Tim Davie condemns ‘serious racist term' used by John Torode
In an interview with BBC News on Tuesday, Davie said he saw the situation as an opportunity for the corporation to 'reset'.
He said he was not directly involved with the matter but was told about the recommendation not to renew Torode's contract and was 'happy that the team were taking action'.
He went on: 'It's really important that we are taking this seriously. It's a reset where we make sure that people are living up to the values we expect across the board.'
Asked exactly what Torode said, Davie replied: 'I'm not going to give you the exact term, because I think, frankly it was serious racist term, a serious racist term, which does not get to be acceptable in any way, shape or form.'
BBC director-general Tim Davie (Andrew Milligan/PA)
A statement from production company Banijay UK released earlier said: 'In response to John Torode's statement, it is important to stress that Banijay UK takes this matter incredibly seriously.
'The legal team at Lewis Silkin that investigated the allegations relating to Gregg Wallace also substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018.
'This matter has been formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and whilst we note that John says he does not recall the incident, Lewis Silkin have upheld the very serious complaint.
'Banijay UK and the BBC are agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.'
The Lewis Silkin report, commissioned by Banijay UK, found 45 out of 83 allegations against Wallace were substantiated, alongside two standalone allegations made against other people, including one for using racist language.
Torode confirmed on Monday night he was the person alleged to have used racist language but said he had 'no recollection of the incident' and was 'shocked and saddened' by the allegation.
A BBC spokesperson said: 'John Torode has identified himself as having an upheld allegation of using racist language against him.
'This allegation – which involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace – was investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm Lewis Silkin. John Torode denies the allegation.
'He has stated he has no recollection of the alleged incident and does not believe that it happened. He also says that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment.
'The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously. 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 on MasterChef will not be renewed.'
Davie insisted MasterChef does have a future with the broadcaster beyond 2028, when its current deal runs out, while presenting the corporation's 2024/2025 annual report earlier on Tuesday.
Davie said: 'I absolutely think it does (have a future), I think a great programme that's loved by audiences is much bigger than individuals.
'It absolutely can survive and prosper, but we've got to make sure we're in the right place in terms of the culture of the show.'
John Torode after being made an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace (Kirsty O'Connor/PA)
Downing Street has said it 'utterly condemns' any instance of racist language after the allegation made against Torode was upheld.
'When it comes to racism (it) clearly has no place at the BBC or anywhere in society, and we utterly condemn any instances of racist language or abuse in the strongest possible terms,' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesman said.
'And it's obviously up to the BBC, who are operationally independent from Government, to take forward any necessary next steps.'
It comes after the BBC addressed the future of a series of MasterChef filmed last year, which has not yet been aired, on Monday, saying they had not made a final decision on broadcasting it.
A spokesperson for the corporation said: 'We know this is disappointing for fans of the show and those who took part, and at the appropriate time Banijay UK will consult further with the amateur contestants.'
The MasterChef upheaval comes as the BBC faces scrutiny over the Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone documentary which, after a review, was found to have breached the corporation's editorial guidelines on accuracy.
The corporation has also been criticised over its coverage of Glastonbury, particularly the live stream of punk duo Bob Vylan's set, during which singer Bobby Vylan, whose real name is reportedly Pascal Robinson-Foster, led crowds in chants of 'death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)'.
