Gregg Wallace allegations ‘truly upsetting’, says MasterChef co-host John Torode
MasterChef presenter John Torode has said he has found the recent reports about co-host Gregg Wallace “truly upsetting”.
The pair have presented the BBC One cooking show together for almost 20 years, since 2005.
In his first comments since the allegations surfaced, Torode said he would continue to be part of the programme, adding: “The thought of anyone who has appeared on our show not having a brilliant experience is awful to hear, and I have found the recent press reports truly upsetting.”
Wallace is facing allegations of inappropriate behaviour from more than a dozen people across a range of shows over a 17-year period. His lawyers have previously strongly denied “he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”, according to BBC News.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Torode said he had been away filming MasterChef overseas since last Friday.
“I love my job, and I love MasterChef,” he said. “I love being part of it and will continue to be part of it.
“During the last few days, I’ve been trying to make the best cookery programme, so being busy making the show and caring for our contestants has allowed me little time to think about anything else, but that has been hard.”
MasterChef Christmas specials have been pulled from the schedule. Pic: Yui Mok/PA
Torode said he “fully” supports the current investigation into Wallace’s alleged behaviour, but could not comment further while it is ongoing.
“I hope that you all understand and respect my silence on the matter moving forward,” he added.
Torode rose to TV fame in the mid-1990s as the resident chef on ITV’s This Morning and joined the revamped version of MasterChef when it launched in 2005. The show, initially called MasterChef Goes Large, followed the original series, which was hosted by Lloyd Grossman from 1990 to 2001.
On Tuesday, the BBC confirmed it was removing two MasterChef celebrity Christmas specials from the schedule following the allegations about Wallace. However, the current series of MasterChef: The Professionals is airing as planned.
A spokesperson for the broadcaster said it took the decision as the series can be “life-changing” for the chefs taking part, but the “Christmas specials are obviously a different type of show”.
Read more:
What are the allegations – and what has Wallace said?
‘Middle-aged women’: An epic failure in crisis management
Wallace has temporarily stepped down from the cooking show while historical misconduct complaints are externally reviewed by producers Banijay UK.
The BBC has also pulled three repeat episodes of Inside The Factory from the Christmas schedule.
Torode response polar opposite of Wallace ramblings
For two decades he’s stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Gregg Wallace but now, with one Instagram post, John Torode is attempting to massively distance himself from the man he’s stood so closely beside.
Literal distance, he says, is the reason he didn’t comment sooner. Keen to stress he’s been away filming overseas. At the same time acknowledging he’s struggled to think of little else.
In comparison to Wallace’s Sunday morning wildly misogynistic ramblings (for which he’s since apologised) it is the polar opposite of responses.
Theirs was always an unusual bond. Torode had, in interviews, often been keen to stress that the pair didn’t associate socially. Published quotes which Torode can, in the future, now helpfully point to when it comes to keeping the public on side.
Wallace has – via his lawyers – denied any behaviour of a sexually harassing nature. And he won’t have read his former co-presenter’s post on Instagram itself having reportedly already unfollowed him over the weekend.
With lawyers hired by Masterchef’s makers, Banijay, carrying out their independent investigation into allegations of misconduct by Wallace, it’s correct that he can’t say much more.
But it is a post that will please the BBC – with Torode respectfully expressing his upset at the claims whilst defending the beloved primetime show, suggesting he isn’t going anywhere and indicating his hopes that the show will go on with or without Wallace beside him.
Sky News can confirm the broadcaster was alerted to Wallace’s “unacceptable” behaviour while filming the series more than a year and a half ago, with a memo shared with staff at the Nestle factory in York showing concerns were raised after his final visit in February 2023.
More allegations have surfaced against the presenter this week – with two women claiming he had inappropriately touched them.
One told the BBC he “groped” her bottom, while another alleged he laughed after touching her bottom “with his waist and penis” when brushing past her. A third claimed Wallace’s penis was partially exposed in his dressing room in what she felt was a “power play”.
The Guardian also reported a complaint that he once asked a sign language interpreter to translate “big boobs” and “sexy bum” in front of the audience at the BBC Good Food Show.
