Latest news with #GreggWallace
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Aisling Walsh: Autism must not be a ‘get out of jail free' card for men like Gregg Wallace
The outsted Masterchef host joins list of celebrities who use neurodivergence as an excuse I haven't owned a TV in about 12 years, so I remained oblivious to the phenomenon that is the BBC's MasterChef until last week when host Gregg Wallace made headlines for all the wrong reasons. In a flurry of news reports from the BBC itself, I learned he had been accused of sexual misconduct by more than 50 people, over a timespan of 19 years; that an internal investigation upheld 45 out of 83 of the incidents reported; that he had been fired from the BBC and that the upcoming season of MasterChef, filmed with him at the helm, was suspended pending review.
Times
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Operation Save Davie is on, but one more scandal and ‘he's out'
O n Friday evening, Tim Davie was at the opening night of the BBC Proms, listening to a Mendelssohn overture that was inspired by a cave on an uninhabited Scottish island. Given the past month the BBC's director-general has had, hotfooting it from the Royal Albert Hall to that Hebridean cavern may have seemed quite appealing. Last week was the most bruising in a line of bruising weeks for Davie, who was under attack on three fronts. On Monday the BBC admitted that its documentary about children in Gaza had breached editorial guidelines; the MasterChef scandal was reignited by the release of the report into Gregg Wallace's behaviour and the subsequent sacking of his former co-host John Torode; and Davie was facing renewed scrutiny over the live streaming of antisemitic comments by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury last month.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jeremy Clarkson 'worried' after John Torode's BBC MasterChef sacking
Jeremy Clarkson has claimed he is "worried" after John Torode was sacked from BBC's MasterChef. It was confirmed this week by the BBC and production company Banijay UK that the 59-year-old's contract on the popular show will not be renewed. The Australian-born cooking star started presenting MasterChef alongside Gregg Wallace in 2005. On Monday night, Mr Torode confirmed he was the subject of an allegation of 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. READ MORE: John Torode's wife breaks silence after MasterChef star's sacking John Torode poses with fellow MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace. (Image: PA Wire) Mr Clarkson himself was sacked from the BBC following a controversy in 2015 in which he punched Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon. The 65-year-old, along with co-stars James May and Richard Hammond, then moved to Prime Video to present The Grand Tour until last year. Now, reacting to the news about Mr Torode, Mr Clarkson has said he is "worried" for his fellow television star. In his latest column for The Sun, the Clarkson's Farm star remarked: "Funny isn't it how Top Gear was always seen as the bad boy of the BBC. "Every week, we'd be in the papers for doing something wrong or saying something inappropriate. READ MORE: Watch legendary band play hit song at Jeremy Clarkson's Cotswolds pub Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson on The Grand Tour. (Image: Prime Video) "And as a result, we were always being carpeted by bosses who told us to sit up straight and clean our teeth, and behave ourselves. "Ha. It now turns out that, compared to every other show on the Beeb, we were saints. "That said, I am a bit worried about this John Torode chap from MasterChef. "Because he seems to have been sacked for an offence, even though no one can quite say what the offence was. "He's been told that at a private party seven or eight years ago, he sang a song which someone thought was racist and that as a result, he has to go." "Who reported him? Dunno. Was there any context? No one's saying." READ MORE: Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes gives health update Your stories, your city — now at 50 per cent off. 😎 Subscribe today and stay informed. 🗞️👇 — Oxford Mail (@TheOxfordMail) July 4, 2025 Announcing Mr Torode's sacking this week, a BBC spokesperson 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.'
