John Torode sacked from MasterChef
'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."
Torode said on Monday: 'I am shocked and saddened by the allegation, as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.'
The Telegraph understands that Torode was the subject of multiple allegations, although only one was substantiated.
Torode and Grace Dent, who was hired as Wallace's replacement, recently filmed a series of Celebrity MasterChef, which was due to go out this autumn.
That means the BBC now has two MasterChef series that may never see the light of day – the celebrity version and last year's amateur competition hosted by Torode and Wallace.
BBC director-general Tim Davie earlier said that MasterChef was bigger than its presenters. Asked whether the show had a future, he replied: 'I absolutely think it does. I think a great programme that is well 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.'
Davie was also asked about the last series of the show, which was filmed but has not been released and features Wallace in all but the final episode. He said: 'This is a difficult decision, and we need to weigh it up carefully. We're thinking through things.'
A former member of the production team told the Telegraph that the show needs to 'reform'.
'The people in power are the problem. They have enabled this behaviour and that needs to change. I hope the show undergoes a cultural change now. This has been a long time coming.'
In a post on social media last night, Torode 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. The inquiry 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. Over the past few months, I have been considering my life and the shape of it now and in the future.
'Celebrity MasterChef, which I recently filmed with Grace Dent along with two fantastic Christmas specials will be my last. Personally, I have loved every minute working on MasterChef, but it's time to pass the cutlery to someone else. For whoever takes over, love it as I have.'
He added: 'I will watch fondly from afar as I now focus on the many other exciting projects that I have been working towards. My tummy will be grateful for a rest after 20 years of eating, but what a joy it has been. Life is ever changing and ever moving and sometimes personal happiness and fulfilment lay elsewhere.
'Thank you for the many years of MasterChef."
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NZ Herald
a day ago
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This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. Q: Tell me about that day in 1984 when you saw the BBC report. 'I was anxious at the time. I don't think my band had made a great record, and we weren't getting in the charts. A measure of how well we were not doing was I was home at 6 o'clock: Pop singers should not be doing 9 to 5. 'But everyone in Britain came home and watched the 6 o'clock news. The BBC gave this story about famine in Africa about eight minutes – the reporter went to the epicentre of the famine in Korem, Ethiopia, and sent this devastating piece of journalism. The objective truth and the subjective rage of what he was telling us about was evident, and certainly struck me. 'We were riveted by the prurience and the horror of it. This other world was suddenly thrown at us. I very much remember those images, and if you force me to articulate them again, I start crying again. Those images are the things that my mind will not allow me to obliterate.' Q: Yet you revert to those images when you want people to understand the horror of what motivated you in the first place. A: I suppose it's been the animus through the years. I can lobby and write policy, but when push comes to shove, it's only the end object that animates me to act. It can come to a head in a personal way. In Montreal last November, I was staying at a posh hotel. My wife ordered breakfast. The guy arrived and asked if he could say hello to her husband. He came into the room in an ill-fitting suit, pushing the trolley. He was a small guy and obviously Ethiopian. Geldof and the singer Midge Ure in London in 1984. They wrote the single Do They Know It's Christmas? together. Photo / Getty Images He said, 'Can I shake your hand?' He then stood bolt upright – he had prepared this – and made a speech at me. 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Scoop
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Susanna Elliffe Is Winner Of The 2025 NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize!
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NZ Herald
3 days ago
- NZ Herald
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The dynamic of our favourite yellow family never gets old, and new and legacy characters create an iconic world worthy of the movie and theme park rides it spawned. To this day, we are still waiting for the next opening credit couch gag, and will no doubt continue to look forward to it. – MH New Girl (2011-2018) Seasons 2-4 of New Girl were lessons in elite comedic timing. While the series starts slow, and season 1 of the Fox show can be considered anything but its best, seasons 2-4 of New Girl were lessons in elite comedic timing, perfect casting and characters who seamlessly feed off each other. The greatest TV friendship of all time sits in the form of Nick and Schmidt, Winston's mess-arounds will forever live rent-free in my head and Jess (played by Zoe Deschanel) and Nick's fiery (literally) love story reminds us that sometimes your person comes in the form of your best friend. – JM Veep (2012-2019) Veep, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, was over the top but scarily real. 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