Earlier, one former contestant told Sky News that a remark Wallace made when she returned as a guest judge left her crying in the toilets.
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‘If it’s just banter then why am I crying in the toilet?’
Another described the allegations as the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the show – claiming he witnessed a “toxic environment” on set and the problem was “larger” than just the presenter.
Sky News has contacted representatives for Wallace for comment on the allegations against him.
At the weekend, he shared a video dismissing the initial claims, putting them down to “middle-class women of a certain age”.
He later posted another clip apologising for the remarks.
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Wallace apologises for video: ‘I wasn’t in a good head space’
What have the BBC and producers said?
A spokesperson for Banijay UK, which has appointed a law firm to lead its investigation, has said the company takes complaints “incredibly seriously” but will not comment on individual allegations while the external investigation is ongoing.
“It is important to note that MasterChef welfare processes are regularly adapted and strengthened and there are clear protocols to support both crew and contributors,” the spokesperson said.
“These include multiple ways of reporting issues, including anonymously.”
In response to reports multiple complaints had been raised with the BBC, a source for the corporation said it would not comment on individuals or any internal HR processes, but that it would be “wrong to report the BBC has done nothing if or when matters have been raised with us – not least because it is already being widely reported there were interventions in both 2017 and 2018 where action was taken”.
Last week, a BBC spokesperson said any issues raised are taken seriously and there are “robust processes in place” to deal with them.
“We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated,” they said.
Taylor Swift has announced her 12th studio album during an appearance on her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s podcast.
The pop megastar, appearing on New Heights, did not say when the record, titled The Life Of A Showgirl, will be released.
Fans can pre-order the album in various formats now and Swift’s website says physical copies will be shipped by 13 October.
Pic: New Heights
On Monday, Taylor Nation – an official branch of the singer’s marketing team – teased the release on TikTok with a slideshow of 12 images alongside the caption: “Thinking about when she said ‘See you next era…'”
Swift is seen wearing orange in every picture.
A special limited vinyl edition of the album will be released in “Portofino orange glitter”, according to a pre-order page on her site. A special cassette edition is also available for pre-order.
Taylor Swift’s website features The Life of a Showgirl pre-order options. Pic: Reuters
A brief clip from the New Heights podcast, hosted by Swift’s NFL star boyfriend, Travis Kelce and his brother Jason, a former NFL player, was posted on Instagram early on Tuesday.
The video showed Swift pulling a copy of the album from a briefcase with the cover blurred.
The full podcast episode will be released at 11pm on Tuesday, UK time.
Swift is living up to her reputation as pop’s hardest-working star
You might think that after pulling off the highest-grossing tour in history, all while writing and releasing an unexpected record-breaking double album at the same time, Taylor Swift would be happy to take a little break.
But no. The singer-songwriter has announced her 12th album, her sixth in six years.
Since her self-titled debut in 2006, the longest period Swifties have had to wait is just three years, between 2014’s 1989 and 2017’s Reputation; the period in which the star took time out following her public feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
Over the past few years, Swift has also re-recorded and re-released four of her early albums in a (now resolved) battle over the rights to her master recordings.
With the new announcement, she’s living up to her reputation as the hardest-working star in pop.
Album number 12 is titled The Life Of A Showgirl, hinting at inspiration drawn from spending the best part of two years on the road – and perhaps a return to pop after embracing folk and her more gothic side.
Fans are now eagerly waiting to find out what Swift’s new era will bring.
New Heights had previously teased Swift’s appearance by posting an orange image on social media with a mysterious silhouette, which many correctly identified as the pop star.
The Life Of A Showgirl follows Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, released last year during her record-breaking Eras tour, which generated more than $2.2bn (£1.6bn) across two years and five continents, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time.
Read more about Taylor Swift:
Swift’s final London show was the ‘best’
The impact of the ‘excruciating’ Era’s tour
Her new chart record
It marks her first release since she took back control over her entire back catalogue from private equity firm Shamrock Capital for an undisclosed amount.
In an effort to regain control over her music in recent years, Swift has been re-recording and releasing her first six albums. The move was prompted by Hybe America CEO Scooter Braun’s purchase and sale of her early catalogue.
