Major MasterChef update as John Torode and Gregg Wallace's final series WILL still be aired by BBC after their sackings

The Sun

17 hours ago

GREGG Wallace and John Torode's final series of MasterChef will still be aired despite their sackings, The Sun can reveal.
The BBC and production company Banijay currently intend to show both the amateur and celebrity editions 'once the dust has settled'.
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The latter version features broadcaster and restaurant critic Grace Dent replacing Wallace to co-host with Torode — who was reported to be considering legal action over his axing.
But executives were said to have agonised over showing it after a report upheld a complaint that Torode had used racist language.
The shows, which have already been filmed, see him appear with contestants including ex-footballer Ashley Cain, who is of Caribbean descent, and Love Islander Uma Jammeh, who has Nigerian heritage.
BBC Director-General Tim Davie said earlier in the week that the impact on the show's participants — both celebrities and amateurs — would be a factor in what they chose to do with the episodes.
A source said: 'These past eight months have been truly hellish for all concerned.
'The BBC and Banijay have faced a moral and professional dilemma like never before. Obviously Gregg's case was more clear cut, but John being dragged through the mud wasn't what anyone wanted or expected to happen.
'But at the same time, and as a publicly funded body, the BBC has a duty to both provide entertainment as well as fulfil its obligations to cast, crew, contestants and ­viewers alike.
'If they were to can these two series, hundreds of people — those who appeared or worked on the shows — would be so bitterly disappointed.
'So the feeling at present is that the show, quite literally, must go on — albeit once the dust has settled and all the fuss died down.
'The two presenters have already been cancelled on the Beeb — they don't wish to cancel the series too; neither of which, it must be noted, received any complaints.'
Wallace, 60, was officially sacked this week by the BBC and Banijay after an independent investigation was carried out into allegations of bad behaviour on the show between 2005 and 2024.
A total of 45 out of 83 allegations against him were upheld. The majority were inappropriate sexual language, although one related to unwanted touching.
But the report — the findings of which were released by Banijay — also said that two allegations against two other individuals had also been substantiated.
Torode, 59, confirmed on Monday that one of the complaints was against him.
He said: 'I am the individual who is alleged to have used racial language on one occasion.
'I have absolutely no recollection of this and I do not believe that it happened.'
The Sun also revealed BBC bosses had asked him to resign at the weekend and claim he had mental health issues.
He refused to do so.
But on Tuesday, the BBC and Banijay said that they were sacking him too.
Heartbroken Torode learned he had been fired when he read it on the BBC News website.
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His representatives were contacted just 11 minutes before the statements from the BBC and Banijay were released.
It has been claimed he has been talking to employment lawyers with a view to potentially trying to 'clear his name'.
Two weeks ago John was told everything was fine and then this was sprung on him at the end of a seven month investigation. He's still in complete shock
A source
But sources close to the Aussie-born chef and presenter said it was too soon to consider legal avenues.
They said pursuing a claim for unfair dismissal at this stage is 'too much to process', as he is 'still coming to terms with what has happened'.
A source added: 'Two weeks ago John was told everything was fine and then this was sprung on him at the end of a seven-month investigation. He's still in complete shock.'
Mr Davie had addressed the situation of screening the two series during the Corporation's annual report on Tuesday, while commenting MasterChef still had a future and 'can survive and prosper'.
He said: 'We haven't made a decision yet, it's a difficult one, because to your question, those amateur chefs gave a lot of time to take part in the show.
'It means a lot, it can be an enormous break if you come through the show. So, I want to just reflect on that with the team and make a decision and we'll communicate that in due course.'
The Sun exclusively revealed last week how chefs in the amateur version of the show, with Wallace and Torode hosting, could take legal action against the BBC if they do not air the shows that they appeared in.
Many take time off work, or quit their jobs altogether, to be a part of the show in the hope that it will be a springboard to bigger things.
Similarly, many stars see appearing on the celebrity version as a platform for them to reboot their careers or as a stepping stone to getting on even bigger TV shows.
As well as Ashley and Uma, the celebrity series of MasterChef already filmed — which is former guest judge Grace Dent's first stint as co-host — also include RuPaul's Drag Race star Ginger Johnson and Blue singer Antony Costa.
Meanwhile, The Sun can reveal the third person cited in the Lewis Silkin report into Wallace.
A senior producer, who we are choosing not to name, was formally questioned by lawyers after receiving a complaint for swearing in the workplace. He has not been sacked, however, but the matter was addressed and handled internally.
A source added: 'It's been yet another headache.
'MasterChef is a high-pressure, high-stakes environment and everyone gets a little over-heated at times. Really, though, who hasn't sworn in the workplace?
'To fire someone for this would have been a worrying and dangerous precedent to set.'
A Banijay spokeswoman said: 'We are handling this issue appropriately internally.'
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