The video presents the account of Shannon Kyle, a ghostwriter who describes the alleged inappropriate and harassing behavior she experienced from Greg Wallace during the period she was working on his autobiography. The narrative is centered on her allegations of sexual harassment, including instances where Wallace reportedly made graphic comments and behaved inappropriately, such as answering the door in a towel and dropping it during one of their interviews.

Shannon Kyle chose to speak out about her experiences despite having signed a non-disclosure agreement, which initially deterred her from reporting the incidents. Her decision to break her silence is rooted in her desire to confront what she perceives as a culture of minimizing such behaviors, particularly because of the protection provided to Wallace by his celebrity status. Kyle's story is set in the context of wider societal issues regarding sexual harassment in the workplace and the pressures faced by victims to remain silent.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. revolting [rɪˈvoʊltɪŋ] - (adjective) - Causing intense disgust; repulsive. - Synonyms: (appalling, disgusting, offensive)

Shannon Kyle describes Greg Wallace's behaviour towards her in 2012 as revolting misogyny, predatory and sexual harassment.

2. misogyny [mɪˈsɒdʒɪni] - (noun) - Dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. - Synonyms: (sexism, chauvinism, discrimination against women)

Shannon Kyle describes Greg Wallace's behaviour towards her in 2012 as revolting misogyny, predatory and sexual harassment.

3. predatory [ˈprɛdətɔːri] - (adjective) - Seeking to exploit others. - Synonyms: (exploitive, rapacious, aggressive)

Shannon Kyle describes Greg Wallace's behaviour towards her in 2012 as revolting misogyny, predatory and sexual harassment.

4. humiliate [hjuːˈmɪlieɪt] - (verb) - Make (someone) feel ashamed and foolish by injuring their dignity and pride. - Synonyms: (embarrass, disgrace, shame)

They're almost like little grenades, word grenades, you know, that I think are designed to humiliate.

5. Non-Disclosure Agreement (Nda) [nɒn-dɪˈskloʊʒər əˈɡriːmənt] - (noun) - A legal contract between parties to keep certain information confidential. - Synonyms: (confidentiality agreement, secrecy agreement, proprietary information agreement)

However, I'd signed a contract and that was essentially an NDA.

6. contemporaneous [kənˌtem.pəˈreɪ.ni.əs] - (adjective) - Existing or occurring in the same period of time; contemporary. - Synonyms: (coexisting, simultaneous, concurrent)

You told her what he had said to you. Yeah. So they can. contemporaneous notes because they were so shocking.

7. testament [ˈtɛstəmənt] - (noun) - Evidence or proof of something's existence or truth. - Synonyms: (testimony, witness, evidence)

I'm a testament that there's more to this.

8. complicit [kəmˈplɪs.ɪt] - (adjective) - Involved with others in an illegal activity or wrongdoing. - Synonyms: (colluding, conniving, conspiratorial)

It's like he's been, you know, shielded. You know, just in many ways, the BBC have been complicit by making him this, you know, a larger than life character.

9. excruciating [ɪkˈskruːʃieɪtɪŋ] - (adjective) - Causing great pain or anguish; extremely severe. - Synonyms: (agonizing, intense, unbearable)

This has been one of the most difficult and testing and almost excruciating decisions I've ever had to make.

10. minimizing [ˈmɪnɪˌmaɪzɪŋ] - (verb) - To reduce something to the smallest possible amount or degree. - Synonyms: (diminishing, downplaying, belittling)

What I couldn't stomach was this minimizing his behavior and trying to pass it off as something that's not aggressive or designed to humiliate.

Gregg Wallace’s ghostwriter says he sexually harassed her

Shannon Kyle is 47. At the time she was hired to pen Greg Wallace's autobiography, Life on a plate. She was 35. Says she was freelance, a single parent and living in a council flat. She signed a contract which stated that, quote, the writer understands that Wallis enjoys a high public profile and that her obligations to him of loyalty and confidentiality are therefore of particular significance.

