Masterchef presenter confirms he was accused of using racist language
Torode stated he has 'no recollection of the incident' and said he was 'shocked and saddened' by the allegation.
Torode said the allegation dates back to 2018 or 2019, the person he was speaking with 'did not believe that it was intended in a malicious way' and that he 'apologised immediately afterwards'.
The wider report, commissioned by MasterChef production company Banijay and led by law firm Lewis Silkin, substantiated 45 out of 83 allegations against Wallace, who has since apologised for causing distress and been dropped by the BBC.
Wallace's diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder during the investigation was noted, with the report suggesting findings be viewed in the context of his neurodiversity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
McIlroy vows ‘the story isn't over' as he revels in Royal Portrush support at the Open
Rory McIlroy has promised to revel in the Northern Irish love during the Open Championship this week, with the 36-year-old also warning fellow competitors that he has regained focus after claiming the Masters in April. 'The story certainly isn't over,' he insisted. McIlroy has returned to Royal Portrush for the first time since 2019, when he admitted the scale of ovation on the Open's first tee contributed to him whacking his ball out of bounds. He later missed the cut. Attention in the coming days promises to be even more intense, given his Masters win meant he became only the sixth golfer in history to complete a career grand slam. 'I think in '19 I probably tried to isolate,' McIlroy said on Monday. 'I think it's better for everyone if I embrace it. I think it's better for me. 'It's nice to be able to accept adulation, even though I struggle with it at times. But it's also nice for the person that is seeing you for the first time in a few years. It just makes for a better interaction and not trying to hide away from it. 'I think it's more of, embrace everything that's going to come my way this week and not try to shy away from it or hide away from it. I think that'll make for a better experience for everyone involved.' McIlroy was asked unsurprisingly to reflect on the first hole, six years ago, where he slumped to a quadruple‑bogey eight. He said: 'The walk to the first tee and then that ovation, I was a little surprised and a little taken aback, like: 'Geez, these people really want me to win.' I think that brought its own sort of pressure and more internally from myself, not really wanting to let people down. It's just something I didn't mentally prepare for that day or that week. 'I learned pretty quickly that one of my challenges, especially in a week like this, is controlling myself and controlling that battle. I talked about it at the Masters on that last day. The battle on that last day wasn't with Augusta National. It wasn't with Bryson DeChambeau. It wasn't with Justin Rose. The battle that day was with myself.' It certainly appears as if McIlroy has found an appropriate level of motivation. After only four hours of sleep, he played 18 Portrush holes first thing on Monday morning. McIlroy openly challenged the sense he will compete in the 153rd Open without any pressure, an event he had circled on the calendar at the start of 2025. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion 'I've done something that I've told everyone that I wanted to do,' McIlroy said. 'But I still feels like I have a lot more to give. Anyone that sits up here at this table, we're all competitors. We all want to do better. We all think we can just get a little bit extra out of what we have. The BBC has secured a last-minute deal to show an early evening highlights programme from The Open Championship in Portrush this week. The Guardian has learned that the R&A has agreed a new three-year deal with the BBC for highlights for the Open, which also covers the women's Championship, starting with the 2025 edition at Royal Porthcawl at the end of the month. The BBC's late move comes as a surprise and is a boost for the R&A and golf fans, as the corporation has shown little interest in the sport in recent years. A long-term contract for live rights to the Open was terminated a year early by the BBC in 2016, with Sky Sports taking over live coverage, and while they have shown highlights since then they had opted not to renew a contract that expired last year. The Rory McIlroy factor may have played a role in the BBC's decision to make a late bid, with the reigning Masters champion playing on his home course in Northern Ireland likely to boost interest amongst casual fans. BBC Sport sources have expressed the belief that they made an error of judgment in not attempting to show highlights of the Masters this year, with coverage of McIlroy's triumph at Augusta only available to viewers with Sky Sports. The Open is a more attractive property for the BBC however, due to the Championship's earlier finishing times in this country, which should deliver a bigger audience. As a result this week's highlights programmes are due to be shown at 9pm on Thursday and Friday before starting at 10pm on Saturday and Sunday. The R&A and BBC did not comment, but an announcement is expected in the next few days. Matt Hughes 'It's been an amazing year. The fact that I'm here at Portrush with the Green Jacket, having completed that lifelong dream, I want to do my best this week to enjoy everything that comes my way and enjoy the reaction of the fans and enjoy being in front of them and playing in front of them. But at the same time, I want to win this golf tournament and I feel like I'm very capable of doing that. 'I try to go about my business. I try to give the best of myself every time I'm out there. It's amounted to some pretty nice things so far. I still feel like there's a lot left in there.'
