allegations from 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year period, as reported by BBC News on Thursday, with many others since sharing their experiences.
Fry told Sky News Breakfast on Tuesday: "I think if, by now, people who work in television, men who work in television, don’t understand that light banter is no longer something that can be aired in ways unless they think hard about, is there a sort of victim or a stereotype at the root of this banter who might be hurt.
"And it’s just good manners, really. Good manners have changed. In Victorian times, certain things couldn’t be referred to or seen and it was only polite to obey this because people were shocked and upset if things were not respected that they respect.
"And so I think we’ve all just got to realise it’s not about wokeness, it’s just about being sensitive to the atmosphere."
Wallace issued an apology on Monday for any "offence" or "upset" he caused with his statement over the weekend, saying: "I wasn’t in a good headspace when I posted it, I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege yesterday when I posted it."
He added: "It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out now while this investigation is under way. I hope you understand and I do hope you will accept this apology."
Addressing Wallace’s response, which sparked a backlash, Fry said: "It was obviously unbelievably foolish of Gregg Wallace to make that video over the weekend. It really showed that he simply wasn’t understanding.
"Even if he felt that he’d been misunderstood himself, he could surely see that there were some women there who were truly hurt and had felt not listened to, and that he should first of all address that."
The Blackadder actor described the situation as a "collision of generations and attitudes that makes a very ugly noise when they bang together".
Last Thursday, it was announced that Wallace is to step away from the hit BBC cooking show while historical misconduct complaints are externally reviewed by the producer Banijay UK.
Wallace’s lawyers say "it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature".
New episodes of MasterChef: The Professionals, in which Wallace is a judge, will be shown on BBC One on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with the current series airing as planned.
Source: Press Association
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