Ultimate UK guide to everything you can do for FREE in the school summer holidays… from tennis lessons to cinema tickets
HOL YEAH! Ultimate UK guide to everything you can do for FREE in the school summer holidays… from tennis lessons to cinema tickets
THE summer school holidays are nearly here but keeping the kids entertained can be a challenge - and expensive.
A new study found parents spend as much as £1,000 a week on their children during the six-week break but there is a wealth of free family activities across the country that promise a brilliant summer without breaking the bank.
4
Channel your inner Andy Murray with The Lawn Tennis Association's free lessons
Credit: Alamy
From sport classes to screenings and festivals, there are hundreds of free opportunities to try. Here's our pick of the best...
1. Free government-funded clubs
The Government's Holiday Activities Fund (HAF) provides for completely free holiday clubs across the UK, run by local authorities.
The clubs are targeted at children who have ever been eligible for free school meals in their schools, but there is discretion for 15% of the places to go to other children who would benefit.
Councils are expected to provide a minimum of 16 days of provision, and you may need a code or letter from your child's school to get a place. Check online or ask your child's teacher if you think you may be eligible.
2. Tennis lessons for beginners
Get the kids healthy and into a new sport with free tennis sessions. Barclays is sponsoring free group tennis sessions that can be booked on the Lawn Tennis Association website while you'll find more free sessions at Tennis For Free.
3. Art and sculpture trails
Track down painted rabbits in Ipswich or colourful guitars in Manchester with a Wild in Art trail. These public displays of large-scale sculptures come with apps and maps so you can spend the day finding them all. Check out the Wild in Art website to find one near you.
4. Outdoor cinema pop-ups
Go to the cinema for free with pop-up screenings of popular movies. Everyman is hosting outdoor screens in Kings Cross and Watford while Screen on the Green runs a similar outdoor experience in the middle of Newcastle. There is no one website that details all free screenings so the best place to look is local Facebook and council sites.
5. Fun in the forest
Forestry England runs free trails (some with paid-for activity packs), as well as summer activities in forests up and down the country. Download a Wallace & Gromit themed walking trail or find one of their free 'disc golf' courses at six forest sites including Hamsterley in County Durham or Salcey in the East Midlands. You can pay to hire special discs, buy your own set to play for free, or get started using a frisbee you've got at home and buy a proper set if you get hooked.
Get a Blue Peter badge & meet Bluey... one mum's top tips for a great value summer
Lavania Oluban has recently published a journal for families to record their days out, called The Amazing Adventures of Me.
Here, the Birmingham-based mum and teacher shares her top tips for making the summer holidays great fun and, importantly, great value.
Plan ahead
Start with your diary, Lavania says. Ask the children what big days out they want to do. Put those in first, and then fit cheaper events around them. 'You know six weeks is coming up. It's a lot of time to fill, so plan ahead.'
Look for deals and vouchers
Whether its Merlin tickets with Sun Club, or 2 for 1 days out if you travel by National Rail, there are plenty of deals available to take down the cost of days out, Lavania says, so always search for a discount. One top tip she has is to get your children applying for a Blue Peter badge. There are lots of ways to get one of these by meeting specific criteria and each one gives free child entry at lots of different attractions. 'The badge arrives in the post and you've got time for summer if you apply now,' she says. 'I keep my son's in the glovebox in the car so we can use it at any time.'
Scrutinise every noticeboard
Local days out are often advertised on physical noticeboards, so make a habit of reading them whenever you walk past, Lavania says. Whether it's an animal sanctuary with an open day, or a local county show where your children can enter a baking competition, all these days out are free or very cheap. 'Take photos of interesting possibilities on your phone when you see them,' she suggests.
Hit up the shopping centre
The summer months are quieter for shopping malls, so they often increase footfall by offering free children's activities. 'They will have days when a mascot like Bluey is there,' she says. 'Or a free outdoor trail'. You can check the website of your local centre to see what is going on.
