The BBC reportedly asked MasterChef host John Torode to resign following allegations he used a racist term, with co-star Gregg Wallace being investigated for alleged misconduct
MasterChef host John Torode was reportedly asked by the BBC to step down from the cooking show following accusations of a racist remark. This came amidst an investigation into alleged misconduct by co-star Gregg Wallace on the show.
A report by law firm Lewis Silkin for production company Banijay found that 45 out of 83 allegations against Wallace were substantiated. The report also included two separate claims implicating others, one of which involved racist remarks.
On Monday, the BBC welcomed the report and confirmed that Wallace had been informed “we have no plans to work with him in future”. Torode took to social media last night to confirm he is the individual accused of making a racist comment.
In response to the allegation, the BBC reportedly advised Torode to cite mental health issues as his reason for leaving MasterChef. It’s claimed that the BBC contacted John on Thursday night, followed by an email on Friday, requiring a decision by Monday.
“It was suggested he quit due to the stress and scrutiny of the furore around the show,” an insider told the Sun. “Obviously he was absolutely shocked and appalled and told them quite firmly he didn’t have any mental health issues”, reports the Mirror.
They added: “John absolutely loves MasterChef, and doesn’t want to lose his job because of an investigation into his co-star.”
The report mentioned him, but did not disclose his name. Torode, who has presented the BBC programme since 2005, claimed to have “no recollection of the incident” and expressed being “shocked and saddened”.
In a statement on Instagram, he said: “Following publication of the Executive Summary of the investigation into Gregg Wallace while working on MasterChef, I am aware of speculation that I am one of the two other individuals against whom an allegation has been upheld.
“For the sake of transparency, I confirm that I am the individual who is alleged to have used racial language on one occasion. The allegation is that I did so sometime in 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and that the person I was speaking with did not believe that it was intended in a malicious way and that I apologised immediately afterwards.
“I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened. However, I want to be clear that I’ve always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment. I’m shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.”
The BBC announced yesterday that it welcomed the findings from Lewis Silkin and confirmed that Wallace had been informed “we have no plans to work with him in future”. A statement read: “The investigation details a substantial number of allegations of inappropriate conduct spanning 19 years. This behaviour falls below the values of the BBC and the expectations we have for anyone who works with or for us.
“Although the full extent of these issues were not known at the relevant time, opportunities were missed to address this behaviour – both by the production companies running MasterChef and the BBC. We accept more could and should have been done sooner.”
The BBC highlighted that two allegations concerning “other individuals” involved in MasterChef now required urgent attention from the production company.
“Lewis Silkin’s findings include two further allegations which were upheld, relating to other individuals. The BBC takes these findings very seriously and we have asked Banijay UK to take action to address these issues, which is underway. This will be completed as a priority.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
