John

THEY were the larger than life characters who ruled the MasterChef kitchen for 20 years.

But as Gregg Wallace and John Torode’s reign as judges ended under a murky cloud of accusations of sexist and racist language, the relationship between the two men publicly soured quicker than warm milk.

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They may have known each other for more than 30 years, but their relationship has always been complicated.

When accusations of misconduct first surfaced against Wallace, Torode’s silence was deafening.

Instead of coming out to support his colleague, Torode and his wife Lisa Faulkner stayed quiet, causing furious Wallace to unfollow them both on social media.

But those who know Wallace, 60, and Torode, 59, best are unlikely to be surprised that battle lines were drawn.

Despite their on-screen chemistry winning them an army of fans, their relationship behind the scenes seems unconventional to say the least.

As Torode once said bluntly: “It’s funny, we’ve never been friends.” 

After moving to the UK in the 1990s, Australian Torode was working at a London restaurant when he first encountered Wallace, who was the owner of George Allan’s Greengrocers.

And despite their good working relationship as chef and supplier, in 2013 Torode spoke about his doubts about Wallace for MasterChef.

“In 2005 I was asked to go to an interview about some cooking show and Karen Ross, the boss at Shine, the production company involved, said, ‘I’d love you to do it, but I need to audition people to partner you with.’ I had everyone from AA Gill to Oliver Peyton,” he told The Independent.

“One day she asked, ‘Do you know a guy called Gregg Wallace?’ I had misgivings, as Gregg was big, brash and loud.

“Actually, nothing has changed, except no one expected the success the show has had.”

And Wallace had a similar view of Torode from their old days, recalling their first meeting: “It was a hot day and the kitchen door was open into the alleyway and I saw this young brash Aussie chef with his trousers rolled up around his knees, a tartan baseball cap, and a voice that was as loud as his attire.”

But working together so closely filming MasterChef – which returned today – was always going to take its toll on two big characters. 

Torode told The Independent: “Spending 200 days a year filming together, we got a lot closer, but any relationship where you spend that much time together inevitably gets strained. 

“We used to fight about stuff, as we’re both so opinionated. In the first series it was over [eventual winner] Thomasina Miers, as Gregg had said, ‘There’s no way I want her.’

“Then in the second round he said, ‘I want her.’ And I said, ‘You git, how can you hate someone vehemently one day then like them?’”

6am phone calls

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Wallace has said there is no-one he is closer to, other than his mum, than Torode and has praised his former co-star for supporting him with his mental health struggles.

But it has seemed that it is Torode who has wanted to keep their relationship purely professional, complaining about everything from Wallace’s 6am phone calls to his OCD tendencies.

Speaking to The Times in 2022, Torode said: “We know each other so well. But that’s not to say we don’t have our moments.

“With Gregg my issue is the 6am phone calls. Last time it happened I wasn’t very happy and I said, ‘Gregg, mate, it’s 6am.’ And he said, ‘But you’re on my list!’

“That’s the thing with Gregg, he gets up very early and his whole life is diarised and run on lists. Anyway, the next time I saw him face to face I sensed that disturbance in the force — I knew there was something wrong. I said, ‘Mate, come on, what’s up?’

“He said, ‘You weren’t very nice to me on the phone the other morning.’ I said, ‘It was 6am!’ and he said, ‘But I get up at 5am and you were on my list!’

Best man… but ‘not friends’

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But in 2013 Torode was the one who said he would be open to expanding their friendship, but Wallace’s OCD made it complicated.

He claimed: “Gregg has rules in the dressing-room that are pretty easy to understand as they are vocalised quite often.

“Things like, ‘Don’t put anything on my table, don’t touch my stuff and stay on the left-hand side of the room until lunch.’

“I know that, with his OCD, if I went to his house, say, I’d have to sit in a certain place. It’s frustrating, as I’m open [to expanding the friendship], but I don’t feel Gregg is.

“But he’s also given me so much: he’s taught me the importance of being self-deprecating and he’s made me laugh at myself. He’s fun and very funny.”

In 2016 Wallace asked Torode to be his best man at his fourth wedding to Anne-Marie Sterpini.

But it was just a year later that Torode said they weren’t even friends.

“It’s funny, we’ve never been friends,” he told The Mirror.

“We’ve not been to each other’s houses… He’s so OCD, he wouldn’t know what to do. He’d build it up in his mind for three days, and probably make himself quite sick, then he’d have an argument with his wife and not turn up.

“If I went to his house, he would feel like he wasn’t in control.”

Fractured

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Whatever their relationship was before the MasterChef scandal saw them both out of a job, it seems that it is now fractured beyond repair.

The pair were both fired by the BBC last month after a report into the cooking show upheld allegations against them.

The report revealed that more than 40 complaints against Wallace had been upheld, including one of unwelcome physical contact and another three of being in a state of undress.

He has insisted he was cleared of “the most serious and sensational allegations”. 

The upheld complaint against Torode related to a severely offensive racist term allegedly used on the set of MasterChef in 2018.

The presenter said he had “no recollection” of it and that any racist language is “wholly unacceptable”.

Despite unfollowing Torode and his wife Lisa on social media, Wallace defended Torode in an interview with The Sun, saying: “I’ve known John for 30 years and he is not a racist.”

But he added: “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.”

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The association also claims the governance of snooker “should factor in more of the views of the players”.

It has vowed to foster a “collaborative relationship” with the sport’s authorities, including the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the existing WPBSA Players’ Board, and World Snooker Tour “to enhance the sport’s future, while safeguarding player welfare and commercial interests”.

The PSPA says it has established a players board comprising of Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Barry Hawkins, Shaun Murphy, Ali Carter, Gary Wilson, Stuart Bingham, Jack Lisowski, Stephen Maguire, Mark Allen, Ryan Day and Joe Perry. Another player – Matthew Selt – has been appointed a director, alongside lawyers Ben Rees and Mark Kenkre.

The association also claims that seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has agreed to become a member, along with Chinese stars Ding Junhui and Xiao Guodong.

“I’ve had lots of discussions with Ronnie” said Higgins. “He’s really excited about it, so it’s full steam ahead.”

The fact so many of the top players are behind the new body suggests some feel they do not have enough say in the running of the World Snooker Tour (WST), particularly the commercial side.

During the 2024 World Championship, the headlines at the Crucible were dominated by talk of a potential breakaway tour. This came after the game’s top players were approached to play in lucrative events in China and North America as part of a potential breakaway circuit.

Professional players sign a contract which does not allow them to compete in any outside events while WST tournaments are being played, unless they are events sanctioned by the WST, although players have recently negotiated more flexibility.

However, the WST has been increasing the amount of prize money in the game, and is preparing to stage the sport’s “fourth major” in Saudi Arabia with a prize pot of more than £2m. The second Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will take place later this week in Jeddah.

The WPBSA’s own players’ body was formed in 2020, and the governing body says it has “a specific mandate to act in the collective best interest of members in relation to welfare and issues affecting the professional game.”

It says that it “acts as a channel for member concerns and provides a platform whereby issues surrounding their wellbeing can be raised at the highest levels by the WPBSA Players Board.”

The PSPA says it has been formed with expert guidance from leading sports law professionals, and that its key objectives include legal and commercial support to protect players’ rights in sponsorship, broadcasting, and contractual matters.

Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

As awards season begins to take shape, this week the New York Film Festival announced its closing night selection: the world premiere of Bradley Cooper’s “Is This Thing On?”

Starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern as a couple on the brink of splitting up when he immerses himself in the world of stand-up comedy, the film has been described as a “pivot” from Cooper’s previous directing efforts “A Star Is Born” and “Maestro.”

Will Arnett in Bradley Cooper’s “Is This Thing On?,” which will have its world premiere on closing night of the New York Film Festival.

(Jason McDonald / Searchlight Pictures)

Dennis Lim, artistic director of the NYFF, said that in putting together a program each year, he doesn’t mind drawing from films that have already premiered at festivals throughout the year, including Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Telluride, Toronto and others.

“How do we make a case for cinema as an art form that is still vital and relevant? I think programming the New York Film Festival is answering this question,” said Lim. “If I’m going to put forward a list of films that makes the case for cinema as an art form that matters today in 2025, which are the films that I’m going to put forward as evidence? The program is our answer to that question.”

John Woo on Hong Kong action cinema

Chow Yun-fat, left, and Danny Lee in John Woo’s “The Killer.”

(Shout! Studios)

The stylish, delirious action cinema that emerged from Hong Kong in the late 1980s and early 1990s redefined the genre, creating a visual grammar and thematic template that is still wildly influential to this day. The American Cinematheque and Beyond Fest, in partnership with Shout! Studios and GKIDS, are launching “Hong Kong Cinema Classics,” a series to celebrate these explosively exciting films.

Due to tangled rights issues, many of these movies have been largely out of circulation in the U.S. for years. To have them now remastered in 4K from original camera negatives is a thrill and puts them back in front of audiences where they belong.

The series will launch Saturday with the U.S. premiere of the new restoration of John Woo’s 1992 “Hard Boiled,” his final film made in Hong Kong before coming to the U.S., starring Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung and Anthony Wong. Woo himself will be present for the screening at the Egyptian Theatre and will return on Sunday for 1989’s “The Killer” and a triple-bill of the “A Better Tomorrow” trilogy.

Other films in the series include Woo’s “Bullet in the Head,” Ringo Lam’s 1987 “City on Fire,” Tsui Hark’s “Peking Opera Blues” and Ching Siu-tung’s trilogy of “A Chinese Ghost Story” films.

Director John Woo, photographed in Los Angeles in 2023.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

After relocating to America in 1993, Woo would go on to make a string of English-language films in Hollywood such as “Hard Target,” “Broken Arrow,” “Face/Off,” “Mission: Impossible 2” and “Windtalkers” as well as the more recent “Silent Night” and a 2024 remake of “The Killer.”

Speaking from his home in Los Angeles recently, Woo noted what it means to him that audiences still respond to his Hong Kong films.

“I so appreciate all the fans — for all these years they still give me great support,” said Woo, 78. “That’s why I’m so excited. It’s hard to believe that after so many years, I still have a chance to meet the audience and the audience is still excited about it. So I’m very proud.”

The Hong Kong action movies celebrated in the series slowly found their way to western audiences via festival screenings, limited theatrical releases and eventually home video.

Writing about “The Killer” in 1992, The Times’ Kevin Thomas said, “Sentimentality and violence have gone hand-in-hand from the beginning of the movies, but seldom have they been carried to such extremes and played against each other with such effectiveness.”

For Woo, there was a creative freedom while making his movies at that time. Proven Hong Kong directors were often allowed to largely do what they wanted without interference.

“In the rest of the world, I’ve been told there are very clear rules for every kind of movie,” said Woo. “The comedy is comedy. Action is only for the action fan and people who enjoy the melodrama never go to see the action movie. So each kind of movie has a certain kind of audience. But for the Hong Kong film, it is so much different. We had — in one movie — a human drama, a sense of humor and then the action. We can put everything all together.”

Chow Yun-fat, left, and Tony Leung in John Woo’s “Hard Boiled.”

(Shout! Studios)

In a 1993 profile of Woo by Joe Leydon, writer-director Quentin Tarantino, then known only for his debut “Reservoir Dogs,” lavished praised on his fellow filmmaker, saying “John Woo is reinventing the whole genre. The guy is just terrific — he’s just the best one out there right now.”

Tarantino added, “After I saw ‘A Better Tomorrow,’ I went out and bought a long coat and I got sunglasses and I walked around for about a week, dressing like Chow Yun-fat. And to me, that’s the ultimate compliment for an action hero — when you want to dress like the guy.”

Woo has always been open about the influence of filmmakers such Jean-Pierre Melville, Sam Peckinpah and Martin Scorsese on his own movies.

“I just feel like we are all in a big family,” said Woo of his enduring influence, which you can see evidence of as recently as the “John Wick” franchise. “We are all learning from each other. Every time it’s a learning process for me.”

Alex Ross Perry visits ‘Videoheaven’

Maya Hawke records the narration for Alex Ross Perry’s “Videoheaven.”

(Cinema Conservancy)

Having already released the boldly form-defying hybrid documentary “Pavements” this year, filmmaker Alex Ross Perry continues his adventurous streak with “Videoheaven,” an epic essay film about the rise and fall and continued life of video stores and their importance to film culture, with narration by Maya Hawke.

Perry will be in-person for a series of L.A. screenings this week, starting at Vidiots on Wednesday for a Q&A moderated by “The Big Picture” podcast co-host Sean Fennessey. On Thursday, the film will play at Videothèque with Perry in conversation with the store’s co-manager, Lucé Tomlin-Brenner. On Friday, Aug. 8, the film will play at the Los Feliz 3 with an introduction by Perry.

Points of interest

‘Zola’

Riley Keough, left, and Taylour Paige in “Zola.” Its director, Janicza Bravo, will attend the movie’s screening Thursday at the Academy Museum.

(Anna Kooris / A24)

The Academy Museum is screening Janicza Bravo’s 2020 “Zola” on Thursday with the filmmaker in person. Written by Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris, the film is based on a notorious 2015 Twitter thread by A’Ziah “Zola” King that chronicled an uproarious tale of a road trip gone very wrong. With a cast that includes Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun and Colman Domingo, the film plumbs disorientation and information overload both with equal skill.

Bravo, who has directed recent episodes of “The Bear” and “Too Much” (also appearing in the latter as an actor) spoke at the film’s release about balancing outrageous humor with the darker currents of its story, which touch on complex issues around sex work, sex trafficking and race.

“If it were a not funny movie about sex work and sex trafficking, I don’t think that I would be the right director for it,” said Bravo. “But A’Ziah King, who wrote this story, had imbued it with so much dark humor — you’re laughing at some of the most disturbed moments. … Her way of exorcizing her trauma — it feels so familiar to me. I feel so close to it. This is how I move through the world.”

“Zola” is screening as part of the series “American Gurl: Seeking…” which spotlights coming-of-age films about women of color. Also upcoming in the series is Martine Syms’ “The African Desperate”; Minhal Baig’s 2019 “Hala,” starring Geraldine Viswanathan; Nisha Ganatra’s “Chutney Popcorn” in 35mm with the filmmaker in conversation with Fawzia Mirza; Robert Townsend’s 1997 “B.A.P.S.” in 35mm with screenwriter Troy Byer and Spike Lee’s “Girl 6” in 35mm.