Some of the ‘Taylor’s Version’ releases have included new songs as well as Easter eggs and visuals to offer a deeper understanding of her work.
The four re-recorded albums released so far have been massive commercial and cultural successes, each one entering the Billboard 200 US album chart at number one, helping her become the woman with the most number one albums in history.
Harry and Meghan have signed a new “multi-year, first-look deal” with Netflix, following the deal they struck with the streaming giant five years ago.
Described by the Sussexes as “extending their creative partnership”, while the news quashes rumours the relationship might not be renewed, it would appear to be a less prestigious deal than their first.
With Love, Meghan, has a second season out later this month. Pic: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix
As a “first-look deal” rather than an overall deal, the entertainment giant will be able to say yes or no to their content before anyone else, but they will not be under an obligation to stream it.
Several US outlets have suggested it is a downgrade from the Sussexes’ previous contract, which saw the streaming giant pay for exclusive rights for the content and was thought to be worth more than $100m (£74m).
British PR expert Mark Borkowski described the deal as a “downgrade” and suggested Netflix was “pivoting away” from Harry and Meghan.
Read more: Some call the deal a demotion – but the company still sees them as a power couple
Harry and Meghan set up their media company, Archewell Productions, after quitting as senior working royals in 2020.
Their partnership with Netflix had promised documentaries, docuseries, feature films, scripted shows and children’s television, but has so far only delivered documentaries and docuseries.
These include Harry & Meghan, a six-part series about their departure from the royal household, which is Netflix’s fifth most popular series of all time, and most recently, the lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, which is the streamer’s most-watched culinary show since its release earlier this year.
Speaking about the new deal, Meghan said: “We’re proud to extend our partnership with Netflix and expand our work together to include the As ever brand.”
As ever is Meghan’s lifestyle brand, launched in 2024, and rebranded this year, selling products including jams, shortbread and wine.
Meghan went on: “My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally and celebrates our shared vision.”
(R-L) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Mindy Kaling. Pic: Netflix
Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria called the Sussexes “influential voices” and said their stories “resonate with audiences everywhere”.
New output includes the second season of With Love Meghan later this month, and a Christmas special in December.
Archewell Productions is also working on a documentary about orphaned children in Uganda’s Masaka region, an area heavily hit by the HIV/AIDS crisis, titled Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within, and is developing a feature adaptation of the bestselling romantic novel by Carley Fortune, Meet Me At The Lake.
It comes as Harry has cut ties with his Sentebale charity but has said he still intends to do what he can to help young people in Lesotho, Botswana and Southern Africa.
Entertainment
Some call the Sussexes’ Netflix deal a demotion – but the company still sees them as a power couple
While we’re all desperate to know what this new deal is really worth in dollars and pounds, one thing I can tell you for certain is that Prince Harry and Meghan want us to know they’re delighted that Netflix again wanted to get a deal done.
“Absolutely over the moon” is how it was described to me.
But they’ll also be aware of the attention it’ll attract as we all try to pick apart what it means.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Pic: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix
Firstly because of that ongoing fascination in how they’re making money since stepping away from royal life and losing financial support from the King, but also because of the recent reports that Netflix were intending to cut ties.
Yes this is a different type of deal from their original one in 2020. Some have argued that a “first look deal” looks like a demotion from what they previously signed up to.
With no real clarity on how much their original deal was worth, and no numbers being publicly thrown around this time, that is hard to judge.
But talking to those who know something about these kinds of deals you do get a sense it could potentially be more lucrative than it looks on face value.
With first look deals, yes there is often financial commitments from the likes of Netflix to get that first exclusive look at projects and first refusal.
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Harry claims: War of words continues
But there could be other significant monetary incentives for the Sussexes to sign.
For example, when the Obamas signed a first look deal with Netflix, the streaming service agreed to pay the operational costs for their production company “Higher Ground”.
Could it be that Netflix are also now covering the costs of Archewell Productions?
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
It’s stating the obvious to say that Harry and Meghan continue to divide opinions, some wanting to watch their programmes from a place of respect and fondness, others as a reason to grumble about them.
But signing on this latest dotted line shows Netflix still sees them as a power couple, who attract significant attention and are worthy of investment, whatever that really adds up to.
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