BBC News
33 minutes ago
- BBC News
Jersey school joins Jamie Oliver world-record cookery class
Students at a school in Jersey have helped break the world record for the largest ever cookery group at Beaulieu School joined a live online session led by chef Jamie Oliver, as he taught 10,515 people from across the globe how to cook fresh pasta and tomato Guinness World Record attempt was confirmed last week to have beaten the previous record of 6,778 people, which was set in Friis, Beaulieu School's head of food and nutrition, said the class on 1 July had been "a great opportunity" for the school's Year 8 and 10 students to continue building confidence. "Jamie Oliver has done such great work for food teachers and for food as a subject so 100% we were in," Ms Friis told BBC Radio Jersey."It was really fun seeing everybody having ago. We all learned something new and had a great time." Vene, 13, said: "It's a little bit surprising. I've never done anything like this before, but it's truly an honour to be picked for this."The event took place on Zoom, and participants were required to follow along with the tutorial. It served as a natural follow-on from the student's recent lessons learning how to cook in the school kitchen."I didn't know how to cook and I was really insecure when I was in the kitchen," said Vene."But these lessons have really taught me how to cook and whenever I have to look after my sister now I can make her a full meal without having any problems."
BBC News
33 minutes ago
- BBC News
Suffolk teen quit refereeing football due to abuse from parents
A teenage referee said he felt "forced" to quit officiating grassroots football due to the abuse he received from players' Sinclair, 18, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, started refereeing at age 14, the youngest age at which a person can become a match said he finally decided to stop refereeing last year when a player's mother invaded the pitch midway through a match and called him names. Suffolk County Football Association (FA) said it was committed to tackling and stamping out poor behaviour across the grassroots game. Describing the incident that led him to quit, he said: "I felt quite scared. She kept shouting at me, saying I was blind."Mr Sinclair said he reported the issues to host club Kirkley and Pakefield and Suffolk County FA directly. The FA's most recent Grassroots Disciplinary Review showed serious abuse and physical assaults on match officials had risen by about 17% in one year, from 1,451 to 1,716 in the 2023/2024 season. Mr Sinclair said he felt people did not take into consideration his age when he was officiating."It's not fair to verbally abuse someone a lot younger than you. There was a lot of name-calling and slurs," he said. He said he felt the atmosphere could change at tournaments if they got "rid of the parents" and added: "It's the only way I'd consider coming back." Mr Sinclair's mum, Jemma Sinclair, attended matches with him at the start of his career to help him deal with the abuse."It made me angry watching him being treated this way," she said."There were times I had to intervene with other parents to remind them that the referee is a child too."You wouldn't abuse a child walking down the street or playing on the swing the wrong way, so why shout at a child trying to help your [child] play football?"A spokesperson for Suffolk County FA said: "We cannot comment on individual cases but all incidents of reported misconduct, including abuse of referees, are thoroughly investigated and appropriate action taken."Tackling and stamping out poor behaviour across the grassroots game continues to be a key focus of the county FA." Henry and Alex, both 16, have been refereeing for nearly three years and said they had experienced abuse from match spectators."It's mainly the parents who give the abuse and try to influence the game," Henry said. The pair added they dealt with the behaviour by "keeping calm and trying to get their authority across"."There have been a few incidents that have nearly made me quit, but you just grow a thick skin and get on with it really," Alex Oakey, chairman of the Referees' Association, said: "We are continually dealing with reports of referees being attacked and abused."In the last three incidences… one included a 14-year-old referee being abused and then chased by the mother of an eight-year-old player at a youth tournament." Kevin Fryer, youth chairman of Kirkley and Pakefield Football Club, has worked with young referees but said "people forget the games are just a bit of fun".He recalled one under-11 girls' match was abandoned after the "parents were abusing the referee to an extent he felt he couldn't continue"."We've had referees reduced to tears, parents waiting in car parks for referees under 16 - it's just crazy," he Fryer said his club offered training courses to referees on how to deal with abuse on the pitch, and there was also a "system to show it's a newly qualified referee" on the pitch."It should be about kids having fun, but people take it way too seriously," he told the BBC. The club has a "respect line" - a painted pitch border at lower-level games and a physical barrier for the first team games - which spectators have to stand behind. It was hoped this would help reduce the abuse suffered by amateur referees and young parents at Kirkley and Pakefield said they understood that other parents were passionate, but they should also be said: "You do see parents forget the referees are children themselves sometimes."Another added: "They've got to start somewhere, and we need to, as parents, set an example."On its England Football website, the FA said playing the game at this age was about "being part of a team and understanding gameplay". A FA spokesperson added: "Everyone should be able to enjoy the game, including young match officials just starting out." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