‘Taxi Zum Klo’

The 45th anniversary re-release poster for “Taxi Zum Klo.”

(Altered Innocence)

For its 45th anniversary, Frank Ripploh’s 1980 German film “Taxi Zum Klo” is returning to theaters in a new 4K restoration. A semi-autobiographical tale of a schoolteacher (played by Ripploh) exploring Berlin’s queer underground scene, the film was groundbreaking for its unapologetic candor. The film will have a limited run at the Los Feliz 3, playing on Aug. 5, 10 and 12.

In a 1981 review of the film, Sheila Benson wrote, “Films like ‘Taxi’ as so rare as to be unique, a collage of cinema journalism, an unblinking (but selective) view of homosexual life and intensely personal sexual images.”

Merle Oberon and ‘Dark Waters’

Merle Oberon, center, in 1944’s “Dark Waters.”

(United Artists / Photofest)

On Saturday the UCLA Film and Television Archive will have a 35mm screening of André de Toth’s 1944 “Dark Waters,” starring Merle Oberon. Along with the film there will be a Q&A with Mayukh Sen, author of the book “Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood’s First South Asian Star,” moderated by programmer and critic Miriam Bale. Sen will also do a signing before the screening.

A tense thriller that combines elements of Southern Gothic and film noir, the movie is about an heiress (Oberon) who finds herself taking refuge at a relative’s Louisiana plantation. She becomes embroiled in local intrigues and entanglements.

Writing about the movie in 1945, Philip K. Scheuer said, “The production builds suspense rather ingeniously, and culminates in an exciting night-shrouded chase in and around the bayou. … Miss Oberon never tops her initial outburst of hysterics, which I found pretty terrifying, but it is nice to see her in the part.”

In other news

‘Cat Video Fest’ returns

An image from “Cat Video Fest 2025.”

(Oscilloscope Laboratories)

The “Cat Video Fest” is back for its eighth installment, playing at Vidiots, the Alamo Drafthouse DTLA and multiple Laemmle locations. Created and curated by Will Braden, the series has raised more than $1 million since 2019 to help shelters, support adoptions and foster care and volunteer sign-ups.

Yes, you can watch plenty of cat videos on your phone. But sitting in a theater delighting in them with an audience is something else entirely.

Three Premier League clubs are keen on Randal Kolo Muani, Alejandro Garnacho is still pushing for a move to Chelsea and the Blues’ move for Xavi Simons has hit a snag.

Tottenham, Manchester United and Newcastle are monitoring the situation of Paris St-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani, 26, after the French international’s move to Juventus stalled. (Le Parisien – in French), external

Manchester United’s Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho, 21, is still keen on a move to Chelsea as he attempts to leave Old Trafford this summer. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Chelsea’s bid to sign RB Leipzig’s Dutch forward Xavi Simons, 22, has hit a snag as the Bundesliga side do not want any of the Premier League club’s squad players in part-exchange. (Sun), external

Valencia are closing in on a new deal for Spanish midfielder Javi Guerra, 22, who is attracting interest from Manchester United and AC Milan. (Marca – in Spanish), external

West Ham have submitted a bid worth 8m euros (£6.9m) for Botafogo’s Brazilian goalkeeper John Victor, 29, while Galatasaray, Everton and Manchester United have previously shown interest. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Lyon are in talks with Liverpool over a possible deal for English midfielder Tyler Morton, 22. (Sky Sports), external

Manchester City are willing to sell English midfielders Jack Grealish, 29, James McAtee, 22, and 29-year-old Kalvin Phillips, as well as German keeper Stefan Ortega, 32, this summer, provided they receive suitable offers. (Athletic – subscription required), external

AZ Alkmaar left-back David Moller Wolfe, 23, is travelling to England for a medical at Wolves, with the Norwegian set for a £12m move. (Sky Sports), external

Inter Milan defender Yann Bisseck, 24, has rejected a move to Crystal Palace, who had a £28m bid accepted for the German. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Atalanta have rejected a £36.5m bid from Inter for Nigeria winger Ademola Lookman as they hold out for at least £43.5m for the 27-year-old. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Middlesbrough have agreed a deal worth £3.5m for Blackburn’s English right-back Callum Brittain, 27. (Sky Sports), external

Emmerdale viewers are convinced that three characters could bring an end to John Sugden in a ‘final showdown’ with another sad death also predicted on the ITV soap

Viewers of Emmerdale think they’ve sussed out how the John Sugden storyline will end.

With one character onto the killer and no going back, and a “life-changing” storyline on the way for two characters linked to him, fans think it’s all about to come to a head. We have another resident dangerously close to unravelling the dark truth about John too, and fans think it’s only a matter of time before his criminal ways come to light.

Robert Sugden wasted no time in deciding his long-lost brother John was a “creep” and a baddie when they met just a few months ago. A showdown in prison amid their rivalry over Aaron Dingle, John’s husband and Robert’s ex-husband, left Robert unnerved.

He was determined to expose John to everyone, sensing something wasn’t right with him and that he was hiding something dark. Since then, he’s remained on the case to figure out what John is capable of.

John didn’t help matters by threatening his sibling, but that said he’s won over the entire village who have no idea the things he’s done. He’s targeted a number of residents over the past year, from drugging people, to causing a deliberate allergic reaction and even killing Nate Robinson.

READ MORE: Emmerdale: Robert and Aaron make amends, Steph exit sealed and Charity’s heartache

He framed a character for a harassment campaign he’d set up, and all of this was to play the hero as well as be needed by those in the village. It paid off and no one, asides Robert is suspicious.

At one point Mackenzie Boyd was and he became an enemy of the character, only to pay the price and be blamed for a slurry leak on his sister Moira Dingle’s farm. John feigned support and Mack believed he was a good guy and left him alone.

But Robert is slowly unravelling John’s behaviour, and he isn’t the only one. Paddy Kirk is volunteering on a helpline, the very helpline a guilty John has been messaging and calling after struggling with his guilt.

Paddy is the exact person who has been messaging John, urging him to open up and speak over the phone. Neither of them realise yet who they are speaking to, but surely it’s only a matter of time before one or both of them figure it out, and if John confesses to a crime or two before then, the game could be up.

Factoring all this in, fans are convinced it will be these three characters, Mack, Paddy and Robert, who ultimately put the pieces of the puzzle together and expose John. They think events will lead to a “final showdown” and that the trio will team up and end his reign of terror.

Some fans think Aaron will figure it out too and could be someone who brings his own husband down, while Cain Dingle and Victoria Sugden have also been suggested. It’s clear Robert is a threat to John, just like Mack once was, so will he put a stop to his investigation?

Could Robert or even Mack lose their life in a last death, given Aaron and Mack’s mystery upcoming storyline? Taking to social media, one fan theorised: “Robert is obviously suspicious, but won’t be believed. And obviously, he only has an instinct that John is a wrong ‘un, and a belief that there’s police have got it wrong about Nate’s death.

“He’s a long way from understanding what has really been going on. I think they’d is still a role for Mack to play in exposing all John’s secrets (and presumably Paddy, too). There’d be great drama in seeing Mack, Rob and Paddy all coming together to save Aaron in some big final showdown.”

