Inside the MasterChef crisis as Gregg Wallace, John Torode sacked

“Everyone is reeling.”

With his voice cracking, one MasterChef worker describes the drama of the past fortnight, which has seen both its presenters sacked in quick succession – first Gregg Wallace, and then John Torode.

“I’m in shock with it all. It’s raw, and fresh,” adds the member of production staff – who wants to remain anonymous.

After months of near silence, recent events have moved at speed.

BBC News has been speaking to people who have worked on the show, as well as insiders to the tense backroom discussions of recent weeks, and can reveal:

• Torode had nine complaints against him, including racist language, abusive language to junior production staff and sexual language

• Only one was upheld, for an incident on the set of MasterChef in 2018 when he allegedly used a severely offensive racist term

• Insiders reveal how a “defensive” production team tried to ride out the storm against Wallace to save his career

• The relationship between Wallace and Torode broke down and insiders say Wallace was briefing against Torode

• Tension between how production company Banijay and the BBC interpreted the findings

• The BBC intends to air the new series of MasterChef despite both presenters being sacked

There was a long wait for the report into Wallace’s conduct. The full version has not been made public, but an executive summary was published on Monday.

It revealed more than 40 claims against Wallace had been upheld, including one of unwelcome physical contact.

Later that night, Torode revealed an allegation that he had used “an extremely offensive racist term” had also been upheld.

He insisted he had “no recollection” of any of it, but by 5pm on Tuesday, he was gone.

Those at the top will claim action was taken swiftly and decisively. But behind the scenes, we can reveal there have been lengthy, pained discussions and extended tussles between the BBC and the show’s production company Banijay over what to do, specifically about Torode.

It was hoped the report’s publication would put an end to the crisis – but the events of this week have left both the BBC and Banijay facing even more questions.

For me, this all started a year ago, when I got a tip-off about a BBC presenter said to have been behaving badly – Gregg Wallace.

When I mentioned his name to people in the industry, I was told it was “the biggest open secret in TV”.

After some digging and winning the trust of the people coming forward – mainly young female freelancers – BBC News revealed the allegations in November.

I’ve been told by insiders that when the story broke, there was a sense that the MasterChef production team were defensive and wanted to ride out the storm.

Many who had worked with Wallace for years felt that responding would make it worse, hoping BBC News was just stirring up trouble and the story would go away.

There was a view that Wallace’s career could be saved, and his worst behaviour was in the past. Others in the production team were in disbelief.

A significant section of the report focuses on how few formal complaints were made, I have been told. This tallies with what freelancers said – they were worried about the repercussions of speaking up.

But the BBC corporate team, which has weathered many crises recently, could see what was brewing. They started to “get heavy” and demand action, and Banijay’s leadership also realised they needed to get a grip.

Wallace was suspended and a law firm, Lewis Silkin, was hired to investigate. Attention then turned to the shows already in production. Could they carry on being filmed?

There is a lesson here for the BBC, a source said: a long-running show with a close-knit team is both a strength and weakness.

“They know how to produce TV gold, year in and year out. But on the flip side, bad behaviour gets normalised and no one challenges it,” they said.

In response, a Banijay spokesperson said that 94% of allegations upheld by the inquiry related to behaviour before 2018. They added that Banijay acquired Endemol Shine, which makes MasterChef, in 2020, and ways of reporting concerns “have improved exponentially in recent years”.

While Lewis Silkin carried out its inquiry, dozens more people approached BBC News with fresh claims about Wallace. BBC News is editorially independent from the wider corporation.

One of those who came forward was a former MasterChef worker we are calling Alice, who says Wallace took his trousers down in front of her in a dressing room.

She contributed to the inquiry and says spending two hours with the lawyer, answering difficult questions, made things even harder.

There was “no follow-up, no duty of care” from Banijay, she added. It is understood the production company disputes this.

Last week, she and others who gave evidence received an email from Lewis Silkin, which BBC News has seen, telling them the inquiry was complete.

The email also said it would not be providing individual feedback on specific allegations.

Alice said it was “deeply unsatisfactory” that she didn’t find out whether her complaint had been upheld.

“I feel it’s more than within our right to understand more about the investigation than what’s shared in the news,” she said.

The report into Wallace’s conduct – which has taken eight months to compile – was widely expected back two Thursdays ago, but that day came and went.

Behind the scenes, frantic negotiations were under way.

We understand the BBC saw the findings and started asking questions, specifically on the other unnamed individuals referenced in it.

One of those was Torode. As we now know, an allegation he had used a severely offensive racist slur had been upheld.

It has been reported that Torode used the N-word at a season filming wrap party in 2019 while singing along to Gold Digger by Kanye West.

It is believed a debate started after he used the word among those present. However, the claim which was upheld against him relates to the previous year when he allegedly used the same word on set following the end of filming, and it was directed at a member of staff.

Only one claim was upheld against him. But BBC News understands that of the 10 additional complaints against other individuals mentioned in the report, nine were about Torode, including other allegations of racist language, abusive language towards junior production staff and sexual language which were unsubstantiated because of a lack of evidence or witnesses. We have not spoken to the people making those allegations.

Torode has said any racist language is “wholly unacceptable”. And Banijay, it appears, was not initially planning to sack Torode.

But the BBC’s director general Tim Davie has insisted it is drawing “a line in the sand”.

Torode had been “caught up in the new ‘first strike and you’re out’ policy by the powers-that-be at the BBC,” Max Goldbart, international TV editor at Deadline, said. “I wouldn’t say Torode was collateral damage, I’d say that’s offensive to the people who came forward,” he said.

