Matt Tebbutt has revealed he was left "livid" after the BBC informed him he had been dropped from MasterChef: The Professionals, just hours before he was scheduled to appear on The One Show.
Speaking on the Go To Food podcast, the Saturday Kitchen star said he was told the news at 5pm, the day before he was due to film The One Show and take part in associated press. He described the timing as "badly handled".
Timing of the Axe
"They went in a different direction. Now I get it: TV changes, ideas change. New people come in, totally understand that. But don't tell me the day before I was due to go on The One Show. I was told at 5pm, and I was going the next day to go and do The One Show and all the press around it. Don't tell me that. That's badly handled," he said.
Tebbutt said he declined to appear on The One Show after learning he had been axed. "When lovely Alex Jones sits there and goes: 'Oh, you know, what's going on? Tell me about the series, what's happening next year? I don't have a poker face," he explained. "You will know I'm going to be cross, so I said, 'No, I'm not doing that.'"
Previous Comments on Treatment
Matt, who confirmed in April that he was leaving the MasterChef spin-off, had previously spoken about his treatment by the BBC. On BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme, he told host Jaega Wise that the situation had really "upset" him.
"I mean, I'm not going to say I wasn't upset. I was really upset, and it could have been handled a lot better. But it is what it is. You know, there are worse things going on; you've got to be resilient. It's part of the game, really," he said.
Matt added: "I guess it's like if you're a politician, you're going to get knocks. So it's just par for the course, I think." He clarified that he had "really enjoyed" his time on the show, considering it was always going to be a "tough gig".
Background to the Role
Matt, who continues to star on Saturday Kitchen, was originally brought in to replace Gregg Wallace as host of the 18th series of MasterChef. The BBC had sacked Wallace in July 2025 after 45 allegations of misconduct were made against him and upheld.