Pick your own
A trip to the strawberry picking farm can be fun and provide you with food for the week. 'Lots of them have fun activities like Maize Mazes too and they aren't expensive,' Lavania says. If you don't know of farms near you try the https://www.pickyourownfarms.org.uk for a list, and always check first whether there is fruit ready to pick before visiting.
6. Library reading challenges and games
Get the children reading with the free challenge run by the Reading Agency and available at most UK libraries. Librarians will issue your children with a collector folder, and they can earn stickers and rewards for reading books, while they may also run other free activities. More details available here.
7. Local museum craft days
London and other national museums are often free to enter and run free or extremely cheap craft days for children in the summer holidays, many of which you can book in advance online.
My dream pool was £40,000 so I DIYd my own 18ft version in February all for this summer heatwave - it's saved me £37,000
As well as the big free museums, check out smaller local galleries and follow them on Instagram to see what they're offering, for example the National Archives in Kew, which runs a Time Travellers club with bookable sessions is free to visit with a small charge for its craft activities, while the Science & Industry Museum in Manchester offers bookable exhibitions.
Which Museum is the best source for free galleries, shows and exhibitions near you.
4
Send your kids off on a treasure-hunting adventure with the Geocaching app
Credit: Alamy
8. Geocaching
Make a walk more exciting with the free geocaching app, which encourages you to find small 'caches' containing plastic toys and other tokens and leave some for others.
Just download the app from geocaching.com and find caches near you.
9. Festivals and open days
Expensive festivals can take a huge bite out of your budget, but there are free local events in many areas of the country.
Check out the Eventbrite website for free options near you. Setting the filters for free family events will let you see what's going on in your area and allow you to apply for free tickets.
10. In-store workshops
Many companies offer free workshops for kids to tempt you in during the holidays. Try your local Pets at Home for free pet owner classes with a certificate or sign up for Apple Camp on the tech company's website for free movie-making classes.
Other companies to check for free kids' workshops include Hobbycraft, the Lego Store and Hamleys.
4
Head down to the farm and meet the animals with free visits near you
Credit: Getty
11. Farm visits
Many city farms are free to visit year-round while others hold bookable open days where children can feed and pet animals and learn about their care. Check your local websites for details or treehub.co.uk for free farms near you or try animal sanctuaries such as the Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary, which is also free.
12. Get girls moving
Nuffield Health offers free girls fitness classes run by expert instructors. You can book at nuffieldhealth.com/movetogether if you have a Nuffield gym near you.
'My son wants to go to Harry Potter World... apart from that it's all about free days out'
Natalie Ormond, 43, plans the summer holidays carefully to ensure she can get through the six weeks with her sons with her finances intact.
'I definitely do look for a lot of freebie things because obviously it's a long time and all of the paid-for things, like bowling and days out and stuff, add up if you're doing that every day,' says the Leeds-based mum-of-two.
Natalie, who runs a children's gift business called Smallkind, says most deals and discounts dry up in the summer holidays, so she searches hard for free activities for sons Jesse, 11, and Noah, 8.
'We've got into geocaching which is free and lots of fun as it takes you very random places, or we'll have a day with a theme and a trail,' she says. 'So, once it was spotting owls on buildings, and that definitely gives the boys something to concentrate on while we're out and about.
'We do things like library tours - four libraries in a day with a picnic and walk in between them, and then we rate the libraries! Or we do the same with bookshops if the kids have any book tokens to spend.'
Ormond, who is married to lawyer Owen, says that she's got pickier over the days out she will spend on, because she is so often disappointed.
'I think when the boys were younger, sometimes I was so desperate for somewhere to go that I ended up spending quite a lot of money. Now, if I'm going to spend a lot of money on a day out, I want to know that it's a good place.
'So, I've got a lot more selective. We've sort said to the boys for this year, they can give us a couple of ideas each of places that they'd like to go, and we'll try and do that. So, my oldest really wants to go to Harry Potter World and the younger one to a theme park – but mostly it will be free days out.'
