John Torode will not return to MasterChef after the producers have confirmed that his contract would not be extended after a statement of the use of racist language.
The chef born in Australia, 59, had confirmed on Monday evening that he was the subject of a claim that was confirmed as part of an investigation into the behavior of his former co-presenter Gregg Wallace.
A spokesperson for the production company Banijay UK said on Tuesday: “In response to John Torode’s explanation, it is important to emphasize that Banijay UK is taking this issue incredibly seriously. The legal team of Lewis Silkin that the allegations regarding Gregg Wallace has also been accused of John Torode.
“This issue was formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and although we notice that John does not remember the incident, Lewis Silkin has confirmed the very serious complaint. Banijay UK and the BBC have agreed that we will not renew his contract to MasterChef.”
A BBC spokesperson said that the claim against Torode “means that an extremely offensive racist term is used in the workplace”, which was “investigated and substantiated” by the independent investigation led by Lewis Silkin.
They added: “John Torode denies the claim. He has stated that he has no memory of the alleged incident and does not believe it happened. He also says that every racial language is completely unacceptable in every environment.
“The BBC has confirmed this that it is found extremely seriously. We will not tolerate the racist language of any nature and, as we have already said, we have Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, who must take action. The contract of John Torode to MasterChef will not be renewed.”
In a statement on Instagram on Tuesday, Torode said: “Although I have never heard of anyone from the BBC of Banijay, I see and read that I have ‘fired’ from MasterChef and I repeat that I have no reminder of what I have been accused.
“I had hoped that I had something to say in my exit from a show that I worked on since the repair in 2005, but events in the last few seem to have prevented that.”
He added: “Personally, I enjoyed working on MasterChef every minute, but it’s time to pass on the cutlery to someone else. Because the person who takes over, love it as I have.”
The Wallace report, commissioned by Banijay UK, found that 45 of the 83 accusations were substantiated against him, in addition to two independent accusations against other people.
Wallace, 60, was fired last week at MasterChef before the release of the report, including one claim of “unwanted physical contact” that was maintained. He said that he “had a deeply regrets of any need” and that he “had never wanted to harm or humiliate it.”
MasterChef was re -launched in 2005 with Torode and Wallace as presenters. The latest development means that Torode’s time at MasterChef is already in force, because the 2025 series has already been shot and delivered to the BBC, although it has not been broadcast. Torode will not be contracted for more episodes.
His departure causes an even bigger problem for the BBC director -General, Tim Davie, about the current, Uniered Series of the Show. He was already confronted with a difficult decision about whether or not from the expression of Wallace, because Wallace is prominent.
The Guardian revealed that Wallace appears like a judge to the serial final. Only then did he return from the role in the midst of accusations about his behavior. Torode functions in the entire series.
Speaking at the launch of the BBC annual report, Davie said that he had not made a decision about the series, but he was aware of the participants who had worked hard on it.
“One of my overwhelming worries is that we have all the amateur chefs who have given their heart and soul to this program,” he said. “We have to think about that, talk to them – and I am sure Banijay does that – consult them, think of the audience and call. That is what we are going through now.”
He said there was a future for the show, despite the allegations against Wallace and Torode. The production has only recently moved to new studios. “A great program that is very popular with the audience is much larger than individuals,” said Davie.
In an interview with BBC News on Tuesday evening, Davie said that he saw the situation as an opportunity for the company to “reset”.
He said he was not directly involved in the issue, but was told about the recommendation not to extend Torode’s contract and was “glad that the team took action”.
Davie added: “It is really important that we take this seriously. It is a reset where we ensure that people perceive the values that we expect across the board.”
Asked exactly what Torode would have said, the director -general of the BBC replied: “I am not going to give you the exact term because I think it was honestly a serious racist term, a serious racist term, which in no way becomes acceptable, form or form.”
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