Another fan said: “I hope he ends up confessing to Paddy via the helpline chat thing and Paddy works with Robert to piece it together.” A third viewer predicted: “I actually think it will be Paddy, Mack, Aaron or Vic. And later Robert will be like I told you so.

“I’m enjoying the storyline and can’t wait to wait it all play out.” As of the possible final kill, another fan commented: “I wouldn’t be surprised if John kills Mack when he’s about to be exposed, being caught by Aaron. And then Aaron is kidnapped by John, leading to a Robert, Cain and Paddy team up.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

President Trump endorsed Republican John Cox for California governor on Friday, backing that could help Cox consolidate the GOP vote in the June primary and increase his chances to win a spot on the November ballot.

“California finally deserves a great Governor, one who understands borders, crime and lowering taxes. John Cox is the man — he’ll be the best Governor you’ve ever had,” the president tweeted Friday afternoon.

Cox, who did not vote for Trump for president in 2016, said he was “honored and deeply grateful” for the endorsement.

“I am looking forward to working with [the president] to make California great again,” said Cox, who alluded to potential support from Trump during a recent debate in San Jose, when he noted that he had recently visited the White House. “Like the President, I’m a businessman who knows how to get things done. We’re going to secure the border, empower California small businesses, lower taxes, and make our state affordable for everyone.”

Trump overwhelmingly lost California to Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton received nearly 8.8 million votes in the state compared to Trump’s 4.5 million., But if Cox receives anything close to Trump’s support it should be more than enough to give him a second-place finish on June 5.

Trump’s endorsement of Cox is a major blow to GOP rival Travis Allen, an assemblyman from Huntington Beach and the favorite of many California conservatives. Both men failed to win the endorsement of the California Republican Party earlier this month, but Trump’s backing is arguably more powerful.

Allen supporters fumed over the president’s announcement, and said he had been misled.

“I’m angry. I’m angry at President Trump,” said Celeste Greig, a longtime conservative leader in the California GOP, who travelled to Washington, D.C., to attend Trump’s inauguration in 2017.

When she heard the news Friday, she promptly donated an additional $300 to Allen’s campaign.

“I love the president. I have supported him, but he’s made some misjudgements and this is one. He shouldn’t have done it, he shouldn’t. I will never, never support John Cox.”

Throughout the campaign, Allen has hammered Cox for supporting Libertarian Gary Johnson in the 2016 presidential race. Cox says he cast his ballot for the former New Mexico governor because, at the time, he didn’t trust that Trump was a true conservative. Cox has since said he regretted that vote because he has been pleased by Trump’s actions in office, including the tax overhaul, though he wishes the president would tweet less.

Allen voted for Trump and often boasts that he’s the only major candidate in the governor’s race to have done so. But Allen has struggled to raise funds for his campaign while Cox, a wealthy businessman from Rancho Santa Fe, has poured more than $4 million of his own money into his gubernatorial bid.

“The fact that Allen does not have the funds to compete makes this significant,” Republican political consultant Rob Stutzman said. “Allen can’t really counter it effectively.”

Stutzman, Greig and others suspect House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) may have encouraged the president to back Cox. Having a Republican on the top of the ticket in November — as opposed to two Democrats — could drive GOP voter turnout and help House Republicans in tight races that are key to the party holding on to control of Congress.

“The only reason for Donald Trump to tweet out support for a candidate for California is going to be House seats,” said Jon Fleischman, an influential conservative blogger from Orange County who plans to vote for Allen but said Trump’s endorsement helps Cox. “There is delicious irony in tweeting support for a candidate who was boasting about not voting for him.”

Attempts to reach McCarthy were unsuccessful on Friday.

But Allen told more than 400 supporters on a conference call Friday evening that the president’s endorsement would not hinder his chances, and said Trump wrongly “decided to listen to political advisors in the swamp, and Kevin McCarthy chief among them.”

“This does not stop us. This doesn’t even slow us down,” Allen said. “All this does is put a smile on our faces, because ladies and gentlemen, as God is my witness, my name is Travis Allen and I’m going to be the next governor of the state of California…. Not even the president of the United States is going to stop” that.

Democratic front-runner Gavin Newsom responded to Trump’s tweet by aligning Cox with the president, who is widely unpopular in California.

“No surprise you’re endorsing a candidate in your own image: one who attacks immigrants while opposing common sense gun laws and equal rights,” Newsom tweeted. “Time & time again, the people of California have rejected your brand of hate. The people of California will reject @TheRealJohnHCox too.”

Newsom’s campaign to be the state’s next governor will be much easier if he faces a Republican in the general election, rather than one of the other top Democrats in the race — a fact driving his strategy. No Republican candidate has won a statewide election in California since 2006, and Democrats have a 19% edge over the GOP in voter registration.

Under California’s top-two primary system, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the June 5 primary advance to the November election, regardless of party affiliation. The other top Democrats in the race include former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, state Treasurer John Chiang and former state schools chief Delaine Eastin.

Democrats and their allies have been spending millions of dollars to weigh in on Cox’s candidacy.

Newsom released an ad contrasting himself with Cox that notes Cox’s alignment with Trump on gun issues. The ad is being aired on broadcast television during programming popular with conservatives, including the “Roseanne” reboot, and will probably make Cox more appealing to GOP voters.

Meanwhile, backers of Villaraigosa — who is scrapping with Cox for the second spot in the primary — are airing an ad on Fox News and other stations that paints Cox as a Chicago carpetbagger and onetime Democrat who can’t win elections. While living in Illinois, Cox unsuccessfully ran for office multiple times.

During a testy televised debate earlier this month in San Jose, Newsom was asked whom he would prefer to face in the general election. The lieutenant governor quickly said he hoped to battle a Republican.

“A Republican would be ideal in the general election,” Newsom said with a grin, then glanced over at Cox and Allen. “Either one of these would do.”

“Be careful what you wish for, Gavin,” Cox said.

[email protected]; [email protected]

Twitter: @LATSeema, @philwillon

Updates on California politics

Emmerdale has released a spoiler clip for next week that reveals John Sugden targets his brother Robert Sugden, getting Robert’s former enemy Ross Barton involved

A new Emmerdale clips has hinted at what John Sugden will uncover about his brother Robert Sugden next week.

Amid his plan to destroy his brother who is onto his dark crimes, he places a listening device inside his home and soon enough has some dirt on him. It’s not revealed what he finds out, but it seems a new preview has teased what it could be linked to.

John sets up some drama with Robert’s former enemy of sorts Ross Barton. In the clip for next week, airing towards the end of the week and after John’s discovery, Ross is let in on something Robert is hiding.

In the clip John watches Ross as he walks through the village, and then pretends that he’s rushed over to him – while he’s clearly been biding his time. John then fakes “bottling it” as Ross questions what he wants.

Ross looks confused as John suddenly goes to leave, just after stopping him in the village. Ross tells him to spit it out, telling him he can’t rush off after all that and that he clearly has something to tell him.

READ MORE: Emmerdale star warns of dark storyline ahead for Moira Dingle after health scare

It’s then that John feigns worry about letting slip what he knows, before telling Ross “he has a right to know” It’s then that he reveals it’s “about his brother” clearly meaning Robert. Ross’ face darkens and he demands answers, asking John: “What’s he done now?”. Robert is often up to no good and causing drama, so of course Ross would expect he’s done something bad, and he wouldn’t be surprised by this either.

