John Torode was sacked by BBC MasterChef ‘after using worst racial slur there is' Richard Osman claims
The top TV chef, 59, was said to be heartbroken after the BBC and production firm Banijay confirmed his dismissal for racist language following the Gregg Wallace scandal.
3
The broadcaster confirmed the host's contract would not be renewed after a report found he had used an 'extremely offensive racist term' during drinks after filming.
Torode has denied the claims and said he has 'no recollection' of the event.
He also revealed that he had been told the person with whom he was speaking "did not believe it was intended in a malicious way".
The BBC was unable to specify the time or date of the allegation, narrowing it down to '2018 or 2019'.
According to the MailOnline, Ex-Pointless presenter Richard Osman described the language used as the 'worst racial slur there is'.
He added both the Beeb and Banijay believe the allegation is 'watertight' and will stand up in court if the Australia-born star took legal action.
Osman said: "He used I think probably the worst racial slur there is and they found that to be substantively true. They found evidence they were happy with. He said that he couldn't remember it. But that one was upheld."
It comes after a source told The Sun Torode was 'blindsided' by the shock decision to sack him.
And allegedly read about it first on the BBC website.
Rival ITV, however, are understood to be standing by Torode.
'Devastated' Gregg Wallace FIRED by BBC over MasterChef sexual comments
The Sun understands the broadcaster held crisis talks yesterday about whether or not to air this Saturday's episode of John And Lisa's Weekend Kitchen.
A source said: 'There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to John but ITV are standing by him.'
His axing came after Beeb chief Tim Davie said no presenter was bigger than the show.
The Corporation said: 'John Torode has identified himself as having an upheld allegation of using racist language.
'This allegation — which involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace — was investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by law firm Lewis Silkin.
' John Torode denies the allegation.
'We will not tolerate racist language of any kind and, as we have already said, we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken.
'John Torode's contract will not be renewed.'
A source said: 'John's agent received a call 11 minutes before the statements went out and hadn't had a chance to call him.
'He read about it on the BBC News website.
'Obviously he's heartbroken.
'He feels he's been made a scapegoat off the back of the Gregg Wallace report.'
Another source told The Sun the Australian chef planned to quit at the end of this week.
In an Instagram post John said: 'Although I haven't heard from anyone at the BBC or Banijay — I am seeing and reading that I've been 'sacked' from MasterChef and I repeat that I have no recollection of what I'm accused of.
'I have loved every minute working on MasterChef, but it's time to pass the cutlery to someone else.'
The report into the behaviour of MasterChef co-host Gregg Wallace, 60, upheld 45 of 83 complaints from 2005 to 2024, leading to his sacking.
Dad of four Torode said: 'The allegation is I did so sometime between 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and the person I was speaking with did not believe it was intended in a malicious way and I apologised immediately afterwards.
'I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened
'However, I want to be clear that I've always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment.
'I'm shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.'
3
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Hilarious moment Hannah Hampton's England press conference is interrupted by family FaceTime call
This is the funny moment England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton is interrupted mid press conference by a family FaceTime call. The Lioness star was speaking to the media after England's dramatic 3-2 penalty win over Sweden in the Euro 2025 semi-finals on Thursday (17 July), when her phone went off in her pocket. The footballer, who earned player of the match honours for two saves in the penalty shootout, was discussing England's performance when she took her phone out of her pocket and told journalists: 'I've got a FaceTime, hold on.'
BBC News
11 minutes ago
- BBC News
Redditch man changes plea to guilty during murder trial
A man who denied murdering his ex-partner in what police described as a "brutal" stabbing has changed his plea part way through his Hemming, 47, of Other Road, Redditch, killed Cheryl McKenna, 44, at their Crown Court heard earlier that Hemming had called police on the morning of 11 November 2024 stating he had killed changed his plea five days into the murder trial, and will be sentenced on Monday at the same court. In a previous statement Ms McKenna's family said: "Cheryl was a huge and integral part of our family and will be missed terribly as a mother, daughter, sister and aunt," Det Ch Insp Gareth Lougher of West Mercia Police said: "I would firstly like to pay tribute to Cheryl's family who have lost a mother, daughter, sister and aunt, at the hands of someone who was once supposed to love and protect her."Hemming is a dangerous and manipulative individual, and will soon face sentencing for his deplorable and remorseless crime." Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Sun
11 minutes ago
- The Sun
New dupes of classic 2000s sweets land on Sainsbury's shelves as shoppers scramble to stock up
SHOPPERS have spotted a dupe of an iconic noughties sweet on Sainsbury's shelves. Rowntree's Bursting Bugs first hit shelves back in 2000, with confectionery fans loving their creepy crawly shapes and gooey filling. 2 2 However, they didn't stick around for long, and were discontinued in around 2003, due to low sales. Despite their short time on supermarket shelves, the insect-shaped sweets have remained a nostalgic memory for many sweet treat fans, with a petition even started to bring them back. And now, snack fans have spotted a similar treat on the shelves at Sainsburys. Posting the Newfood's UK Facebook group, one excited snack lover said: "New Bugs & Beetles Sweets from Sainsburys!" Attached the post was a picture of the new Sainsbury's snacks which are a very similar shape to the Rowntrees sweets. The post was flooded with comments from shoppers excited about the discovery. One shopper, tagging a friend said: "OMG we need some of these. "They should be like them old squirty bugs Rowntrees made." Anotheer person said: " I remember these sweets back when I was a kid and they got discontinued!" Tagging a friend, a third person said: "Could they be as good as Bursting Bugs?!" Iconic 80s retro sweet RETURNS to UK supermarket shelves after a decade A fourth added: "I remember when Rowntrees used to make them." However, another shopper was left disappointed to find that the Sainsbury's sweets, which are priced at 75p, are not gooey inside, like the originals. Wham bar return This comes as eagle-eyed shoppers recently spotted that iconic 80s sweet, the Wham bar has returned to supermarket shelves, in an ice lolly version. Posting to the NewfoodsUK Facebook group, one shopper said: "Wham Ice Cream Lollies are back at Iceland Foods." How to save money on chocolate We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don't have to break the bank buying your favourite bar. Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs... Go own brand - if you're not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you'll save by going for the supermarket's own brand bars. Shop around - if you've spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it's cheaper elsewhere. Websites like let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you're getting the best deal. Look out for yellow stickers - supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they've been reduced. They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged. Buy bigger bars - most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar. So if you've got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger. The sour raspberry flavoured ice cream lolly features "cosmic crystals" and has no artificial colours or flavours. The lollies are available exclusively at Iceland and a pack of four sweet treats costs just £2.50. Shoppers raced to the comments section of the Facebook post to share their excitement at the new lollies. One person said: "These sound amazing". A second person added: "I wonder if rockets are back too!"