In 2022, Torode was made an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to food and charity. He became a familiar face to TV audiences in 1996 as the resident chef on ITV's This Morning, before joining MasterChef alongside Wallace when it was known as MasterChef Goes Large.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews last night's TV: Keep off the NHS wards Netflix, and leave it to the experts at Channel 5
Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts (Ch5) Rating: Channel 5 is the home of shows about farmers, compilations of royal archive footage, and wistfully nostalgic celebrations of chocolate bars in the 1970s. You don't switch on expecting to see 15-part international political thrillers with Emmy-winning performances from Hollywood superstars and CGI spectaculars where terrorists blow up the White House. That is best left to the mega-budget streaming services. So why on earth is Netflix making a formulaic, NHS-by-numbers hospital documentary, when that's the speciality of traditional broadcasters with limited funds? Critical: Between Life And Death is a carbon copy of shows aired every week, not only on Ch5 but on the BBC and Ch4. Each series has its own angle: Ambulance follows the paramedic crews, Surgeons: At The Edge Of Life goes into the operating theatre, and 24 Hours In A&E charts the frantic pace on emergency wards. All of them are polished, well-practised productions. It's arrogant of Netflix to assume they can elbow their way into this market and give the formula a new twist. They can't: the six episodes of Critical feel robotic and slightly insincere, a cynical attempt to steal another broadcaster's successful format. The series is filmed across London 's Major Trauma System, a network of teams within the NHS. 'It's a big orchestra working together,' the voiceover explains, 'and everyone leaves their mark' — a vacuous and meaningless statement. The first episode follows the aftermath of an accident at a fairground, where several people including a 12-year-old girl have been injured on a ride. The injuries seem severe at first, with one woman suffering a fractured skull, but everyone escapes with their lives and the odd broken bone. The drama of this is dragged out for 40 minutes, at the same relentless pitch of anxiety throughout. There are no other storylines, no moments of humour or asides, with the result that the whole show becomes a trudge. Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts, returning for its tenth series on Ch5, demonstrates how it should be done. The cheery voice of actor Dean Andrews begins by introducing us to the staff on duty, who this time include a ward sister called Jane who reveals a stash of lollipops and choccie bars — fuel for the busy day. 'Get ready to share a shift with the team at Barnsley Casualty,' announces Dean, with the chirpiness of a man on his way to the vending machine for a cup of milky coffee with two sugars. There's nothing as cataclysmic as a disaster at the fairground, but the medical emergencies grip our emotions because the film-makers know what really matters: people, not procedures. John, 67, fell and broke his wrist while feeding the cat. Nine-year-old Alice snapped her collarbone, and doesn't know whether to be horrified or thrilled by her predicament. And dog-walker Cerys, 21, keeps having asthma attacks . . . because she's allergic to dogs. Possibly time for a career change.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
EastEnders fans stunned as soap icon returns to TV leaving them 'obsessed'
Soap fans were thrilled by the unexpected return of EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison to TV screens after she opened up on her financial struggles since leaving Walford A fan-favourite EastEnders made an unexpected return to TV, leaving viewers thrilled. Cheryl Fergison, who played the iconic Heather Trott on the BBC soap, has been open about her lack of work in recent years. The actress revealed her financial struggles after leaving the soap in 2012, and shared how she got help from a foodbank as well as EastEnders legend Dame Barbara Windsor. Following the challenging time, Cheryl has made a comeback to the small screen. She shocked viewers when she rocked up in BBC Two's comedy series Mandy. The actress made a guest appearance in the show, which is written by Diane Morgan. It follows the goings on of permanently out-of-work Mandy Carter and her best friend Lola. Mandy was forced to attend a restart scheme at her local job centre, where she encountered an unimpressed Stella, played by Cheryl. Stella only said one worked to Mandy, as she called her "dirty". Cheryl's fans were thrilled by her return to screens as one said: "Obsessed with Cheryl 'two words' Fergison. She did a cracking job." Another added: "Congrats Cheryl!" Someone else commented: "Can we talk about the amount of cameos in Mandy cuz what do u mean Cheryl Fergison and Martin Lewis casually popped up within the first ep of series 4?" A fourth declared: "Ar Cheryl is in the new season of Mandy." While on EastEnders, Cheryl racked up a huge fan following until her character was sensationally killed off. Ben Mitchell smacked her over the head with a picture frame, causing her to hit her head on the way to the floor. Life after the soap hasn't been quite so straightforward, with Cheryl opening up on her struggles earlier this year. She revealed she had turned to a food bank for help and was relying on benefits. In order to try and make ends meet, Cheryl settled for far smaller jobs including opening a Chinese takeaway in Cleveleys earlier this year. The actress told 'My health is good, but my finances will take a long time to recover. Until I have steady work, I'm not rich or comfortable—I'm just surviving. "I've been saying yes to everything for no money, but I need to start valuing my work and asking for fair pay. Even my agent insists on it.' She added: 'Still, I'll never give in. I want to keep singing. If people criticise me for singing in small restaurants, so be it. At the end of the day, I'm an entertainer. Community has always been important to me, and I'll perform no matter the crowd.' Once at the top of her game as a primetime BBC star, Cheryl fell into dire straits after she was conned out of a 'humungous' amount of money. She said on This Morning: 'There is a circumstance that started this, which I can't talk about at this moment in time, but it started to spiral. "The only way I can say it is I was conned out of a humongous amount of money. That led to the cancer thing and everything spiralled. I was robbing Peter to pay Paul. I ended up having to sell my house. Now I am living up north and renting."
