Paddy McGuinness has been announced as the new presenter of BBC Two's Inside the Factory following the exit of Gregg Wallace.

In a statement following the announcement, McGuinness shared his excitement, saying: "One of my first jobs was in a factory so I've come full circle. I'm fascinated by the machinery and the people who make it all tick. Hair nets aside, I can't wait to get cracking!"

McGuinness will begin filming the show's ninth series later this year, with it set to air in 2024.

paddy mcguinness
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Wallace departed the show in March, citing the need to spend more time with his 3-year-old son Sid, as his reason for leaving the show.

However it was later alleged in a Times article that Wallace had been "rude towards staff" and "talking in a derogatory manner, especially to women".

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Wallace addressed the allegations during an appearance on Good Morning Britain last week, where he confirmed there was "an argument" but refused to elaborate any further on the incident.

gregg wallace on inside the factory, in a hair net and white coat
BBC

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"There was an argument in Inside The Factory. The reporting isn't accurate. There was an issue and I thought that was the perfect time to come out," Wallace said.

"Offending people? No, no. If you look at the headlines you can't see a story that matches those headlines. But there was an issue; I don't want to discuss what the issue was," he continued. "But I thought it was a good time – Mum needs help with Sid at home, running around the country going to those factories – I thought it was a good time to give something up."

Inside the Factory episodes are available to watch on BBC iPlayer and UKTV Play.

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Stephanie is a freelance news writer, who previously covered WWE and AEW for Digital Spy.

After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she studied journalism at Birkbeck University.

Outside of her work at Digital Spy, she writes about pop culture, with a special focus towards Irish media and how it intersects with politics.

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