BBC faces more calls to axe MasterChef series – and top names call for Gregg Wallace's series NEVER to be shown
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BBC faces more calls to axe MasterChef series - and top names call for Gregg Wallace's series NEVER to be shown
THE BBC is under fire again with more calls for MasterChef to be axed.
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MasterChef has been plunged into crisis after John Torode and Gregg Wallace were sacked
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They were sacked by the BBC after an investigation into their conduct on the show
Credit: BBC
The cooking competition show has been left in chaos with a full series facing the chop after the sacking of presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode over their behaviour on set.
Contestant Sarah Shafi was edited out of the series after demanding talks with producers and asking for the series to be axed completely.
She argued it sent the wrong message after the BBC sacked the hosts over their conduct.
Now leading broadcast union Bectu has hit out at the show, insisting that bad behaviour "should not be rewarded with prime-time coverage'.
Head of Bectu Philippa Childs told the BBC: "Whilst the BBC claims that it has consulted with contestants there appears to have been no consultation with complainants; freelancers who have taken the very difficult step of speaking out and who will legitimately feel distressed as the show appears on their screens several times a week over the next two months."
She added: "If [the BBC] are serious about addressing this industry wide problem, broadcasters should not reward bad behaviour with prime-time coverage.'
Penny East, chief executive of leading women's rights charity the Fawcett Society, also criticised the decision.
She said: "Seeing Gregg Wallace on our screens will be deeply uncomfortable for many people, not least the brave women who have spoken about his appalling behaviour.
'It can't be right that men who sexually harass women continue to be given platform and allowed to maintain their profile and power.
"We also know that all of the contestants will have put their hearts and souls into the competition over the many weeks of filming. To leave them with nothing to show for this feels uncomfortable.
John Torode sacked by BBC after being accused of using N-word while singing along to Kanye West song Gold Digger
"Perhaps editing out the presenters entirely would have been a better solution."
This comes after a report revealed more than 40 historic complaints against Wallace had been upheld, along with a claim that Torode once used a racist term.
However, the BBC later confirmed it would air episodes already filmed with the hosts, despite both being axed.
Wallace, 60, was dropped from the BBC show in November 2024 after numerous allegations of inappropriate conduct in the workplace were made.
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