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Strictly's Amy Dowden reveals why she refuses to look at the rumoured line-up as she insists she's 'stronger than ever' ahead of returning to the show after cancer battle
Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden says she had the 'hardest time' after ringing the chemotherapy bell when she completed her cancer treatment. The professional dancer Now in remission, Amy is hoping to raise awareness of the importance of checking in with people even after they have got the all-clear from cancer. 'I was so lucky with my friends and family; they rallied around us, but there's so many people who told me they didn't hear from anybody after they rang their bell - they thought they were fine. 'But little do they know, that's the hardest time, because that's when you've had all your chemo, that's when you're really struggling to walk up the stairs and really feeling the impact of a cancer treatment and diagnosis. 'I think it's important that people just having a better understanding.' has revealed why she refuses to look at the show's rumoured line-up. The BBC show is set to return to screens in September, with a plethora of celebrities tipped to take part including Dani Dyer, Stacey Solomon and Vicky Pattison. However, while excitement builds about the line-up, dancer Amy, 34, told in an exclusive interview with the MailOnline how she purposely avoids the speculation as she prefers her partner to be a 'lovely surprise'. Meanwhile, the Welsh beauty told how she's 'stronger than ever' as she gears up to join her fellow professional dancers for the new series following her battle with breast cancer. Speaking of the rumoured cast for the 2025 show, Amy shared: 'I haven't seen [the rumoured line-up], and I don't look at it. Normally, none of them are normally on the show anyway. 'We don't get told anything, and I'm glad we don't because I want a lovely surprise.' Amy went on to say that she'd recently been filming Celebrity Hunted alongside fellow pro Carlos Gu, so had not 'seen anything' anyway. She added: 'Me being genuinely honest, I don't tend to not look anyway, because most of the time it is not true.' Meanwhile, Amy insisted that she's feeling 'fitter and stronger than ever right now' in light of both her ongoing recovery from cancer as well as her injury last year which forced her to quit that series. The star was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at the age of just 32 in 2023 and made the decision early on to openly share her journey in the hope that it would help other people. When asked how she knew the lump she discovered the day before her honeymoon was different, she admitted that the key to her early, lifesaving diagnosis was getting to know her breasts ahead of time. She said: 'It was a real solid lump for a start, and it wasn't on the other breast.' The dancer, who was forced to pull out of last year's Strictly because of a foot injury, stressed: 'If there is something that you are not sure about, go to the GP. Get a check-up. 'It doesn't matter how big or small it might feel - don't think of being a nuisance. It's why we have the healthcare system we have in place.' Meanwhile, the Welsh beauty told how she's 'stronger than ever' as she gears up to join her fellow professional dancers for the new series following her battle with breast cancer While Amy was thankfully given the all-clear last year after an operation and chemotherapy, she is now speaking out about the 'longest' part of her cancer journey - her recovery While Amy was thankfully told she had 'no evidence of cancer' last year after surgery and chemotherapy, she is now speaking out about the 'longest' part of her journey - her recovery. Generally speaking, those who have had breast cancer are at the greatest risk of recurrence in the first five years. The star said: 'I was very deluded - I literally thought I would be ringing the bell and my life would come back. 'I didn't anticipate or realise the journey ahead of recovery and how long it was going to take, both physically and mentally, and I wish I had more preparation for that.' Speaking in collaboration with Keep Ahead, a campaign to raise awareness of the aftermath of cancer initiated by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK, Amy said that while she still has a challenging number of years ahead of her, she is getting through the uncertainty by doing what she loves, dancing. She said: 'Especially this year, just throwing myself into that - taking dance lessons, being on theatre tours, and being able to now do what I love most and what makes me happy is what has got me through some tough times.' The star was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at the age of just 32 in 2023 and made the decision early on to openly share her journey in the hope that it would help other people Amy was speaking at the launch of Keep Ahead - a campaign initiated and funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK. It aims to raise awareness of the life after cancer, risk and fear of recurrence, and empower people living with breast cancer to take an active role in decision making about their treatment and care journey.
