EVERY week, another man is hauled to the digital gallows, dragged through the town square of social media and burned at the stake of public opinion.
Last week, it was Wynne Evans, before that, Gregg Wallace. Now it is Gino D’Acampo.
Viewers love Gino because he hits out with absolute clangers like, “If my grandma had wheels, she would have been a bike.”
He was always a risky choice for daytime telly because he doesn’t play by the rules, a loveable rogue and mischief-maker who was great for ratings.
Double, double, toil and trouble — offence archaeology is brewing, and past transgressions are bubbling to the surface.
The witches of Edinburgh were burned for less than what Gino’s been accused of but this time it’s words, not spells, that are to blame.
Gino allegedly made vile sexual remarks about Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, suggested a threesome with a dancer, and engaged in on-set behaviour so uncomfortable that crew members reportedly needed counselling.
And yet, the shows that profited from him for years turned a blind eye, allowing him to continue.
This isn’t about a one-off bad joke. It’s a pattern of behaviour that was excused and laughed off until public opinion turned.
When production staff found his behaviour intolerable, filming was halted but only temporarily.
The real problem isn’t just the blokes who do this, it’s the magic circles that let them get away with it.
Meanwhile, Wynne Evans claims he was “knifed” by the BBC over a joke about a “spit-roast” at a Strictly press event.
Now, he’s reportedly taking them to a tribunal, arguing his reputation has been left in tatters. His long-standing relationship with the BBC was severed overnight, and even his Go Compare bosses have reportedly held crisis talks over his future.
Gino was given chance after chance despite repeated warnings, while Wynne was dropped straight from the tour, although had supposedly been spoken to by bosses over other incidents.
WON’T STOP SPLIT
PEOPLE in long-term relationships tend to preach about the “work” they have put in over the years as though they’re angling for a bonus.
If you want to be in it for the long haul, maybe there’s something to be said for getting down to business – and by that I mean, holding quarterly reviews.
Georgia Toffolo and BrewDog’s James Watt swear by their system of sit-down check-ins every three months.
Who says romance is dead?
In a TikTok video they shared their advice, which included a breakdown of the agenda: Item one, appreciate the good. Item two, address the not-so-good.
It’s apparently an open, honest approach that keeps the small stuff from spiralling into bigger issues.
It’s a nice, pragmatic idea for a couple still arguably in the start-up stages of romance but how on earth will that work out for them in the long-term?
Actress Isla Fisher said her split from Ali G star Sacha Baron Cohen was the most difficult thing she’s been through.
They were together for more than 20 years, married for 14 and have three children.
Could the relationship have been saved by goal setting, clear communication and accountability?
Love is messy, emotional, and unpredictable, and no amount of strategising can change that.
But that’s just my feedback, which they are welcome to store in a bin-shaped filing cabinet.
Is Wynne just facing the consequences of his words or is he now the victim of an over-zealous PR machine attempting to limit damage control?
Either way, he’s fighting back.
Some call it a modern-day witch hunt, but let’s be clear: witch hunts punished the powerless. The women accused of witchcraft in Scotland were often widows, healers, or “spinsters”.
In contrast, Gino was a prime-time TV fixture, given slot after slot despite the warnings.
Now Gino is facing the dunking stool of public apologies, a test where no matter what he does, he loses.
If he denies everything, he’s a martyr of the anti-woke brigade.
If he apologises, it will be dismissed as performative.
The dunking stool was a cruel trick — if a witch drowned, she was innocent, if she floated she was guilty.
Today, there’s no way for a man like Gino to float without sinking his career. And so, the cauldron of controversy bubbles on.
This isn’t about digging up dirt to ruin someone’s future. It’s about calling it out when it happens, not years later when the damage is done.
UP THE POLL
SCHOOL is fun for an elite few and I most certainly was not one of them.
In my yearbook, above, I was awarded “the most changed since first year” and was just happy to have swerved the “most likely to become an exotic dancer” award.
Let’s just say that, for me, school got better as it went on. But I was by no means having the time of my life.
Vale of Leven Academy in Dunbartonshire received multiple complaints from parents after asking students to vote for the best bum and biggest bitch.
Were the categories copied and pasted from a Nineties computer floppy disc?
It’s about asking why the same “loveable rogue” routine that made Gino famous also allowed him to cross the line unchecked.
At the heart of every witch trial was fear: fear of women who wouldn’t conform, fear of those who challenged the status quo, fear of accountability.
Today, it’s not witches who are feared; it’s reckonings. People won’t speak up about abuses of power until they feel safe.
But we still need to get the balance right between calling out bad behaviour and the vilification of blokes if we want to exorcise the real demons.
