Richard Osman has said the BBC “would like to show” the unaired series of MasterChef featuring fired hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode following complaints against the pair.
On Monday (14 July), a report upheld 45 allegations of misconduct against Wallace, including one of unwelcome physical contact. On Tuesday, it was announced that Torode had also been sacked from the long-running cookery show after an allegation of racist language used by the star was substantiated during the investigation into Wallace’s behaviour.
During a special episode of The Rest is Entertainment podcast, Osman shared his knowledge on the subject and what he thinks will happen with the three series of MasterChef that were filmed before the scandal erupted. The 54-year-old believes that the main MasterChef series, which is presented by both Wallace and Torode, could still be shown based on the wishes of the contestants.
Osman said: “The feeling at the BBC and the feeling at Banijay, having talked to everyone who has been on that show, is they would like to show it because they've spoken to, I think, pretty much every single contestant. The contestants are saying: ‘We would be gutted if this doesn't go out.’”
He added that he expects the BBC to make the decision “quickly” but that he is “fairly confident in saying that the current plan is to show that series” based on the wishes of the contestants.
Osman, who presents the BBC quiz shows Pointless and Richard Osman's House of Games, also revealed that Irish chef Anna Haugh has allegedly replaced Wallace on the series, from the semi-finals onwards. Haugh has previously appeared on Celebrity Masterchef and MasterChef: The Professionals but has not been officially announced as Wallace’s replacement.
Celebrity MasterChef, which isn’t due to air until December, has been filmed and was presented by Grace Dent and Torode. Osman said that “no decision has been made” as to what will happen with those episodes.
Osman added that there is no issue with MasterChef: The Professionals as it is presented by Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti.
A BBC spokesperson previously told The Independent: “At this stage, we are not going to make a final decision on the broadcast of the series that was filmed last year. We know this is disappointing for fans of the show and those who took part, and at the appropriate time, Banijay UK will consult further with the amateur contestants.”
The BBC has apologised to "everyone who has been impacted by Mr Wallace’s behaviour”, and admitted that “opportunities were missed to address” his conduct, stating: “We accept more could and should have been done sooner.”
On Tuesday (15 July), BBC director-general Tim Davie told BBC News that, while he was not directly involved with the matter, he was told of the recommendation to not renew Torode’s contract and was “happy that the team were taking action”.
When asked exactly what Torode had said, Davie replied: “I’m not going to give you the exact term, because I think, frankly, it was a serious racist term, which does not get to be acceptable in any way, shape or form.”
Davie previously voiced concern about potentially cancelling the pre-recorded series.
“We haven’t made a decision yet. It’s a difficult one, because to your question, those amateur chefs gave a lot of time to take part in the show. It means a lot, it can be an enormous break if you come through the show. So, I want to just reflect on that with the team and make a decision and we’ll communicate that in due course.”
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