Wallaces

The future of BBC’s MasterChef has been revealed after both hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode have been axed from the popular show

The future of BBC’s MasterChef has been ‘revealed’ as – John Torode and Gregg Wallace‘s final series will reportedly still air – despite their double axing.

Last December, it was reported that Grace Dent would be joining John Torode in the kitchen for the next series of Celebrtity MasterChef after Gregg Wallace stepped back from the show following allegations against him. John and Gregg had also filmed an amateur series – as BBC and Banijay UK intend to still broadcast both.

Gregg Wallace’s position on MasterChef became “untenable” after 45 out of 83 allegations of inappropriate behaviour were upheld following a seven-month investigation. John was also axed from the show earlier this week after he confirmed he was the person alleged to have used racist language. However, he said he had no memory of making the comment and denies it ever happened.

The series, which has already been filmed and features celebrities including Love Island‘s Uma Jammeh and TV personality Ashley Cain, will reportedly still be shown on the broadcaster “once the dust has settled”.

The report comes after BBC Director-General Tim Davie announced that the impact on the show’s participants – would be a factor in whether the shows come to air or not.

“These past eight months have been truly hellish for all concerned,” a source told The Sun. “The BBC and Banijay have faced a moral and professional dilemma like never before. Obviously Gregg’s case was more clear cut, but John being dragged through the mud wasn’t what anyone wanted or expected to happen.

“But at the same time, and as a publicly funded body, the BBC has a duty to both provide entertainment as well as fulfil its obligations to cast, crew, contestants and ­viewers alike.”

The source then went on to say that hundreds of people who were involved in or worked on the shows would be “so bitterly disappointed” if they cancelled the show. They then claimed that the show will air “once the dust has settled and all the fuss died down.”

The BBC has been contacted by The Mirror for comment.

In a lengthy statement following John’s axe, 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.”

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Food critic Grace Dent, 51, is said to be replacing Gregg Wallace, 60, on MasterChef UK after the TV host was sacked from the BBC show by its production company Banijay

I’m a Celebrity star Grace Dent is said to be replacing Gregg Wallace on MasterChef UK.

A source has claimed the food critic, 51, will appear on the show alongside John Torode, 59, with filming set to begin at the end of summer. The claims emerged days after Gregg, 60, shared a statement warning he would “not go quietly” after he was sacked from the BBC show by its production company Banijay as 50 more people came forward to make allegations of misconduct, which he strongly denies.

According to the insider, Grace, who replaced Gregg on Celebrity MasterChef earlier this year, is “a natural fit” for the show. The source added that Grace “loves to support up-and-coming talent in the industry and loves the format of the show.”

READ MORE: John Torode breaks social media silence after Gregg Wallace sacking and BBC ban

They told The Sun: “Filming is expected to start at the end of the summer through December. They are also filming at new studios in Birmingham, so it will be a fresh start all round.” When it was confirmed in December last year that Grace, who starred on I’m a Celebrity in 2023 but left on medical grounds after nine days, was stepping in for Celebrity MasterChef, she said: “I’ve been watching MasterChef since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa.

“My whole family watches it. It’s all about uncovering and championing talent, and to have ended up in this position is more than a dream to me. I’m so excited that I can’t eat, which is severely detrimental to a restaurant critic.

“I feel very lucky to be stepping in for the next Celebrity MasterChef. I can’t wait to meet the fresh celebrity faces for 2025.” Jon added of her colleague: “I have loved working with Grace on MasterChef over the years. She has been an excellent guest, an inspiring critic and also set some incredible challenges.”

The news emerged just days after Gregg issued a furious statement on social media, claiming that the Silkin’s Report into his alleged misconduct “exonerates him of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year.” In a lengthy post shared on social media, he wrote: “I’ve taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkins report – a decision I do not take lightly. But after 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others.

“I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me. The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.”

He added: “My decision to go public now is also driven by the fact the BBC News division are intending to platform legally unsafe accusations, including claims which have already been investigated and not upheld by the BBC and found not credible by Silkins. The BBC is no longer providing balanced and impartial public service journalism.