13. Get up high
Visiting London? Taking a trip up the Shard or on the London Eye will cost you dear but there are several viewing platforms that allow you to see the city for nothing at all.
Horizon 22 is the highest viewing platform you can visit for free, and you can book in advance at Horizon 22 or get walk up tickets on the day. Other options include the Sky Garden and the Lookout at 8 Bishopsgate, all of which are bookable in advance.
14. Play football with McDonald's
McDonald's is offering free football coaching for 5 to 11-year-olds this summer. Look online to find a session near you and to sign up for sessions and find out about free football festivals at here.
4
Potter mad? Take part in the free trail around Edinburgh
Credit: THEPOTTERTRAIL
15. Join a walking tour
Visiting a new city? Check out free walking tours to make the most of it with older children. A lot of cities offer these tours with an expert guide in exchange for a donation. For example, check out this free Harry Potter tour in Edinburgh. Make sure you book in advance and – in this case – make sure your children bring a wand, or something similar to 'swish and flick'.
16. Visit a splash parks or a lido
If the weather warms up, a trip to a free splashpark or lido could be just the ticket. Free lidos include Swansea's Blackpill Park, while Shoalstone in Devon has a free seawater pool.
Free splashpads include Splashlands in Welwyn Garden City, while many city council website have details of local offerings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
6 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Gregg Wallace breaks silence on John Torode MasterChef axe with warning to TV stars
Gregg Wallace has responded to the news of John Torode's axe from MasterChef after previously claiming he 'won't be the last', revealing what he really thinks of his former co-host Former MasterChef star Gregg Wallace has responded to John Torode's contract not being renewed at the BBC cooking programme following racism allegations. Wallace, 60, was only recently axed from the series following an investigation into his inappropriate behaviour. Banijay - which produces MasterChef - released a report into Wallace 's behaviour on the show, conducted by law firm Lewis Silkin. The company's investigation substantiated 45 of the allegations made against the presenter, the majority of which related to inappropriate sexual language and humour. Meanwhile, a small number of allegations relating to the star being in a state of undress and one claim of unwanted physical contact were also substantiated. Torode, who hosted MasterChef for nearly 20 years, confirmed recently he was the person alleged to have used racist language after an investigation into Wallace. However, Torode claimed he had no memory of making the comment and denies it ever happened. He is reportedly set to take legal actions against his former employers. Earlier this month, the BBC confirmed Torode's contract will not be renewed, saying: "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.' The production company, Banijay, also said that it had taken the matter 'incredibly seriously'. Following Banijay and the BBC's statement, Wallace responded to the news after claiming he "won't be the last" to be hitting headlines. Speaking in a new interview, Wallace declared: "I'll tell you one thing right now: John Torode is not a racist. I've known John for 30 years and he is not a racist. And as evidence of that, I'll show you the incredible diversity of the people that he has championed, MasterChef winners, over the years." He added to The Sun: "There is no way that man is a racist. No way. And my sympathies go out to John because I don't want anybody to go through what I've been through." Torode said he learned from reading media reports about his 'sacking' from MasterChef for using a racist term but added 'it's time to pass the cutlery to someone else'. The celebrity chef, 59, said he had not heard from the BBC or the production company Banijay UK, and repeated that he still had no recollection of the accusation against him, in a statement posted on his Instagram account on July 15. He then posted a lengthy statement on Instagram, saying: "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. 