In the only interview she's going to give, Ms. Kyle describes Greg Wallace's behaviour towards her in 2012 as revolting misogyny, predatory and sexual harassment. We put Ms. Kyle's allegations to Mr. Wallace's lawyers. They told us he specifically denies any sexual misconduct with Ms. Kyle. We're going to play her interview in just a moment and I want to let you know that parts of the conversation are sometimes graphic. Shannon Kyle told me that her decision to speak out on camera on Newsnight Tonight has been one of the most difficult she's ever had to make. But she says she wanted to because she couldn't stomach what she called the minimizing of Greg Wallace's behaviour.

Mr. Wallace is one of the BBC's most high profile presenters, hosting shows like MasterChef and Inside the Factory. The nature of my conversation with Shannon Kyle means that some of the language is sexually graphic. We thought it was important you heard her claims in full. He had a very busy schedule filming for MasterChef at the time, so I just had to fit around whatever he was doing. I think it was in maybe the second or third interview, he started to talk about his love life and he was dating lots of different women. And he started telling me about these dates, who the women were, where he met them, and then in very graphic details, what sexual acts they had done together.

Can I ask for an example? Yeah, there was lots of examples. He talked about spanking a lot. He also talked about one of his girlfriends on all fours in front of a mirror. He talked just incredibly sexual detail, which at the time it was just so shocking because it was completely unnecessary for the book. On one occasion you went to his flat to interview him. Is that usual? Would you normally go to someone's home to carry out these kind of interviews before writing their book? Yeah, I mean, you can do. You obviously have to get quite close to your author and, you know, you meet them at a place that they're relaxed and comfortable in.

So when he asked me to go to his flat, I didn't think there's anything particularly odd about that. When I arrived at his flat at the allotted time, when he opened the door, he was Completely naked, except for a towel around his waist. And I think he might have even said something to that effect. He said, oh, you know, so I said, oh, I'll come back later, you're not ready. And he said, oh, no, I've just been to the gym, I've just had a shower, you know, don't mind me. And then he sort of took me into the living room and I kind of said, look, can you just go and get dressed? And I just felt pretty kind of uncomfortable at that point. So I sat on the sofa to wait for him and then he disappeared.

And then he came back and he said, oh, actually my trousers that I need, I've left them there. And it was right. They were just folded behind the cushion that I was sat on. And at that point I did actually even wonder, like, did he plant those? Is that, you know, and then, and then I kind of looked up and then he dropped the towel. So I just. In front of you. In front of me and I had a notebook. So I just put it like this and I just said, just go and get dressed. And then he did, he went off and got dressed.

And what did you think was going on? Well, I mean, at that point I thought this is just a bit of a nightmare job, essentially. You know, the deadline was so tight, we didn't have very much interview time together. I really had to make the most of it. And I was. It was at that point that I thought maybe I should tell somebody because, you know, this is obviously inappropriate behavior. It's, you know, making me feel incredibly uncomfortable. However, I'd signed a contract and that was essentially an NDA. It's a non disclosure agreement where you can't talk about anything, you can't tell anybody. And one of the very first clauses in the contract actually stated that the writer understands that Wallace enjoys a high public profile and that her obligations to him of loyalty and confidentiality are therefore of particular significance.

And also I was worried about losing the job because I'd given up other work for this job. So I thought to myself, you know, I'm just going to try and navigate this. We'll just try and push on through, see what happens. How would you describe that behavior of the towel and the towel dropping? Like, could it have been an accident? I mean, it was definitely not an accident. I mean, it was. I think it was planned. I think he planned to answer the door with just a towel. And I think he might have even planted those trousers next to me. Why?

I mean, at the time I just thought he's just desperate for attention. He'd been talking about wanting to meet someone. He'd been talking about he'd been going to the gym and he was looking better and all this sort of thing. So I just thought, oh, he's just kind of trying it on, really. I mean, obviously it was an extreme way to do that. But how would you describe how that behavior made you feel? Well, I mean, it was quite disgusting. I mean, it was. I felt quite vulnerable because I'm on my own in a flat with a man who's naked. And it was just highly unexpected. I mean, I just.