“It is peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories. The BBC is choosing to allow BBC News to run with this uncorroborated tittle tattle in an attempt to ‘get ahead’ of the Silkin’s summary report and derail what has been an extremely thorough process.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.”

The Mirror has reached out to MasterChef and Grace Dent’s representatives for comment.

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MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace was reportedly rushed to hospital for a suspected heart attack, just days before the TV presenter faced fresh misconduct accusations from 50 people

Shamed MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has been sacked after 50 more people complained about him – but he has vowed to fight back. The 60-year-old accused BBC News of “peddling gossip” after it claimed to have received dozens of new complaints about him, ranging from sexual comments to groping. Wallace accepts his humour was “inappropriate” on the show. And a source close to him admits a social media video in which he lashed out at “middle-class women of a certain age” was a sackable offence.

But he still believes himself to be a victim and called the new claims “baseless and sensationalised”. He insisted: “I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience.”

It comes just days after the TV presenter was reportedly rushed to hospital with a suspected heart attack. The 60-year-old was treated at a hospital in Ashford, Kent, after two days of agonising chest pain. A friend told The Sun: “The stress of this betrayal brought on my suspected heart attack. It’s been hell.” It is reported that two days after leaving hospital, Wallace was told that his contract would be terminated.

MasterChef production company Banijay is expected to release the ­findings of a six-month review into his behaviour tomorrow or on Friday. The review, by law firm Lewis Silkin, was ordered after allegations of i­nappropriate sexual behaviour on the set of the BBC cooking show were made against Wallace last year. His lawyers said then: “It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.”

A Banijay insider said many of the BBC’s latest allegations are likely to have already been examined during the review. One source who has read the 200-page report said Wallace’s worst mistake was his December 2024 video about the initial allegations, in which he said: “The complaints [are] from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age.” The source added that alone was a “dismissible offence”.

Yesterday, the presenter posted a five-page statement on social media. Wallace said: “I recognise my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise.

“I have now been cleared by the Silkin report of the most serious and sensational accusations. The most damaging claims, including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld, were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.”

The presenter said he had taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkin report because: “I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged.”

Wallace claimed the new BBC News allegations included “legally unsafe accusations” which had been “found not credible by Silkin”.

He said allowing the stories to run ahead of the report was an attempt to derail the process. And in response to claims that the BBC had “fired” him, a spokesman said that this was ­impossible, because it was not his employer. Wallace, whose young son Sid has autism, argued that he should have been better looked after.

He added: “I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all. For over two decades, that ­authenticity was part of the brand.

“Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem. My neurodiversity, now formally ­diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef.

“Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years. That failure is now being quietly buried.”

He added: “I was tried by media and hung out to dry before the facts were established. The full story of this incredible injustice must be told.”

A source close to Wallace insisted he had been made the fall guy. They added: “This is about protecting a format, one of the most valuable formats that Banijay and the BBC has. And what they should be doing is having a clean start and not just chucking one bloke under the bus. Gregg has employed a lawyer and he’s going for blood. The report talks about him being odd – the guy has got autism and it was never addressed. It’s been a trial by social media and a big pile-on.

“All these things, when they’re looked at by a lawyer, are not true. Bullying Penny Lancaster? Not true. Vanessa Feltz? No evidence. It’s about him having a terrible sense of humour and telling rude jokes.”

The pal said that dad-of-three Wallace was “in a bad way”, warning: “This guy is fragile. When everything has been taken away like this, it’s quite overwhelming.”

One MasterChef insider said that no conversation over Wallace’s future employment had yet taken place. The latest allegations include two women who said Wallace exposed himself to them, a student who says he put his hand up her skirt in 2013 and another woman who claims he groped her the previous year.

It is not clear how many of the 50 allegations have been examined by the review lawyers, who looked only at allegations relating to MasterChef. The BBC said: “We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings published.”

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