'The enquiry could not even state the date or year of when I am meant to have said something wrong. I'd hoped that I'd have some say in my exit from a show I've worked on since its relaunch in 2005, but events in last few days seem to have prevented that.' Wallace was sacked by the BBC after a report led by law firm Lewis Silkin, and published on July 14, said that a total of 45 out of the 83 allegations made against Wallace, during his time on the show, were substantiated, including one allegation of 'unwelcome physical contact'. Speaking after the findings was revealed, Wallace said in a statement: "For eight months, my family and I have lived under a cloud. Trial by media, fuelled by rumour and clickbait. None of the serious allegations against me were upheld. "I challenged the remaining issue of unwanted touching but have had to accept a difference in perception, and I am deeply sorry for any distress caused. It was never intended. I'm relieved that the Banijay report fully recognises that my behaviour changed profoundly in 2018. Some of my humour and language missed the mark." He added: "I never set out to harm or humiliate. I always tried to bring warmth and support to MasterChef, on screen and off. After nearly 20 years on the show, I now see that certain patterns, shaped by traits I've only recently begun to understand, may have been misread. "I also accept that more could have been done, by others and by myself, to address concerns earlier. A late autism diagnosis has helped me understand how I communicate and how I'm perceived. I'm still learning. Banijay have given me great support, and I thank them. But in the end, the BBC left me exposed to trial by media and the damage it leaves in its wake." Wallace went on to say: "To those who've shown kindness, thank you. It mattered. This has been brutal. For a working-class man with a direct manner, modern broadcasting has become a dangerous place. "I was the headline this time. But I won't be the last. There will be more casualties if the BBC continues down this path, where protecting its legacy matters more than protecting people. For my part, with full legal support, I will consider my next move."
Scottish Sun
36 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Shamed Gregg Wallace says ‘I'm no groper, sex pest or flasher,' as tearful star refuses to accept blame for BBC sacking
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FORMER MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has pleaded his innocence, telling The Sun in a tearful interview: 'I'm not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher.' The 60-year-old, sacked by the BBC after a probe into allegations of bad behaviour, said he wanted to clear his name but is 'not looking to play the victim'. 12 In a tearful interview with The Sun, former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has pleaded his innocence Credit: Dan Charity 12 Wallace says he has been unfairly bracketed with sex offenders Jimmy Savile and Huw Edwards Credit: Dan Charity 12 Gregg has also backed axed co-host John Torode, saying: 'he's not a racist' Wallace says he has been unfairly bracketed with sex offenders Jimmy Savile and Huw Edwards, adding: 'That's so horrific.' The ex-MasterChef host spoke out in his first interview since the BBC sacked him following complaints from multiple women over several years. He says: 'There's so much that I want to say, and so much that I want to put right, if I can. 'I'm not saying I'm not guilty of stuff, but so much has been perceived incorrectly. Things that really hurt me and hurt my family.' Wallace — who has not been paid for this interview — adds from his home in Kent: 'I'm not a groper. People think I've been taking my trousers down and exposing myself — I am not a flasher. 'People think I'm a sex pest. I am not. I am not sexist or a misogynist, or any of it. 'There never were any accusations of sexual harassment. 'I have seen myself written about in the same sentence as Jimmy Savile and Huw Edwards, paedophiles and sex offenders. That is just so, so horrific.' He adds from his sitting room, dotted with photos of wife Anna and six-year-old son Sid: 'I have learnt a lot about myself over the past eight months or so, and I'm still learning. 'I know I have said things that offended people, that weren't socially acceptable and perhaps they felt too intimidated or nervous to say anything at the time. 'We'll never work with him again', blast BBC as Gregg Wallace report reveals 'substantial' allegations over 19 YEARS 'I understand that now — and to anyone I have hurt, I am so sorry. 'I don't expect anyone to have any sympathy with me but I don't think I am a wrong 'un.' During our interview, Wallace flips between anger and remorse, and bursts into tears when talking about the fall-out for his family. He also backs axed MasterChef co-host John Torode, saying: 'He's not a racist.' The report into Wallace's conduct, from law firm Lewis Silkin, saw 45 of 83 complaints upheld. In total, 41 people complained. I've worked with around 4,000 people - cast, crew, production - which means 0.5 per cent of people found fault with me Gregg Wallace But he says: 'I've worked with around 4,000 people — cast, crew, production — which means 0.5 per cent of people found fault with me. 