It was then I realized, actually, that, you know, the rumors that I'd had possibly heard about him, and I think he always had this sort of cheeky reputation or whatever. I realized this is something beyond that. Are there other things that he said to you that took you aback? Yes, he said several things to me, actually, which I'd actually like to read out. And you were able to read them out because you wrote these in an email to a friend. You told her what he had said to you. Yeah. So they can. contemporaneous notes because they were so shocking. You know, before I read it out, I just want to point out that, you know, when these words were said to me, they literally made my stomach curl. You know, I was literally just like.

They're almost like little grenades, word grenades, you know, that I think are designed to humiliate. And I think that saying them aloud, you know, almost feels shameful. But I want to point out that I want to now pass that shame back to the person who actually said them. So this is what Greg Wallace said to me in a restaurant. If you won't let me sleep with you, would you lick my. And after rejecting his advances, he said I should keep an open mind and he'd keep his knob clean next time. When I was out eating dinner with him one day, I had eaten mess for dessert. And while I was eating this, he suddenly asked me, what would you think if I put some of the Eton Mess you're eating on my willy then? Oh, my God.

So how did you react when he said those things? Well, I mean, when he asked about the Eton Mess, I actually said, I think you look pretty stupid. I mean, what I really wanted you to do was just push the Eton Mess across the table and let it land in his lap and walk out and never see him again. It's just. I understood what was happening because I understood that. I mean, I've never come across this before because, you know, this is sexual harassment almost of a different genre? But it's like, you know, these. These little word grenades are designed to see my reaction. So I tried not to react. I tried to brush them off. I tried to laugh or change the subject.

What were you thinking? They were in your head. You weren't laughing. Oh, God, no. I mean, it was just really revolting and sickening. It wasn't attractive. It was obscene. It was, you know, obviously designed to cause discomfort of some sort. Were there any other occasions similar to that? We did this interview, and then when we stood up, stood up to say goodbye, he went in for this hug. His face was just right next to mine, and we're about the same height, and I just completely froze.

And then he just kind of said right into my ear, go on, just give me a little kiss. Just give me a little. Just a little one. And I just paused. And then, you know, he either let go or I kind of pushed him off a little bit. And. And then I just really quickly wanted to get away. I just said, look, I'm going now. And I was. I mean, I was in tears. I left very quickly. There may be someone listening to you, watching you right now, thinking, that's the point at which you leave this job because it's not worth it.

Exactly. What would you say to them for me to have stood up and gone, oh, you know what? He made this really awful pass at me. I don't want to have to navigate this anymore. I'm not doing it. That was, you know, that's the difficulty, isn't it? You know, I turned down other work. I was relying on this income. Did I do that, or did I just, once again, push on through? And after that, when you had left his flat and were in tears, was that the only time you say he touched you inappropriately?

No, there was another occasion in his sports car. He persuaded me to go out for dinner, and I made it very clear it was not a date, it was just a dinner for the interview. And he got a sports car that had been loaned to him, and he wanted to use it to drive there. And I said I'd meet him there, but he insisted that it was just a very short drive. So got into the car, and then every time he was changing the gear stick, he would just give my thigh a rub or the knee. And it was just so kind of nonchalant. I was a bit like, oh, my God.

It's almost like I was making a fuss by saying, get off me. But I did. I kind of moved away and I said, just stop. After that dinner, when you'd carried on interviewing him, you got back into that sports car because he was going to give you the short lift home. What happened then? So he started trying to touch my knee and my thigh again. And it was at this point I just. I just lost my temper because I really had had enough. I was so angry and I said, if you touch me again, I will. I think I said, either hit or slap you. And he did. He stopped.

