John Torode will not return to MasterChef after producers confirmed his contract would not be renewed following an allegation of using racist language. The Australian-born chef, 59, had revealed on Monday evening that he was the subject of an allegation upheld as part of an inquiry into former co-presenter Gregg Wallace's behaviour.
A spokesperson for Banijay UK, the production company, said on Tuesday: '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.' The spokesperson added that Torode's contract would not be renewed, a decision agreed with the BBC.
A BBC spokesperson said the allegation involved 'an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace', which was 'investigated and substantiated' by the independent inquiry. They added: 'John Torode denies the allegation. He has stated he has no recollection of the alleged incident and does not believe that it happened. The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously. We will not tolerate racist language of any kind.'
In an Instagram statement on Tuesday, Torode said he had no recollection of the incident and expressed disappointment at not having a say in his exit from the show he had worked on since its 2005 relaunch. He added: 'Personally I have loved every minute working on MasterChef, but it's time to pass the cutlery to someone else.'
The report on Wallace, commissioned by Banijay UK, found 45 out of 83 allegations against him were substantiated, alongside two standalone allegations against other people. Wallace was sacked last week. The 2025 series of MasterChef has already been filmed and delivered to the BBC, but not yet aired. BBC director general Tim Davie said a decision on whether to air it had not been made, but he was mindful of the contestants. He affirmed there was a future for the show, stating: 'A great programme that's well loved by audiences is much bigger than individuals.'