John has deliberately targeted Ross as the person to tell whatever it is he knows, knowing how Ross will react towards Robert. But what is it about?

It has to be linked to Ross, otherwise why would John get him involved? Could it be linked to Seb, Robert’s son and Ross’ stepson? Or is it more than likely linked to what happened with new villain Ray just weeks ago?

Ross and his brother Lewis Barton were horrified to find Lewis’ cannabis plants, being harvested at the farm, were stolen. Few people knew about them, with Lewis having specific purposes for the plants.

Mackenzie Boy was initially blamed for the theft, after he told villain Ray about the weed. Mack protested his innocence though, and both Lewis and Ross realised he wasn’t behind it.

Viewers were let in on the twist though, and we saw Robert selling the drugs to Ray having stolen them from Lewis. So is this what John has found out, and is this what he tells Ross?

Spoilers had recently teased Ross was onto Robert and would confront him about it all. Maybe John, and Ross, now have evidence that Robert was to blame. Spoilers for next week revealed Ross would find out John had information about Robert.

There’s also Robert’s lies to Ross’ aunt Moira Dingle about his reasons for buying the land from her. So cold this be what John has uncovered and passed onto Ross, and will Moira learn the truth?

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Allegations against MasterChef presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode were upheld, and they both lost their jobs on the BBC programme, which has aired in various guises since 2005

The BBC has stressed it wants to “properly recognise” the MasterChef contestants by airing a series filmed last year before allegations against Gregg Wallace and John Torode were upheld.

The corporation confirmed yesterday the latest amateur series has been given the green light for broadcast from August 6 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. This is despite the scandal around both Wallace and Torode, who lost their hosting roles after 20 years. Most of the 83 allegations made against Wallace were for inappropriate sexual language and humour while Torode allegedly used a serious racial term.

But they filmed a series last year before these claims were upheld, and the BBC has decided to air this to honour the amateur chefs involved. However, the futures of the celebrity series and the Christmas special, again both already filmed, remain unclear as yet.

Reacting to the news on Wednesday, one former MasterChef worker said the decision to go ahead showed “a blatant disregard for the people who have come forward”.

Speaking to BBC News, she warned it was “a total reversal of so-called firing from MasterChef – how can you be fired by your work is still made public? While a gap in the prime time schedule is not ideal, for integrity they should have found other series to go into those slots.”

READ MORE: MasterChef’s new hosts ‘revealed’ after Gregg Wallace and John Torode scandal

However, the BBC said in full: “After careful consideration and consultation with the contestants, we have decided to broadcast the amateur series of MasterChef on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 6 August. MasterChef is an amazing competition which is life-changing for the amateur chefs taking part. The focus of it has always been their skill and their journey.

“This has not been an easy decision in the circumstances and we appreciate not everyone will agree with it. In showing the series, which was filmed last year, it in no way diminishes our view of the seriousness of the upheld findings against both presenters. We have been very clear on the standards of behaviour that we expect of those who work at the BBC or on shows made for the BBC.

“However, we believe that broadcasting this series is the right thing to do for these cooks who have given so much to the process. We want them to be properly recognised and give the audience the choice to watch the series.

“At this stage we have not taken a decision on the celebrity series and Christmas special, which was filmed earlier this year, and we will confirm our plans later in the year.

“Most importantly MasterChef is a brilliant, much-loved programme which is bigger than any one individual. There are many talented, dedicated and hard-working people who make the show what it is. It will continue to flourish on the BBC and we look forward to it returning stronger than ever in the future.”

The statement followed news last week that Torode’s contract on MasterChef would not be renewed, as confirmed by the BBC and production company Banijay UK.

Torode, who celebrated his 60th birthday on Wednesday, confirmed he was the subject of an allegation about using racist language that was upheld as part of a review carried out by law firm Lewis Silkin into the alleged behaviour of his co-presenter Wallace.

Tommy John surgery was never supposed to go this far.

It was once a cross-your-fingers-and-pray fix for a career-ending injury. Now, MLB teams cycle through as many as 40-plus pitchers a year, knowing that surgery is a phone call away.

Just ask John himself, a left-hander who never threw all that hard, only reaching the mid-80s on his sinking fastball. The soft-throwing lefty was having his best year as a Dodgers starting pitcher in 1974.

He didn’t have the strikeout acumen of teammate Andy Messersmith, or the ace makeup of future Hall of Famer Don Sutton. But what John did have was consistency. John consistently pitched late into games, and sent opposing hitters back to the dugout without reaching first base.

“The game of baseball is 27 outs,” said John, now 82. “It wasn’t about throwing hard. It’s, how do I get you out?”

He was the first to go under the knife. The first to lead pitchers through a dangerous cycle of throwing as hard as possible, knowing the safeguard is surgery.

“I threw one pitch and boom, the ligament exploded,” John said.

John’s arm injury left a sensation akin to what an amputee feels after losing a limb. In 1978, he told Sports Illustrated, “It felt as if I had left my arm someplace else.” He didn’t feel pain. He felt loss. His left arm was his career. It was the direct cause for his toeing the Dodger Stadium mound in the first place. Then, John went on to pitch another 15 years in MLB.

It’s the same loss that Hall of Fame Dodgers left-hander Sandy Koufax felt when he retired at age 30 after numerous arm injuries, which could have likely been fixed if current elbow and shoulder surgeries had existed in 1966.

It’s the same loss that Texas Rangers team physician Keith Meister sees walking daily into his office.

Today, Meister can view MRI scans of elbow tears and can tell pitchers where and how they hold the baseball. The tear patterns are emblematic of the pitches being thrown in the first place. The solution — Tommy John surgery, a once-revolutionary elbow operation — replaces a torn or partially damaged ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow with a tendon from somewhere else in the body. The operation is no quick fix. It requires a 13- to 14-month recovery period, although Meister said some pitchers may require just 12 months — and some up to 18.

Meister, who is currently tallying data and researching the issue, wants to be part of the change. Midway through an October phone interview, he bluntly stopped in his tracks and asked a question.

“What is the average length of a major-league career for a major-league pitcher?” he said.

Meister explained that the average career for an MLB pitcher is just 2.6 years. Along with numerous other interviewees, he compared the epidemic to another sport’s longevity problem: the National Football League running back.

“People say to me, ‘Well, that sounds like a running back in football,’” Meister said. “Think about potentially the money that gets saved with not having to even get to arbitration, as long as organizations feel like they can just recycle and, you know, next man up, right?”

Orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister, in his TMI Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Surgery office in Arlington, Texas, in 2024, has advocated for changes to mitigate pitching injuries.

(Tom Fox / The Dallas Morning News)

Financial ramifications play close to home between pitchers and running backs as well. Lower durability and impact have led to decreasing running-back salaries. If pitchers continue to have shorter careers, as Meister puts it, MLB franchises might be happy to cycle through minimum-salary pitchers instead of shelling out large salaries for players who remain on the injured list rather than in the bullpen.

The Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays have shuffled through pitchers at league extremes over the last five years. In the modern era — since 1901 — only the Rays and Dodgers have used more than 38 pitchers in a season three times each. Tampa used 40-plus pitchers each year from 2021 to 2023.

