If you thought the BBC’s optics couldn’t get any worse, think again, for they have hit a crushing new low. Last week, the broadcaster, alongside production company Banijay, took the controversial decision to go ahead and air the latest series of MasterChef – despite its host, Gregg Wallace, having just been fired from the BBC. His sacking came after an independent report substantiated 45 allegations against him, including claims of inappropriate sexual language and one incident of unwelcome physical contact. Today, it emerged that a female contestant had opposed the decision to broadcast the show, saying it would send the wrong message about the treatment of women. The solution? Make her disappear. Aspiring chef Sarah Shafi, who at 57 might be what Wallace would have dismissively dubbed “a woman of a certain age”, has been edited out of the series.
This grim development is the latest in a long line of abysmal decisions from the BBC, which seems to have become its own worst enemy of late. Recent months have seen disaster after disaster befall the corporation, in scenes that would seem too absurd and implausible even for the satirical farce W1A.
There was the outrage over the livestreaming of a Glastonbury set in which punk duo Bob Vylan led a chant of “Death to the IDF”. Then there was the chaos of its flustered response. It was lambasted for axing a documentary about doctors under attack in Gaza, which ended up on Channel 4 instead. And there’s been the ever-burning bin fire that is MasterChef, only fuelled further by the news that Wallace’s co-host, John Torode, has also been sacked for allegedly using “the worst racial slur there is”. Wallace has apologised “for any distress caused”, saying the report into his misconduct cleared him of “the most serious and sensational accusations”. Torode, meanwhile, said he was “shocked and saddened” by the racism allegation and said he knows any racial language “is wholly unacceptable in any environment”.
But this latest catastrophe in decision-making – intentionally erasing a woman for having the temerity to speak out – has to be the bottom of the barrel. It is a stark reflection of a society in which women are constantly expected to adjust their behaviour for men: we are told to cover up, avoid walking alone in certain areas at night, smile more, lighten up – “it’s just a joke, love” – and to avoid, at all costs, becoming “a woman of a certain age” by adhering to ever-more elaborate anti-ageing regimes and tweakments. We are consistently not believed and repeatedly failed by the justice system when it comes to cases of sexual misconduct and assault. And for years, women’s careers have suffered because of the indiscretions of men. That promotion? Not going to happen if you’re too loud or too difficult. That meeting? You might not be invited if you can’t handle the “banter”. In this case, a woman has literally been discarded on the cutting room floor because she was an inconvenience.
Shafi revealed that, in a “heated conversation” with a producer at Banijay, she was urged to think about the life-changing opportunity the show provided to some contestants. It was suggested that a “potential solution” could be to edit her out of the programme. “I was flabbergasted, because in what way was that a solution – and a solution for whom?”, Shafi told The Guardian. “My point was not about me not being associated with it. My point was about the institutional enabling environment. I said, ‘I am completely against this airing of the show. I object to it strongly.’” She added: “Where is the respect for how life-changing, for the worse, it has been for the victims?”
She has hit the nail on the head. Not only is putting Wallace on BBC One a slap in the face for all the women who made allegations against him, but if a female contestant standing up for her principles and wanting to hold power to account can expect to be removed for speaking her mind, then what message does that send? What does it say to women everywhere about what the likely outcome will be should they pluck up the bravery to stand up for what they believe in?
It must have taken a lot of courage for Shafi to take this stance, and her reward was to be scrubbed out. The long-term impact of this erasure on her, and on so many women reading the news today, is immeasurable.
The BBC and Banijay, it has to be said, were between a rock and a hard place here. The decision to air the show was fraught with controversy – do you axe it entirely, therefore removing a platform for Wallace and Torode, and wind up punishing the blameless contestants hoping for their big break in the process? MasterChef did, after all, launch the careers of Wahaca founder Thomasina Miers and successful restaurateur and author Tim Anderson. Or do you broadcast it, even though you’ve sacked its hosts, therefore giving a stage to two people you’ve made clear no longer have a place at the BBC?
Hitting ctrl-alt-delete on the one woman who dared to protest is not the answer
Ultimately, bosses went with the latter choice, explaining it was for the sake of the contestants. They acknowledged that “not everyone will agree” with the decision and that doing so “in no way diminishes our view of the seriousness of the upheld findings against both presenters”, adding: “We believe that broadcasting this series is the right thing to do for these cooks who have given so much to the process.” Representatives for both the BBC and Banijay said of Shafi’s position that they were “sorry that this contestant does not support the decision to air this series,” but argued that the other participants wanted it to go ahead. Yes, it’s an impossibly difficult position to be in – but I feel certain that just hitting ctrl-alt-delete on the one woman who dared to protest is not the answer.
In fairness, Shafi did eventually bow to the pressure and capitulate, saying the producers could cut her out of the show if they insisted on it being broadcast. But if the BBC’s position was tough, surely Shafi’s was even more so – forced to pick between being deleted or appearing to normalise and endorse Wallace and Torode’s behaviour.
The first episode of the new series, which marks the 21st season of MasterChef with Wallace and Torode at the helm, will air on BBC One next Wednesday. It already felt doomed from the outset, but now it will certainly leave a sour taste in the mouth. As any good chef knows, sometimes, if a key ingredient is missing – or in this case, removed – the whole dish falls apart.