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
John Torode was sacked by BBC for ‘directing racial slur' at MasterChef employee
John Torode was sacked from MasterChef for allegedly directing a racial slur at an employee working on the show during filming in 2018. The TV chef has said he had 'no recollection' of the alleged incident, which was substantiated after a seven-month investigation into the show. BBC News claims that Torode used the N-word while speaking to a member of staff towards the end of filming. Both Torode and Wallace were sacked as presenters of the cookery show this week after a seven-month investigation upheld allegations made against the pair. More than half of the 83 allegations levied against Wallace were substantiated, including one of unwelcome physical contact, but the report also upheld one accusation of 'offensive racist language' allegedly used by Torode. Addressing the allegation of using a racist slur, Torode said he was 'shocked and saddened' by the claim, adding that he knows any racial language 'is wholly unacceptable in any environment'. He denies the allegation. In the wake of the findings, the spotlight has been placed on Wallace and Torode's working relationship, with a source telling BBC News: 'Clearly they had a good chemistry when the cameras were rolling. But you rarely saw them interact when the cameras were off.' John Torode and Gregg Wallace 'were never friends' (PA Media) Another anonymous person who worked on the show claimed their dynamic 'seemed off', adding that Torode would roll his eyes when Wallace made alleged inappropriate comments. The relationship between Torode and Wallace, who both presented the revamped cooking programme since 2005, has always been a point of confusion among viewers. Despite being Wallace's best man in 2016, Torode later claimed he had never been friends with his co-host, telling The Mirror in 2017: 'We've not been to each other's houses. If we go away to somewhere like South Africa, we do things separately. If we do go out for a drink, I'll invariably be at one end of a big old table and he'll be at the other.' However, Wallace had a different view, telling ITV series Lorraine that same year: 'I film with John six or seven months of the year, so we are very close to each other physically, and emotionally we are very close to each other. 'What's great about having a partnership is that if one of you is a bit off, a bit down, the other one naturally steps up, so I rely on John a lot.' Former 'MasterChef' hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode (BBC) Wallace has said he is 'deeply sorry for any hurt caused' after the report's findings were published and that he also 'challenged the remaining issue of unwanted touching, but [has] had to accept a difference in perception'. In a now-deleted Instagram post, he also said he was 'exonerated of the most serious allegations', after being cleared of 38 claims. 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.
Telegraph
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
John Torode ‘used n-word directly towards crew member'
John Torode used the n-word directly towards a member of the MasterChef crew, it has been claimed. The Australian chef was sacked from the BBC show on July 14 after one complaint against him was upheld following an investigation into his and fellow presenter Gregg Wallace's conduct. It has been reported that Torode, 59, used the derogatory word at a filming wrap party in 2019 while singing along to Gold Digger by Kanye West. But the investigation by the lawyers Lewis Silkin is understood to have upheld a separate complaint made the previous year when he was said to have used the same racist word on set at the end of the day's filming. A BBC News report claims the offensive term was directed towards a member of the MasterChef staff. There were nine complaints lodged against Torode, but only that one was upheld for an incident in 2018. Torode, who had been on the show since its reboot with Wallace in 2005, said he had 'no recollection' of the incident and was 'shocked and saddened' by the news of his departure, adding that he knows any racial language 'is wholly unacceptable in any environment'. He said: '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 the last few days seem to have prevented that.' Torode added it was 'time to pass the cutlery to someone else'. A spokesman from MasterChef's production company Banijay UK said: 'In response to John Torode's statement, it is important to stress that Banijay UK takes this matter incredibly seriously. '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.' 'Unacceptable racist term' Tim Davie, the director-general of the BBC, told the BBC that, while he was not directly involved with the matter, he was 'happy that the team were taking action' against Torode. When asked to reveal what Torode had said, the BBC executive replied: 'I'm not going to give you the exact term, because I think, frankly, it was a serious racist term, which does not get to be acceptable in any way, shape or form.' The same investigation, conducted on behalf of Banijay UK, upheld more than 40 claims against Wallace, including one of unwelcome physical contact. In a statement posted on Instagram on Tuesday, Wallace claimed he had been cleared by that report of 'the most serious and sensational allegations' made against him. He said: 'I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise without reservation. But I was never the caricature now being sold for clicks.'