Last year, the Dodgers used 40 pitchers. Only the Miami Marlins tasked more with 45.

The Dodgers have already used 35 pitchers this season, second-most in baseball. The Rays tallied just 30 in 2024 and have dispatched just 23 on the mound so far this season. What gives?

Meister says the Rays may have changed their pitcher philosophy. Early proponents of sweepers and other high-movement pitches, the Rays now rank near the bottom of the league (29th with just 284 thrown) in sweeper usage entering Saturday’s action, according to Baseball Savant. Two years ago, the Rays threw the seventh most.

Tampa is rising to the top of MLB in two-seam fastball usage, Meister said, a pitch he says creates potentially much less stress on the elbow. Their starting pitchers are second in baseball in the number of innings, and they’ve used just six starting pitchers all season.

“It’s equated to endurance for their pitchers, because you know why? They’re healthy, they’re able to pitch, they’re able to post and they’re able to go deeper into games,” Meister said. “Maybe teams will see this and they’ll be like, ‘Wait a minute, look what these guys won with. Look how they won. We don’t need to do all this crap anymore.’”

The Dodgers, on the other hand, rank ninth in sweeper usage (1,280 thrown through Friday) and have used 16 starting pitchers (14 in traditional starting roles). Meanwhile, their starting pitchers have compiled the fewest innings in MLB. Rob Hill, the Dodgers’ director of pitching, began his career at Driveline Baseball. The Dodgers hired him in 2020. Since then, the franchise has churned out top pitching prospect after top pitching prospect, many of whom throw devastating sweepers and change-ups.

As of Saturday, the Dodgers have 10 pitchers on the injured list, six of whom underwent an elbow or shoulder operation — and since 2021, the team leads MLB in injury list stints for pitchers.

“There are only probably two teams in baseball that can just sit there and say, ‘Well, if I get 15 to 20 starts out of my starting pitchers, it doesn’t matter, because I’ll replace them with somebody else I can buy,’” Meister said. “That’s the Yankees and the Dodgers.”

He continued: “Everybody else, they’ve got to figure out, wait a minute, this isn’t working, and we need to preserve our commodity, our pitchers.”

Outside of organizational strategy changes, like the Rays have made, Meister has expressed rule changes to MLB. He’s suggested rethinking how the foul ball works or toying with the pitch clock to give a slightly longer break to pitchers. He said pitchers don’t get a break on the field the same way hitters do in the batter’s box.

“Part of the problem here is that a hitter has an ability to step out of the box and take a timeout,” Meister said. “He has to go cover a foul ball and run over to first base and run back to the mound. He should have an opportunity take a break and take a blow.”

Meister hopes to discuss reintroducing “tack” — a banned sticky substance that helps a pitcher’s grip on the ball — to the rulebook, something that pitchers such as Max Scherzer and Tyler Glasnow have called a factor in injuries. Meister has fellow leading experts on his side too.

“Myself and Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache are very good friends, and we talk at length about this,” said Meister.

Meister explained that the lack of stickiness on the baseball causes pitchers to squeeze the ball as hard as possible. The “death grip on the ball,” Meister said, causes the muscles on the inner side of the elbow to contract in the arm and then extend when the ball is released. The extension of the inner elbow muscles is called an eccentric load, which can create injury patterns.

The harder the grip, the more violent the eccentric load becomes when a sweeper pitch, for example, is thrown, he said.

“Just let guys use a little bit of pine tar on their fingertips,” Meister said, adding that the pitchers already have to adjust to an inconsistent baseball, one that changes from season to season. “Not, put it on the baseball, not glob the baseball with it, but put a little pine tar on their fingertips and give them a little better adherence to the baseball.”

According to the New Yorker, MLB is exploring heavier or larger baseballs to slow pitchers’ arm movements, potentially reducing strain on the UCL during maximum-effort pitches.

Meister, however, said there does not seem to be a sense of urgency to fix the game, with a years-long process to make any fixes.

In short, Meister is ready to try anything.

For a man who has made a career off baseball players nervously sitting in his office waiting room, awaiting news that could alter their careers forever, Meister wants MLB to help him stop players from ever scheduling that first appointment.

“To me, it’s not about the surgery any more as much as it is, what can we do to prevent, and what can we do to alter, the approach that the game now takes?” Meister said.

“It’s very, very dangerous.”

JOHN Torode directed the N-word at staff member as well as singing it in a Kanye West song, claimed a source.

We reported yesterday how the MasterChef star, 59, repeated lyrics from Gold Digger, which contain the racial slur, at an after-work ­gathering six or seven years ago.

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Torode is said to have used the word again while ­chatting to a pal on the BBC show’s production team – who did not take offence.

Torode, who vehemently denies ever using the N-word, is “utterly devastated” by the accusations and has “absolutely no recollection”.

He was sacked this week after an investigation by the Beeb and production company Banijay – which also saw former co-host Gregg Wallace axed for inappropriate behaviour.

However, the BBC has how revealed the second incident was not the one reported and led to a complaint.

The allegation was actually in reference to an incident that unfolded a year before.

An insider claimed Torode used the “extremely offensive racist term” on set after filming a MasterChef episode.

It was allegedly directed towards a member of staff.

And, there were eight further complaints lodged against Torode, which ranged from alleged racist comments, sexual remarks and abusive language towards junior production employees.

But, they were not upheld due to lack of evidence.

The report has also highlighted a complaint against a third unnamed person for swearing.

According to the BBC, this is in reference to a senior exec on the show.

The company also lifted the lid on Torode and Wallace’s partnership and how the on-screen pals were “never friends” behind the scenes.

An ex-staffer claimed: “Clearly they had a good chemistry when the cameras were rolling. But you rarely saw them interact when the cameras were off.

“And when Gregg was saying inappropriate things like that, John held his counsel. I never saw him step in.”

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Torode himself admitted “we’ve never been friends. We’ve not been to each other’s houses”, in 2017.

He even confessed to the Mirror there had been “a couple of standoffs” which left Torode walking away from his co-star.

When allegations about Wallace came to light last year, Torode’s lack of support was glaringly obvious.

In his brief statement, he said the “thought of anyone who has appeared on our show not having a brilliant experience is awful to hear”.

It was enough to reportedly make Wallace “furious” and led to the chef unfollowing him and his co-host’s wife Lisa Faulkner.

This comes after a source told The Sun Torode is in “a pretty bad way — he’s feeling very fragile” since being sacked this week.

Melbourne-born John moved to the UK in 1991 and started working in London restaurants including Quaglino’s.

It was there he met greengrocer Wallace, who provided their veg.

He started cooking on This Morning in 1996 before he and Wallace began hosting the revamped MasterChef in 2005.

But the host was only spoken to by a representative from legal firm Lewis Silkin at the end of June as part of the inquiry into his ­MasterChef co-host Gregg Wallace.

A source added: “One of the allegations is that he said the N-word while repeating Kanye’s Gold Digger song during a gathering with his colleagues when filming had ended. John is adamant he would never have used the N-word and only knows the radio version of the song which says, ‘Now I ain’t sayin’ she a gold digger, but she ain’t messin’ with no broke, broke’. The clean version of the song is the only one he knows.

“The person who raised the complaint didn’t say anything at the time. So John only found out a few weeks ago that this issue had been raised.