He stopped completely and he didn't try it again. One of the last interviews that you did with Greg Wallace for the book was in Birmingham. He was appearing at the Good Food Show. What happened there? Yes. So after he had appeared on stage, we did a short interview together in the hotel. And then after that, my bro, lived in Birmingham at the time, came to pick me up. I saw my brother turned to say goodbye, and then as I was either walking towards the car and he followed me, or just before I started walking, I could feel him touching me around my backside.

And my brother saw it. And so when I got in the car, he actually said, I just saw him do that. And I was. And actually out of everything that happened, that was the thing that was most mortifying and humiliating because it was my younger brother who saw it and I was just so sort of in a fluster. I just said, just put your foot down. Just get out of here. When the allegations about Greg Wallace's inappropriate comments emerged last week, what did you think? Initially, I actually thought, wow, this is a long time coming.

I mean, I was just. You've been expecting it. Yeah. I mean, I couldn't believe that it's taken this long. I'd almost sort of completely given up hope that one day the reality would come out. It's like he's been, you know, shielded. You know, just in many ways, the BBC have been complicit by making him this, you know, a larger than life character. You know, I mean, the stuff he said to me, that isn't cheeky barrow boy cockney humor, that's. That's revolting misogyny. And I think that for so long, people have known this has been going on. They've turned a blind eye, they have not spoken out.

Why have you chosen to speak out now? This has been one of the most difficult and testing and almost excruciating decisions I've ever had to make. I'm a ghostwriter and an introvert. I mean, I sit at home and I write books for people. I don't like to be in the spotlight. I'm not being paid for this interview. I'm not going to do any more interviews. But I felt absolutely compelled to speak out because if women don't speak out, this is why these men get away with it.

For years and years and years, when I heard some of the allegations, people started to say, these are just lewd comments. He's just a bit of a cheeky chappie. No, there's more to this. I'm a testament that there's more to this. And if I can't speak out as a middle aged, middle class woman that I am now, I wasn't back then, but I am now, then I'll never speak out. I've got two daughters and two nieces and I want to be able to look them in the eye and say, I tried to do the right thing.

Greg Wallace's lawyers have told the BBC that, quote, it is entirely false that he engages in behavior of a sexually harassing nature. What do you say to that? Well, it's not true. I mean, that's why I'm here, because I want people to hear the truth. And the fact is that he does sexually harass people and his behavior is predatory and hiding Behind act on MasterChef. I mean, how long can that go on for? I was there as his ghostwriter. I can only tell my story.

And if it even shifts the dial even slightly and the culture that we seem to think is acceptable, then it will be worth it. The BBC says any behavior which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated. They've pulled the two MasterChef Christmas specials in a change of heart from the BBC's earlier position. What do you think of how the BBC has handled this? Well, I mean, again, the MasterChef episodes have only been pulled after there's been a bit of an outcry on social media.

You know, I mean, I can only talk from my experience, but what I couldn't stomach was this minimizing his behavior and trying to pass it off as something that's not aggressive or designed to humiliate, because it is. And if Greg Wallace was watching you now, what would you say to him? Whew. I would say he needs help. I would say this has gone on for long enough. You know, can all these women be wrong? Is he the one that's right here? I actually can't bear the thought of him watching this. And probably.

I mean, I have no idea what he's going to think of this. There's part of me that wonders if he'll even remember, because to him it was just like, so natural to behave in this way, it seemed. So I would just say, go and get help. Thank you. Thank you. Well, in a statement, Greg Wallace's lawyers told Newsnight, Mr. Wallace has denied that he has engaged in any such behaviour and he specifically denies any sexual misconduct with Ms. Kyle. A BBC spokesperson said, in recent days, there's been concerning allegations made via the media about the alleged conduct of Greg Wallace, many of which relate to shows made for the BBC. The production company Banerjee UK launched a review because they have direct contractual relationship with Greg Wallace. We'll provide whatever assistance we can to that investigation.

MISOGYNY, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, INTERVIEWS, BBC, MEDIA, INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR, BBC NEWSNIGHT