'That means in a room of 200 people, one person complained about my knob joke. It sounds a lot, but you have to consider that I don't work in an office.' However, Wallace does accept that this 0.5 per cent is too many. The timeline of allegations does not make for pretty reading. 12 The ex-MasterChef host, 60, was sacked by the BBC following complaints from multiple women over several years Credit: Dan Charity 12 I'm not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher, said Gregg in his first interview since his axe Credit: Dan Charity 12 During the chat, Wallace flipped between anger and remorse, and even bursted into tears Credit: Dan Charity One of the worst, which was upheld, was that he groped a woman. Wallace claims he was attempting to flirt, recalling: 'It was 15 years ago. Me, drunk, at a party, with my hand on a girl's bum. 'This girl told me about an affair she was having with a married man who was part of the Conservative government. I can't remember who it was. 'She gave me her phone number. I considered that to be intimacy. I was single at the time . . . well, I was dating, but I wasn't married. Now, even in the report, it says, 'Gregg believes this contact to be consensual'. So, listen, drag me out into the marketplace and stone me now.' 'Jovial and crude' Wallace is also keen to point out that he isn't a flasher. The moment he paraded around the MasterChef studio with a sock on his willy has been heavily reported. He says: 'Yes, that's one of the three upheld, the one with a sock on. Can I clarify what that is though? That was 18 years ago. The studio is shut, there's no contestants.' He said outside his dressing-room door was a sofa with four of his mates from the show on it, including Monica Galetti. He went on: 'I was getting changed to go to a black tie event, a charity event. I put my bow tie on and my shirt. It's only them outside the door. I put the sock on, opened the door, went, 'Wahey!' and shut the door again. 'The people interviewed were either amused or bemused. Nobody was distressed.' He takes a dimmer view of other allegations, including claims he dropped his trousers in front of a lady named as Alice by a BBC News investigation. He rages: 'That really damaged me. In the investigation, it says this person's story is simply not credible.' Wallace accepts he regularly got changed in front of people, and showed off his six-pack. One of the main threads of the upheld accusations is the use of sexualised or inappropriate language. He accepts all of these - and blames his background. It was 15 years ago. Me, drunk, at a party, with my hand on a girl's bum Gregg Wallace Wallace insists: 'I'm a green-grocer from Peckham. 'I thrived in Covent Garden's Fruit and Veg Market. 'In that environment that is jovial and crude. It is learned behaviour. 'And that's exactly the persona I brought into the workplace. Nobody ever asked me to change. 'MasterChef was a big hit. They gave me Celebrity MasterChef. That's a big hit. They gave me Professional MasterChef. It's a big hit. They gave me Eat Well for Less. They gave me Inside the Factory. I've got five returnable series. 'They're all big hits, and every day I'm giving them what I think they want. It's jokes, it's banter. 'It's relaxing virtually everybody I work with and we're getting good interaction with them.' 12 Gregg, above with The Sun's Clemmie Moodie, says he's been scared to go out since the scandal broke Credit: Dan Charity 12 Wallace pictured at his home in Kent with wife Anna Credit: Dan Charity 12 He accepts the upheld accusations of use of sexualised or inappropriate language, blaming his background Credit: Dan Charity In January Wallace was formally diagnosed with autism, and he admits he is 'learning every day' about it. He sticks by his awkward claim that his refusal to wear underwear was down to that. Devastated by backlash Wallace says: 'I never wear pants', before raising his short- covered leg as if to demonstrate. 