BBC sacks MasterChef UK host John Torode over racist language claim in Gregg Wallace report

Australia Broadcast Center

16-07-2025

The BBC has sacked long-time host of the UK version of MasterChef, John Torode, after an investigation found the Australian-born presenter used racist language in the workplace.
Torode has denied the allegation.
It comes a day after the broadcaster confirmed it was severing ties with another of the cooking show's presenters, Gregg Wallace, over separate allegations.
Torode's sacking came out of a seven-month investigation by British law firm Lewis Silkin, commissioned by Banijay UK — the company that produces MasterChef, which is broadcast by the BBC.
The results of that report came out on Monday, local time.
While the crux of the investigation was about the allegations against Wallace, "the team were also asked to investigate allegations against other people involved with the productions", Banijay UK said in a statement.
In a statement on the BBC's website on the same day, the British broadcaster said the findings of the report included "two further allegations which were upheld, relating to other individuals".
On Monday night, Torode posted a statement on his Instagram account confirming he was "the individual who is alleged to have used racial language on one occasion".
The following day, the BBC published a second statement on its website about the investigation, confirming it wouldn't be renewing Torode's contract.
"This allegation — which involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace — was investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation," a BBC spokesperson said.
"We will not tolerate racist language of any kind.
"John Torode's contract on MasterChef will not be renewed."
John Torode is a UK-based celebrity chef.
He was born in Australia but moved to the UK in the 90s, beginning his career as a celebrity chef with regular appearances on British morning television.
Torode went on to host his own cooking shows, publish cook books and contribute recipes to the BBC's Good Food website.
One of his more recent cooking shows, called John and Lisa's Food Trip Down Under, is currently available for streaming on SBS OnDemand.
The Australia-born presenter started hosting the UK version of MasterChef with Wallace in 2005.
The pair first teamed up in 2004, according to his biography on the Good Food Shows website.
"MasterChef's popularity has placed John & Gregg on the front cover of several magazines including the Radio Times, spawned several cookbooks to date … Sainsbury's Magazine readers even voted MasterChef as the Top TV Food Show of the Decade and it has been included in the Top Ten list of the most Sky Plussed shows of the year," the website says.
When an investigation was launched into Wallace's behaviour late last year, Torode posted a statement on his Instagram account without directly referring to his MasterChef co-host by name.
"I have found the recent press reports truly upsetting," Torode said.
"But as I hope everyone appreciates there is an investigation underway, which I fully support, so I cannot make any further comment at this stage."
The BBC didn't give those details, just that it was an "extremely offensive racist term".
The broadcaster's director-general, Tim Davie, said it was "a serious racist term which does not get to be acceptable in any way shape or form" in an interview with BBC News.
Torode denied the allegation in his statement on Instagram on Monday night.
"The allegation is that I did so sometime in 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and that the person I was speaking with did not believe that it was intended in a malicious way and that I apologised immediately afterwards," he said.
"I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened."
He posted a second statement on Instagram on Tuesday night.
"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," he said.
"The enquiry could not even state the date or year of when I am meant to have said something wrong."
He was accused of sexual misconduct.
Claims against the presenter were published by UK newspaper The Sun in October, with BBC News following up the claims with allegations from 13 people.
In November, Wallace stepped aside from his presenting role amid the Banijay investigation.
The investigation commissioned by Banijay looked at 83 claims made by 41 different people.
It substantiated 45 of those claims.
"The BBC has informed Mr Wallace we have no plans to work with him in future," a BBC spokesperson said on Monday.
While the contents of the report isn't publicly available, Banijay's statement said the majority of those substantiated claims were of inappropriate sexual language and humour.
It said a smaller number substantiated allegations were incidents of were of "other inappropriate language" and "being in a state of undress".
Banijay also said one allegation of unwanted physical contact was substantiated.
"Whilst Banijay UK will not be providing further detail on the individual allegations, the number of sustained allegations make Gregg Wallace's return to MasterChef untenable," the company said.
Wallace posted a lengthy statement on his Instagram once the report was published.
"None of the serious allegations against me were upheld," he said.
"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."
He told his 226,000 followers "never set out to harm or humiliate".
"Some of my humour and language missed the mark," he said.
Wallace referenced his diagnosis of autism, saying he was "still learning".
Banijay UK chief executive Patrick Holland said Wallace's diagnosis was "relevant to certain behaviours identified in the report" but said the volume of substantiated allegations made his return to the show "untenable".
"We are extremely sorry to anyone who has been impacted by this behaviour and felt unable to speak up at the time or that their complaint was not adequately addressed," Mr Holland said.
Wallace ended his statement by saying the BBC had left him "exposed to a trial by media".
"For my part, with full legal support, I will consider my next move."
The matter has again raised questions about the BBC's handling of misconduct cases.
Banijay's statement said there was evidence that six complaints were raised with the BBC from 2005 to 2024, saying "more formal action" was taken in 2017.
"It also found that there was no consolidated or centrally held information within the BBC on concerns raised with the broadcaster resulting in issues being addressed as a first offence," the company's statement said.
The BBC's statement on Monday included an apology to people impacted by Wallace's behaviour.
"Although the full extent of these issues were not known at the relevant time, opportunities were missed to address this behaviour — both by the production companies running MasterChef and the BBC," a spokesperson said.
"We accept more could and should have been done sooner."
When asked about sacking Torode, Mr Davie said the broadcaster had "drawn a line in the sand".
"We are taking this seriously," he said.
"It's a reset where we make sure that people are living up to the values we expect across the board."
ABC with Associated Press