Details emerge after Australian host sacked from MasterChef UK

Sacked MasterChef presenter John Torode is facing claims that he used the n-word.

The former BBC star is accused of using the racial slur during after-show drinks in 2018. The alleged incident reportedly came to light during an investigation into Gregg Wallace, his co-presenter.

Sacked MasterChef UK hosts John Torode (left) and Gregg Wallace.Credit:

The claims about Torode were reportedly made to The Times by two sources said to be close to the report, conducted by the law firm Lewis Silkin and commissioned by the production company Banijay, which led to Torode’s sacking.

He had not responded to a request for comment by the London Telegraph at the time of publication, and had also not responded to The Times.

On Monday, the celebrity chef said: “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 am shocked and saddened by the allegation, as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.”

The allegation came as Richard Osman alleged that Torode had been sacked for using “the worst racial slur there is”.

Speaking on his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment, the author and presenter also alleged that “all sorts” of complaints had been raised about Torode during the course of Banijay’s investigation into the show, but they were not upheld “because they couldn’t say for certain they believed it happened”.

The Telegraph understands that Torode was the subject of multiple allegations, though only one was substantiated.

Osman said: “On this particular occasion, it’s not ‘woke gone mad’. You know, he used, I think, probably the worst racial slur there is. And they found it to be substantively true. They found evidence that they were happy with, that was true.

“He is saying, ‘I definitely didn’t do it, I certainly can’t remember it’. But that one was upheld.”

The presenter and author also alleged that Banijay, the makers of MasterChef, had offered Torode a second chance if he took a year off, but the Australian had declined.

Torode was sacked on Tuesday after he was drawn into the investigation into Wallace’s conduct. The BBC said Torode had used “an extremely offensive racist term” in the workplace, adding: “We will not tolerate racist language of any kind.”

After being sacked, Torode said: “I’d hoped that I’d have had some say in my exit from a show that I’ve worked on since its relaunch in 2005, but events in the last few days seem to have prevented that.”

ITV is standing by Torode at present, saying it will continue to show the Saturday morning program John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen, which he presents with his wife, Lisa Faulkner, an actress and the 2010 winner of Celebrity MasterChef.

Meanwhile, the future of MasterChef is now in limbo. Two series that have been filmed may never be aired if the BBC decides it would be inappropriate to show them.

Wallace has threatened to sue the BBC and Banijay for discrimination, claiming they should have taken more care of him on set because of his autism.

Meanwhile, MasterChef’s creator said he is “saddened” by the scandals engulfing the show. Franc Roddam, 79, told Deadline that the news of Wallace and Torode’s sackings has pained him because “it’s such a wonderful show”.

However, when asked whether MasterChef could survive the biggest crisis in its 35-year history, Roddam responded: “Oh, absolutely.”

The producer created the program in 1990 and was closely involved in its 2005 reboot, when Wallace and Torode were brought in as presenters.

The Telegraph, London

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