'I'm not wearing socks either.' I tell him to keep his leg down. Bemused he adds: 'Somehow everybody has sexualised this as well. It's not sexualised. It's hypersensitivity — that happens with autism.' Autism charities have dropped him, with some saying it is not 'a hall-pass for bad behaviour'. Wallace understands but has been devastated by the backlash. Having spent two-and-a-half hours with him, I believe he is severely on the spectrum. He repeatedly tells me off for interrupting — fair enough — and he is adamant we start the interview his way, which sees him nervously reading scribbled-down thoughts from scraps of paper. I arrived at his home not expecting to like him but left liking him. He peppers every conversation with slightly painful jokes, including: 'What do you call a judge with no thumbs? Justice Fingers!' Another sees him making a curled-finger hand gesture, asking: 'What is this? A microwave!' I know I am odd. I know I struggle to read people. I know people find me weird. Autism is a disability, a registered disability Gregg Wallace I'm still none the wiser. He is like a schoolboy desperate to please without being malicious. I previously wrote about a bruising encounter on a journalists' special of MasterChef in 2014 in which I'd accused him of making me feel deeply uncomfortable. I read out some of my criticism, saying I felt he 'gas-lit' me. Wallace appears confused as he asks me what that means. He replies after a beat: 'I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. "We were playing pantomime roles, I was playing up to it. I had no idea you felt that way, I honestly struggle to read people. 'I know I am odd. I know I struggle to read people. I know people find me weird. Autism is a disability, a registered disability. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not real.' One of the claims that hurt him most — and saw him trolled mercilessly — was when Sir Rod Stewart publicly said he had bullied his wife Penny Lancaster on Celebrity MasterChef four years ago. He says it was not upheld, adding: 'It was us having a disagreement over whether an orchid should stay in a bowl of soup.' Sighing, he goes on: 'I'm actually a Rod Stewart fan. I've been to see him twice. So that hurt me. Somebody like that carries a lot of weight. But there was no bullying and no harassing.' 12 Wallace, who was formally diagnosed with autism in January, says he is 'learning every day' about it Credit: Dan Charity DAVIE WON'T MIX WITH LIKES OF ME By Clemmie Moodie BBC Director-General Tim Davie failed to get in touch with Gregg Wallace after his sacking, he claims. Wallace also hit out at the decision to pay off disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards. And he accused the organisation of being out of touch with working-class people. He said: 'I haven't heard from Tim at all. 'I think people like Tim were told that if they worked hard at school, they wouldn't have to mix with people like me. 'The BBC right now, absolutely everybody's been to Guatemala and nobody's been to Lewisham. 'I don't have an uncle who works for the BBC who's doing me any favours. They gave me big shows and they were all a success. So it was a massive shock to me in 2018 to find that what I was doing could cause problems.' Wallace was dismissed by production firm Banijay and did not receive a pay-out. While not disputing this, he is angry they paid off Edwards. He added: 'Huw Edwards received a £200,000 pay off after he was arrested — I didn't get so much as a pat on the back and a tenner. 'I'm not complaining, I'm pointing out a fact. I'm not looking to play the victim.' There was also a 2018 complaint from his time on BBC One's Impossible Celebrities, where he told a female employee she was 'very bright and very pretty' and was 'rude' to the show's production runners. He says: 'I asked for a healthy lunch and they gave me a packaged sandwich I didn't want so I was a bit cross.' Another complaint referred to him asking a model what she ate in a day to stay so thin. The BBC sent him on a course which was, he claims, like 'telling someone with a heart condition to go and fix their own heart rate'. I'm scared' He adds: 'They told me about how to interact with young people. 'My problem was that I saw myself the same as them, but they weren't perceiving me the same as them. They saw me as a position of authority. So I was being too familiar and I was told I shouldn't try to talk to them about what they might be doing at the weekend or where they're going on holiday because I might be forcing them to converse with me on personal details that they might not want to give. 'And I didn't know I was autistic at the time. So all that did was just confuse the living daylights out of me. So from that point on, I just stopped talking to young people because I realised that I was working in a complaints culture. 'And if I could get in serious trouble for telling a girl she was attractive, what would happen if I went out drinking with people and said something political or sexual? 