ITV has stood by John Torode after he was sacked from MasterChef for “using an extremely offensive racist term”.
The celebrity chef made his screen return on Saturday (19 July) days after the allegation against him was substantiated by the BBC and production company Banijay following an investigation into the show.
Despite the scandal, Torode’s pre-recorded episode of John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen, which he filmed with his wife Lisa Faulkner earlier this year, aired as normal on ITV.
Torode has been dropped by the BBC, which said “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.”
The allegation against Torode emerged during a seven-month investigation into the show, which substantiated 45 claims of misconduct against his co-host Gregg Wallace, who has also been sacked.
Torode said he has “no recollection” of the incident and also claimed BBC bosses did not inform him of their decision ahead of time. He said he learnt of his firing while reading media reports online.
The chef said in a statement: “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 & sometimes personal happiness and fulfilment lay elsewhere. Thank you for the many years of MasterChef.”
Wallace, Torode’s MasterChef co-host of 20 years, had also been sacked from the series after an investigation upheld more than half of the 83 allegations against him, including inappropriate sexual language and being in a state of undress.
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Wallace said he is “deeply sorry for any distress” caused after the findings and that he “never set out to harm or humiliate” anyone with his behaviour.
The presenter faced multiple accusations, including claims that he made inappropriate sexual jokes, asked for the phone numbers of female production staff, and behaved unprofessionally around female colleagues on set.
The report noted that during the course of the investigation, which was over a seven-month period, Wallace was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and said that the findings should be viewed in the context of his neurodiversity.
In his statement, Wallace, 60, added: “I’m relieved that the Banijay report fully recognises that my behaviour changed profoundly in 2018. Some of my humour and language missed the mark. I never set out to harm or humiliate. I always tried to bring warmth and support to MasterChef, on screen and off.
“After nearly 20 years on the show, I now see that certain patterns, shaped by traits I’ve only recently begun to understand, may have been misread. I also accept that more could have been done, by others and by myself, to address concerns earlier.
“A late autism diagnosis has helped me understand how I communicate and how I’m perceived. I’m still learning.”
Wallace praised the show’s production company, Banijay, saying they had “given me great support, and I thank them”. However, he criticised the BBC for “exposing” him to “trial by media fuelled by rumour and clickbait”.
A statement from Wallace’s lawyers last November, when reports first surfaced, said that it “is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.
The relationship between Torode and Wallace, who have both presented the cooking programme since 2005, has always been mired in complication – and on Saturday (19 July), it was claimed by a source who worked on the show that the pair “were never friends”.
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