“This has hit him like a ton of bricks as he does not recall it.

“He insists he would never have repeated the N-word in those lyrics because he only knows the radio edit of that song.”

Those close to Torode have criticised the BBC’s handling of his departure, with his representatives only being made aware his contract wasn’t being renewed after the BBC press office released a statement.

A source added: “John is devastated by all of this. He is being supported by his wife Lisa and friends. They’re keeping him close because he has really been struggling.

“John abhors this kind of language and does not recall ever reciting a racist slur in a lyric, or directing one to someone he considered a friend at work.

“He adored MasterChef. It was a huge part of his life. To have it all ending like this is awful.”

Wallace, 60, was also 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 were upheld.

The majority were inappropriate sexual language.

One related to unwanted touching.

BBC boss Tim Davie has since broke his silence on the future of MasterChef following the scandal.

He said: “I absolutely think it does, I think a great programme that’s 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.”

The Sun revealed that the final MasterChef series, with Wallace and Torode as hosts, will air “once the dust has settled”.

Meanwhile, Torode’s wife Lisa Faulkner has revealed “I don’t read anything about us” as she opened up about her six-year marriage.

Forget MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace and John Torode, Jessica Boulton’s ruthless rundown of the showbiz week reveals the EIGHT stories you should be talking about instead….. including the only cancelled BBC star who actually deserves our tears

Jessica Boulton works on the Mirror’s features desk, specialising in celebrity features and interviews. She also writes a weekly observational comedy column Jess Saying, which runs each Saturday. In addition, she oversees the entertainment pages, helps co-ordinate the Pride of Britain coverage and newsletter and guest edits The Diary. Jessica joined The Mirror’s sister paper The People in 2006, and has since worked on the Sunday Mirror and Now magazine. Most likely to be found raving about The Oscars, BAFTAs, Netflix, Friends or Star Wars.

Daily Mirror Columnist Jessica Boulton brings you Jess Saying, her wry, witty and slightly whimsical take on the heroes and villains, winners and losers and the outright outrageous showbiz shenanigans keeping us amused this week. So….where better to start than….

JUSTICE FOR BBC ICON MONDAY

I’ve always considered myself to be woke. I’m left-wing, open-minded and look good in red (in the UK, definitely not in the US). I’d fully support trigger warnings on Bambi and The Lion King. And I’d argue there should be one on Titanic (for “scenes of disturbing door hoggery”). But this week I’m afraid to say, even I think the woke world has gone too far. For a true BBC icon has ­outrageously and undeservedly been cancelled. It’s a sad, sad state of affairs after 30 years of excellence. But it’s a sign of the times: one day everyone loves you and the next…you’re persona non grata, written off as a bad fit for the Gen Zs of today (who don’t watch TV anyway, so why are we pandering?). So which iconic BBC veteran has been tragically stripped of work this week? Clue: they first appeared in 1995 – and won millions of fans overnight. Yes, you’ve guessed it. There’s only one BBC star I’m weeping for: Mr Darcy. Well, his Wet White Shirt, to be precise.

For three decades, the sterling performance of Colin Firth’s infamous Pride and Prejudice shirt has never been equalled. But its outstanding contribution to entertainment has now been called into question – over fears it’s been objectifying men. Yup. It’s true. Some buttoned-up bores at Netflix are currently debating what’ll make the cut and what won’t in their upcoming P&P remake.

READ MORE: MasterChef bosses decide BBC show fate for coming years after show scandal

Considering Slow Horses’ Jack Lowden is the new Darcy (alongside The Crown’s Emma Corrin as Lizzie Bennet), I was FERVENTLY in support of the decision to completely remove the Wet White Shirt, at first.

But then I realised I’d got the wrong end of the stick…I’m only teasing of course. But I do have two little points I’d like to flag to people’s attention:

POINT 1. What else would Netflix need to change to fit a more ‘2025-friendly’ adaptation? Jane’s famous first line definitely loses a certain something after my woke rewrite:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged – but not necessarily accepted as we each have our ‘own truth’ – that a single man, sorry, dependent-free gender-neutral individual, in possession of a ‘good fortune’ (aka, a disproportionate amount of wealth thanks to genetic privilege and the unjust dominance of patriarchy), must be – although is under no obligation to be and will face no ­judgment if they are not – in want of a wife…..or a loving relationship that equally fulfils the needs of both you and your consenting partner/partners, but does not necessarily adhere to any ­societal expectations.”

And POINT 2: ……Season 2, Episode 5 of NETFLIX’S Bridgerton. Look familiar, guys?

NAKED AMBITION TUESDAY

The Primetime Emmy nominations are finally in! Adolescence was the UK’s biggest contender this year – with nods including Best Actor for Stephen Graham and Best Supporting for 15-year-old Owen Cooper (I’d argue it should be reversed).

Meanwhile, leading the way with a mindblowing 27 noms was Apple’s truly genius Severance – a drama in which people clock off at 5pm and all memory of work from that day is completely wiped. (You can decide for yourselves if that’s a good thing or not.)

The most delightful Emmy news of all? Nobody Wants This, with my all-time celeb faves Adam Brody and Kristen Bell, landed nods for best comedy series, actor and actress. It was an achievement ­Kristen’s hubby Dax Shepard immediately celebrated with this pic – of Kristen’s naked yoga workout.

I’m not married, so maybe I’m wrong… But should Dax really have gone so very public with his congratulations? A great big bear bare hug may have been the better choice.

END OF TORODE WEDNESDAY

Talking of draaaaaama and cancellations… it was all going off the boil at MasterChef this week. Just days after Gregg Wallace was given the heave-ho after vowing to fight the dozens of allegations against him, his co-star John Torode was ALSO left with egg on his face. Torode was accused of making a racial slur – said to be “the worst word possible” – in a social setting some years ago. Torode denied it. But it left Auntie with a sour taste, so he was sent packing with a P45 as well.

The poor BBC now has an entire as-yet-unreleased pre-recorded series of MasterChef with not one but TWO disgraced hosts. That’s got to be tough to swallow. It also explains the reasoning behind one of its latest new hires. For even wholesome Blue Peter has had its share of scandalous stars…

So when faced with finding its latest prestigious presenter, the Beeb hired someone who’s been nothing but a safe pair of hands their whole career. Some might even go as far to say he’s the perfect ­corporate puppet.….(see below).

FISHING FOR INSULTS? THURSDAY

Gregg and John might be in for a grilling over their alleged behaviour, but another under-fire celeb, Sacha Baron Cohen, was probably feeling a little, um, roasted this week. Yes, his actress ex-wife Isla Fisher has not had the most amicable of splits with Da Ali G and Borat actor. So some social media users took her quip on Instagram to be a tiny dig at his expense (literally). The Confessions Of A Shopaholic star wrote: “For all the men who say ‘Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?’, here’s an update for you. “Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why?

“Because women realise it’s not worth buying an entire pig… just to get a little sausage.” No porkies there! I’d rather bring home the bacon alone than be stuck with a man who’s the literal wurst. So, bravo, Isla! That took proper chops.