'So I just stopped talking to young people. In fact, I stopped socialising on MasterChef. It just panicked me.' From then on, there was only one allegation of inappropriate behaviour. Wallace has, he says, spent the past seven years 'hiding behind my sofa reading history books'. My biggest, biggest regret is that I ever went anywhere near a television studio - I was doing just fine as a greengrocer Gregg Wallace Since the scandal broke, he says he has been scared to go out 'in case people, who think I'm a sex pest, abuse me in the street'. He went on: 'The first time I went to the gym afterwards I was shaking. I have been so scared. I go out now in a disguise — a baseball cap and sunglasses, I don't want people to see me. I'm scared.' Wallace also admits a level of guilt for what happened to his Aussie co-star John, who had an allegation of racism upheld against him during the investigation. He storms: 'I've known John for 30 years and he is not a racist. 'And as evidence of that, I'll show you the incredible diversity of the people that he has championed, MasterChef winners, over the years. There is no way that man is a racist. No way. And my sympathies go out to John because I don't want anybody to go through what I've been through.' Following the investigation, Wallace unfollowed John and his wife Lisa Faulkner on social media. He says: 'We never really did get on that well. 'We're two very, very different characters. But we made bloody good telly together for 20 years.' Wallace says that the only positive from this is getting to spend more time with his non-verbal autistic son Sid. He admits he wished he had stayed in his former profession instead of embarking on a TV career. He says: 'My biggest, biggest regret is that I ever went anywhere near a television studio — I was doing just fine as a greengrocer." 12 Wallace also admits a level of guilt for what happened to his Aussie co-star John Credit: BBC 12 Wallace says that the only positive from this scandal is getting to spend more time with his non-verbal autistic son Sid Credit: Rex
Scottish Sun
36 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Gregg Wallace breaks silence on racism claim against MasterChef co-host John Torode
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GREGG Wallace has defended his MasterChef co-star John Torode against racism allegations in an exclusive interview with The Sun. A BBC report which upheld 45 of 83 allegations of bad behaviour against Wallace also upheld a claim that a second person used a racial phrase once several years ago. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Gregg Wallace and co-host John Torode, 59 Credit: BBC 4 He defended his former colleague Torode against racism allegations Credit: Alamy Torode later confirmed to The Sun that this allegation referred to him, but denied that it had ever happened. He followed Wallace in being sacked by the BBC after allegedly using a racial slur when repeating lyrics from rapper Kanye West's hit Gold Digger at an after-work gathering. Read Gregg Wallace's exclusive interview here But in an extensive interview with The Sun - in which Wallace also tearfully addresses the slew of complaints of bad behaviour made against him - the former greengrocer leaps to the defence of his co-star. Gregg exclusively told The Sun: "I'll tell you one thing right now: John Torode is not a racist. "I've known John for 30 years and he is not a racist. 'And as evidence of that, I'll show you the incredible diversity of the people that he has championed, MasterChef winners, over the years. "There is no way that man is a racist. No way. And my sympathies go out to John because I don't want anybody to go through what I've been through.' Wallace was sacked by the Beeb after an investigation upheld 45 out of the 83 allegations made against him. The bombshell inquiry, carried out by law firm Lewis Silkin for production company Banijay, unveiled a litany of complaints against him. John Torode sacked by BBC after being accused of using N-word while singing along to Kanye West song Gold Digger Most of them involved inappropriate sexual language and humour and a further 10 were made about other people - two of which were substantiated. Wallace, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder during the seven-month probe, went on to add that he is "relieved the Banijay report fully recognises that my behaviour changed profoundly in 2018". Torode began presenting the BBC cooking contest alongside Wallace in 2005. Gregg and John celebrated the show's 20th anniversary in 2024 with a special dinner at Fishmongers' Hall in London. 4 A report found out of the 83 allegations against Wallace, 45 were substantiated Credit: BBC 4 Allegations against the MasterChef star date back to 2017 Credit: Darren Fletcher - The Sun
