MasterChef has made an early return to screens with the launch of a new series that was filmed before hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode were sacked.
The BBC announced last month it had made the controversial decision to air the latest series of the show despite its hosts both being fired, after a report into their conduct on the cooking show upheld allegations against them.
The first episode was due to air on Wednesday evening (6 August), but on Wednesday morning, the BBC released the first three episodes on its streaming site, iPlayer.
Both presenters appear within the first minute of the new series, but their usual jokes appear to be pared back, and there is less chatter between them and the chefs.
During the introduction for episode one, Torode says: “This is the sort of stuff that dreams are made of.” Wallace can be seen telling a contestant: “That is a cracker of a job.”
Wallace’s sacking came after an independent report substantiated 45 allegations against him, including claims of inappropriate sexual language and one incident of unwelcome physical contact. He has apologised “for any distress caused”, saying the report into his misconduct cleared him of “the most serious and sensational accusations”.
Torode was the subject of an allegation about using racist language that was upheld as part of the Lewis Silkin review, but the TV star said he had “no recollection of the incident” and was “shocked and saddened” by the allegation.
The allegations against Wallace surfaced towards the end of filming in November last year, which means Wallace won’t appear in the final episodes of the series and will be replaced by Irish chef Anna Haugh, from the semi-finals onwards.
The episodes have been released after a contestant, Sarah Shafi, revealed she had been edited out of the forthcoming series.
In interviews with Newsnight and The Guardian, Shafi revealed she had told the show’s producers that airing it would send the wrong message to women following the misconduct allegations against Wallace.
Shafi explained that, during a “heated conversation” with a producer, she was urged to think about the life-changing opportunity the show provided to some contestants, and was then told about the “potential solution” to edit her out of the programme, which she eventually agreed to as the BBC insisted on airing the show.
Explaining that she was “flabbergasted” by the producer’s suggested solution, to edit her out of the show, Shafi said: “This is a woman being edited out, this is, again, the woman getting silenced into extinction.
“And it's happening time and time again. ‘Oh, this is a solution. We can put our show out and we can shut her up.’
“I'm sorry, but I said that's not a solution, it goes against the absolute root concern, which is about enabling environments and the BBC getting away with it.”
When the BBC announced the 2025 series would be broadcast despite the controversy surrounding its hosts, a statement said it had “not been an easy decision in the circumstances”.
The BBC added that “broadcasting this series is the right thing to do for these cooks who have given so much to the process. We want them to be properly recognised and give the audience the choice to watch the series.”
But the corporation said a decision had not yet been made regarding the celebrity series and the Christmas special.
Six amateur chefs feature in the first heat, and a message on the BBC media centre, alongside interviews with the contestants, said: “Please note this information is accurate at the time of filming, certain aspects may have since changed but this represents the contributors as the competition starts.”
In an interview with The Sun last month, Wallace apologised to anyone hurt by his behaviour, but insisted he is “not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher”.
He said: “People think I’m a sex pest. I am not. I am not sexist or a misogynist, or any of it. There never were any accusations of sexual harassment.”
With additional reporting from agencies
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