But he added it was likely the BBC wanted to “reset” after the scandal.

We put these latest developments to the BBC, but it did not comment.

Earlier this week, a BBC spokesperson described the allegation as “an extremely offensive racist term,” adding: “We will not tolerate racist language of any kind.”

Meanwhile, the role of a senior executive on MasterChef is also under the spotlight. It is thought they are the other person who had a complaint upheld against them for swearing.

BBC News has contacted that executive but has not heard back.

A Banijay spokesperson said that in relation to the swearing allegation, “we are handling appropriately internally”.

The relationship between Wallace and Torode, meanwhile, is believed to have broken down.

It’s notable that over the past year, Torode never backed Wallace. In an Instagram post in December, he appeared to be trying to position himself as separate from his co-host, describing the allegations against Wallace as “truly upsetting”.

And in his now-deleted Instagram post last week, where he leaked some findings from the report, Wallace seemed to hint at more to come for his co-host.

“What really concerns me about the short summary is others who have been found guilty of serious allegations have been erased from the published version of events. I, and I’m sure the public, would like to know why?”

Insiders have told me that Wallace was briefing against his former co-presenter.

And they were “never friends,” a former MasterChef worker told me.

“Clearly they had a good chemistry when the cameras were rolling. But you rarely saw them interact when the cameras were off,” he said.

He says he heard Wallace make crude comments, such as a describing that a dish “tasted like his aunt’s vagina”.

“And when Gregg was saying inappropriate things like that, John held his counsel. I never saw him step in.”

Another former MasterChef worker says the dynamic between the two presenters “seemed off”, although she could never pinpoint why.

She also says Torode didn’t ever call out his co-host when Wallace made inappropriate jokes. “John would eye roll but not say anything,” she said.

Neither Wallace nor Torode responded to requests for comment.

Away from the intrigue and allegations surrounding the presenters, many may simply be wondering whether one of their favourite shows will survive.

Speaking to BBC News this week, Tim Davie said MasterChef “absolutely” has a future, insisting the show is “bigger than individuals”.

It has a new base in Birmingham, and all the signs are that executives are fully committed to that.

On Monday – the day the report dropped – Shine TV (owned by Banijay) posted a job advert for an “experienced Midlands-based production secretary” to work on the next series of the show, starting this August.

And the MasterChef insider I spoke to said that despite all the drama of the past week, they are still working to “make the best MasterChef ever”.

Unlike many BBC shows, MasterChef is not an in-house production. In addition to the core show, it has the Professionals, Celebrities, and Christmas specials and is adapted in 65 territories worldwide.

Its viewing figures on linear TV have held up reasonably well, with 3.5 million people on average tuning in to the last series, unchanged from the year before.

Such successful formats are hard to come by, particularly in the face of increasing pressure from streaming, which is why the corporation is so keen to hang onto it.

The dilemma, rather, is what to do with the series that have already been filmed.

Last week Tim Davie said he wanted to “reflect with the team” before making a decision on the unseen series of MasterChef.

But we understand the BBC intends to air the shows in some form if they can get consent from contributors.

Last week, it was just amateurs, fronted by Wallace, that looked at risk. Now, with Torode also gone, that puts MasterChef Celebrities, filmed with Torode and Grace Dent, in jeopardy too.

The producer I spoke to said his greater concern was for the amateur chefs who have taken part in the series.

BBC News has not managed to speak to any of the chefs. A copy of the contestants’ guidelines, leaked to us, shows they are forbidden from speaking until the show goes out.

But a former chef on the show told me it would be “awful” if it was scrapped, for contestants who “gave up their time, had sleepless nights, dreamt only of recipes”.

The chefs are not given any compensation for lost time or income, just travel expenses, accommodation in a “fairly grim hotel” and a £20-a-day meal allowance, she added.

Whether the contestants can sue for lost income in the event of a series being filmed but not aired, is unclear.

Tim Davie indicated that Banijay is speaking to the chefs involved, and is working with them to come to a resolution. He insisted no decision has yet been made.

But some of the women who made claims about inappropriate behaviour by Wallace have asked why no-one is consulting them.

“They should not run the series,” one said. Another said it would “make a mockery” of the people who have spoken out.

So, after a bruising week, there are still many unanswered questions.

We still don’t know who will replace Wallace and Torode. Names being floated include Grace Dent – who has already stepped in on Celebrity MasterChef – and Matt Tebbutt, from Saturday Kitchen.

Executives will clearly be hoping for a fresh start – a palate cleanser if you like – for the show as well as for the wider TV industry.

Whether viewers would bond with new presenters remains to be seen. But unlike other shows, such as Top Gear, which are centred around their presenters, MasterChef was never really about Wallace and Torode.

Readers may also wonder what the men may do next.

For now, Torode’s weekend programme is still in ITV’s schedule, due to air on Saturday morning. But he will no longer be headlining a food festival next month, with Durham County Council saying he had “decided to take some time out”.

Meanwhile, Wallace has posted on Instagram offering his services as a weight loss expert for £200 per session.

More details may emerge about the swearing incident – and the unsubstantiated allegations – prompting further investigations and recriminations about who knew what, when.

The producer I spoke to says what’s been reported, “doesn’t feel like the show we’ve been working on over the years”.

He said it was a relief to know the show he loves will continue, adding, “I didn’t want to see it go down this way.”

Additional reporting by Insaf Abbas.