Paddy McGuinness has spoken out about replacing Gregg Wallace on Inside the Factory, after the Masterchef presenter quit the show following a series of allegations
Paddy McGuinness has revealed the real reason he replaced Gregg Wallace on BBC show Inside the Factory.
Gregg, 60, quit the show in 2023 after seven series, saying he wanted to spend more time with his young son. However, in 2024 he faced a series of allegations of misconduct.
The BBC announced Gregg would be stepping away from Masterchef in November amid an external review of historical allegations of misconduct. Lawyers for the presenter have said it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
In his absence, food critic Grace Dent, 51, is set to join John Torode on Celebrity Masterchef. While Top Gear star Paddy had already taken up fronting Inside the Factory, reports the Mirror.
When asked if it was his predecessor’s fall from grace that landed him the role, Paddy told the Daily Mail: “No, that was not the case. Gregg had already decided to leave when they approached me two years ago. I’ve recorded two series, it’s just only one has been shown.”
And while many people may assume otherwise, Paddy explained: “I wasn’t going to go online and point this out. I don’t need to do that.”
McGuinness, 51, brings personal experience to his role on Inside the Factory, having previously worked in several Bolton factories. In a nostalgic episode for Paddy, viewers got the chance to see him revisit a Warburtons factory where he was once employed during his teens.
Paddy, who previously worked as a factory machine cleaner, recently drove an HGV through the factory gates, a skill he acquired while working on Top Gear. He acknowledges that hosting the popular TV show is far removed from where he envisioned his career heading.
He reflected: “When I worked there at 16, never in a million years did I think something like that would happen.”
Paddy’s rise to fame began with numerous TV appearances alongside friend Peter Kay. His television debut was on the dating show God’s Gift, followed by roles in Phoenix Nights and That Peter Kay Thing, before landing a starring role in Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere.
His career has since seen him feature in a variety of programmes, including a nine-year stint presenting Take Me Out and five series of Top Gear. The car-focused show was cancelled two years ago after co-host Freddie Flintoff was involved in a serious accident.
Describing himself as a “sentimental person”, Paddy admits to missing the show, particularly the close bonds formed with the crew while “roughing it together”.
Paddy currently hosts Tempting Fortune, which is due to return later this month. The show challenges 12 contestants to give up their luxuries and undertake an arduous 18-day trek across Malaysia equipped only with basic survival gear.
All contestants are eyeing the ultimate reward of a whopping £300,000 prize. Yet, they’ll also face the option to indulge in various “temptations”, spending part of their potential winnings along the way.
Audiences will be glued to their screens as participants wrestle with self-restraint in an effort to clinch the cash.
