The BBC has faced fresh questions over its handling of allegations against Gregg Wallace after emails emerged showing it had been warned about Wallace in 2017.

According to the Sunday Timespublicist Aasmah Mir complained about inappropriate comments Wallace allegedly made while filming Celebrity MasterChef.

But this week, a BBC News investigation uncovered a series of allegations of inappropriate sexual comments and inappropriate behavior against the presenter; some of these related to events after Mir’s complaint.

While Wallace’s lawyers vehemently denied that he had committed sexual harassment, the BBC said it would “always listen if people want to inform us directly about something”.

Mir said he complained to the BBC about Gregg Wallace’s remarks on the set of the cooking show.

BBC executive Kate Phillips, who now heads unscripted programs for the company, said in an internal email that his behavior on set was “unacceptable and cannot continue”.

He added that he would ensure that he was “immediately informed” if further allegations were made against him.

Mir later sent a copied email to Phillips, saying: “This should never happen to another woman again.”

Separately, the Observer said a letter containing multiple allegations of inappropriate behavior by Gregg Wallace was sent to the BBC in 2022, but did not result in further investigation at the time.

On Thursday, MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK, said Wallace would step down from presenting the show while allegations of historic misconduct are investigated.

Banijay added that the 60-year-old was “committed to cooperating fully throughout the process.”

It comes after BBC News sent a letter to Wallace’s representatives setting out the allegations, which we heard from 13 people over a 17-year period.

One of them was broadcaster Kirsty Wark, who was a Celebrity MasterChef contestant in 2011 and said she made “sexualised” jokes during filming.

Since then, more people have made claims about the presenter.

On Saturday evening, Wallace posted on Instagram: “We are all different.”

His lawyers said it was completely wrong for him to engage in sexually harassing behavior.

The BBC said it had “robust processes” for dealing with issues if they were raised.

Earlier on Saturday, MasterChef producers announced they had appointed a “rigorous” law firm to lead the investigation into Wallace’s alleged misconduct.

Commenting on the appointment of London law firm Lewis Silkin, a Banijay UK spokesman said it was a “highly experienced specialist investigation team that has overseen a wide range of high-profile workplace investigations”.