Jeremy Clarkson has shared his reaction to news that MasterChef judge John Torode will not be returning to the long-running BBC series, admitting he is “worried” for the TV chef following his exit.
It was confirmed last week by the BBC and production company Banijay UK that Torode’s contract would not be renewed.
The 59-year-old, who had co-hosted MasterChef alongside Gregg Wallace since 2005, announced on Monday that he had been the subject of an allegation involving racist language.
The review, commissioned by MasterChef production company Banijay UK and led by law firm Lewis Silkin, was initially launched to examine allegations surrounding Wallace's behaviour.
It found 45 out of 83 allegations against Wallace were substantiated, alongside two standalone allegations made against other people, including Wallace’s for using racist language.
Clarkson knows firsthand what it’s like to be dismissed from the BBC after he was dropped by the broadcaster in 2015 following an altercation with a Top Gear producer.
The 64-year-old and co-stars James May and Richard Hammond later moved to Prime Video, where they fronted The Grand Tour until 2023.
Writing in his latest column for The Sun, the Clarkson’s Farm star reflected on the shift in BBC controversies and said that he’s “worried” for Torode amid the fallout.
He wrote: “Funny isn’t it how Top Gear was always seen as the bad boy of the BBC. Every week, we’d be in the papers for doing something wrong or saying something inappropriate.
“And as a result, we were always being carpeted by bosses who told us to sit up straight and clean our teeth, and behave ourselves. Ha. It now turns out that, compared to every other show on the Beeb, we were saints.
“That said, I am a bit worried about this John Torode chap from MasterChef. Because he seems to have been sacked for an offence, even though no one can quite say what the offence was.
“He’s been told that at a private party seven or eight years ago, he sang a song which someone thought was racist and that as a result, he has to go. Who reported him? Dunno. Was there any context? No one’s saying.”
Last week, it was reported that Torode was fired from MasterChef for allegedly using the N-word twice while singing along to a Kanye West song at after-work drinks.
The Australian chef was dropped from the BBC cooking competition after it was alleged that he used an “extremely offensive racist term” in the workplace in 2018.
Reports have now claimed he used the racist slur while singing West’s hit, Gold Digger, during a drinks gathering with colleagues after filming.
Torode used the word again while chatting to a friend on the MasterChef's production team, who didn't take offence, according to The Sun.
The person who raised the complaint is thought to have “overheard the conversation”.
The production staffer allegedly defended Torode and said he only used the racial slur as an “example” and “apologised afterwards”.
Torode said he had “no recollection of the incident” and was “shocked and saddened” by the allegation.
He also revealed he found out about his firing by reading about it the press.
Torode said Celebrity MasterChef and two Christmas specials which he recently filmed “will be my last”. It is not clear if the BBC will air these shows.
Amid the controversy, ITV has revealed it will continue to air Torode’s cooking show with his wife Lisa Faulker, John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen.