FACING FACTS FRIDAY

You can’t make this one up. And to be fair, whatever you say about Katie Price, at least she can take the mickey out of herself. Which is why she’s made a startling admission this week. Apparently Katie was ­travelling and got pulled over by ­security at passport control – because she’s had so many trips under the knife, the scanners couldn’t recognise her passport photo. Yes, Katie might have been accused of being two-faced in the past, but, as she’ll admit herself, she’s been through at least 10 of them now. On the upside, it’s something to add to her CV next time she’s bankrupt. After all, everyone wants their staff to multi-faceted nowadays.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

She’s always been a woman with Klass. So it’s good to see Myleene hasn’t let her newly-award MBE go to her head. Ahem.

Yes, Myleene was presented the honour this week after her tireless charity work, including raising the awareness of the emotional toll of miscarriage. But it looks like the Hear’Say singer might be taking the honour a little too literally.

For the morning after receiving the medal – alongside fellow honouree Leona Lewis OBE – Myleene posted this bathtime snap.

Umm….It looks like you’ve got a little something in your hair, Myleene. To be fair, it could have been worse. She could have posted a snap of her in her tiara….sitting on the throne.

JESS A QUICKIE:

Myleene’s not the only one having some bathroom fun. Charlotte Crosby decided to promote her new fiction tome by sitting in a bath of books. It makes sense: she’s always swimming with novel ideas.* *Sorry I couldn’t help myself

What do you think? Let me know in the comments or via IG/X @JessicaBoulton

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Elvis Presley’s worn Omega wristwatch, gifted to him by Johnny Cash, sold for $103,700 this week.

Goldin, a leading sports and pop culture memorabilia auction house, sold the engraved timepiece as part of its inaugural music memorabilia auction, which closed Wednesday night. Other high-selling items included a D.A. Millings & Son custom suit worn by John Lennon in 1963 ($102,480), a signed copy of Led Zeppelin’s album “Presence” ($19,520) and George Harrison’s sunglasses ($47,590). Goldin also set a new sale record for a type 1 photo — or photo developed from an original negative within two years of when the picture was taken— of rapper Tupac Shakur, which sold for $10,370, according to the auction house.

Though sports and trading card auctions are Goldin’s “bread and butter,” the company is venturing more into pop culture, said head of revenue Dave Amerman. This transition is documented in Goldin’s Netflix show, “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch,” which premiered in 2023 and was just renewed for a third season.

“We realized that we get so many music items and we build them into our pop culture sales, we just want to separate it and make its own event out of it,” Amerman told The Times.

Many of the Beatles items belonged to music promoter Chris Agajanian, who’s been building his collection for more than 40 years. Agajanian owns more than 2,000 pieces of Beatles memorabilia and signed letters of provenance for many of the items in the Goldin sale.

The music auction also included more than 500 concert posters graded by the Certified Guaranty Company, the leader in comic book grading. Poster subjects ranged from the Grateful Dead and the Beatles to Sonic Youth and Blink-182.

In 2020, Goldin sold one of the most expensive albums of all time: a copy of Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Double Fantasy” that Lennon unwittingly signed for his assassin, Mark David Chapman, just before the Beatle was shot in 1980. It went for $900,000.

Additionally, the auction house holds the record for most expensive toy sold at an auction: a 1979 prototype action figure of “Star Wars” bounty hunter Boba Fett that went for more than $1 million in 2024.

Goldin’s Hollywood Props & Memorabilia auction, featuring Harrison Ford’s “Indiana Jones” whip, a “Star Wars” Stormtrooper prototype helmet and George Reeves’ “Superman” suit, is currently live. The auction closes Aug. 6.

The BBC announced earlier this week that presenter John Torode would not have his MasterChef contract renewed following an upheld complaint over alleged racist language

Former MasterChef judge John Torode was sacked from the BBC show for allegedly using the N-word twice. It was announced this week that his contract would not be renewed following an upheld complaint.

Production company Banijay said on Tuesday that an investigation into his co-star Gregg Wallace‘s behaviour by firm Lewis Silkin had “substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against” John, 59. John however said in a statement: “I have no recollection of what I’m accused of.”

It’s now been suggested that John, who had co-hosted the cooking show since 2005, used the N-word on two occasions, including at an gathering after work some years ago. John is said to vehemently deny ever using the racial slur though.

The Sun reports that he repeated lyrics, containing the N-word, from Kanye West‘s song Gold Digger at an after-work ­gathering six or seven years ago. He’s then said to have used the word again whilst speaking to a member of the MasterChef production team.

John allegedly used the word a second time when speaking to a member of the colleague, described as a “pal” who reportedly didn’t take offence. According to the outlet, the person who raised the complaint on that occasion is said to have been understood to have overheard the conversation. His friend reportedly thought John used the slur as an “example” and “apologised afterwards”.

The Sun adds that it’s been told that John vehemently denies ever using the N-word, whether that be in song lyrics or otherwise. A source said that he’s “utterly devastated” and “just wants to clear his name” amid the scandal.

A source told the outlet that “one of the allegations” is that he used the N-word while repeating Gold Digger during a gathering with some colleagues when filming had concluded. They said: “John is adamant he would never have used the N-word and only knows the radio version of the song which says, ‘Now I ain’t sayin’ she a gold digger, but she ain’t messin’ with no broke, broke’.”

The source, who said that he only knows the clean version of the song, claimed that the complainant “didn’t say anything” at the time and that John found out that the issue had been raised a few weeks ago. They added that he doesn’t “recall it” and said: “He insists he would never have repeated the N-word in those lyrics because he only knows the radio edit of that song.”

Addressing the apparent second allegation, a source told the Sun that he did not recall using the N-word, saying that he is “adamant” that he would “never” use that word in a conversation. They claim that someone who “overheard it” complained, not the person he’s alleged to have said it to, whom he’s said to have been “close” to whilst working together.

The source said: “Even the person who John was supposedly having the overheard conversation with said he had mentioned the word in reference and apologised straight away.” They added that he John “cannot recall” the alleged conversation and “would never” use the racial slur in question.

They said that he “knows it is unacceptable”. The source further suggested to the outlet that during a meeting over the complaint John was in “disbelief” because the presenter “insisted” that he would “never” had used the N-word.

A source also said that John “abhors” that kind of language and doesn’t recall “reciting a racist slur in a lyric” or “directing one” to a colleague at work that he “considered a friend”. They said that he is “devastated” by the situation.

Earlier this week, the BBC said: “John Torode has identified himself as having an upheld allegation of using racist language against him. This allegation, which involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace, was investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm, Lewis Silkin. John Torode denies the allegation.

“He has stated he has no recollection of the alleged incident and does not believe that it happened. He also says that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment. 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.”

Shortly after, John posted in a statement: “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. 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.

“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 everchanging and ever moving & sometimes personal happiness and fulfilment lay elsewhere. Thank you for the many years of MasterChef.”

As previously reported, production company Banijay said: “The legal team at Lewis Silkin that investigated the allegations relating to Gregg Wallace also substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018. This matter has been formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and whilst we note that John says he does not recall the incident, Lewis Silkin have upheld the very serious complaint. Banijay UK and the BBC are agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.”

Prior to the news of his departure, John had confirmed that he was the subject of an upheld complaint. He said: “For the sake of transparency I confirm that I am the individual who is alleged to have used racial language on one occasion.

“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.

“I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened. However, I want to be clear that I’ve always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment. I’m shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.”

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