John Torode #

Introduction #

John Torode is an Australian-British celebrity chef and television presenter who, from 2005 until 2025, co-hosted MasterChef on BBC One alongside Gregg Wallace. In July 2025 the BBC ended his long run on the show after an internal inquiry upheld an allegation that Torode had used “an extremely offensive racist term” against a colleague. Torode publicly said he had “no recollection” of the incident, and the production company confirmed that his contract would not be renewed. The sacking landed at the height of a wider crisis over MasterChef personnel, coming within days of co-host Gregg Wallace being removed over a separate, larger set of allegations.

Background Information #

John Douglas Torode was born on 23 July 1965 in Melbourne, Australia, and moved to the United Kingdom in the 1990s, where he began working in restaurants before becoming a chef and restaurateur. He rose to prominence as a TV presenter after first appearing on ITV’s This Morning, and in 2005 he began presenting a revamped MasterChef on BBC One — a role he held until 2025. Beyond television he is a restaurateur (former owner of the Luxe and Smiths of Smithfield) and has written several cookbooks. In the 2022 Birthday Honours he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to food and charity, and he is married to the actress Lisa Faulkner, with four children. His long-running partnership with Wallace on the show made them, in effect, the face of British food television for a generation.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

The MasterChef controversy began the previous year, when BBC News first revealed claims of inappropriate sexual language against co-host Gregg Wallace. In July 2025 Wallace was removed and dozens of allegations against him were upheld as part of a conduct inquiry. In the same week, an inquiry into Torode’s conduct upheld a separate allegation that he had used what BBC director general Tim Davie described as “a serious racist term which does not get to be acceptable in any way shape or form.” In an Instagram statement Torode said he had “no recollection” of what he was accused of and said he had hoped to have some say in his exit. Production company Banijay confirmed that it and the BBC “are agreed” that his contract on the show would not be renewed.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

Torode’s removal plunged the flagship cooking show into a deeper crisis: director general Tim Davie said no decision had yet been made on that year’s series of MasterChef, which had effectively lost both of its long-time co-hosts within the same week. Davie framed the decision as drawing “a line in the sand,” telling BBC News that it was “really important we are taking this seriously.” Torode’s public denial — insisting he had no recollection of the alleged remark — contrasted with the upheld finding, and the case became one of the most prominent examples of a long-serving broadcast presenter being let go over a single, specific conduct finding rather than a pattern.

Current Status #

As of the sources reviewed, Torode’s contract on MasterChef was not renewed and his role on the show ended in July 2025. He was no longer a BBC presenter on the program, and no replacement for his on-air role on that year’s series had been announced at the time. His broader career as a chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author continued.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

Torode had spent two decades on MasterChef, making him one of the most recognizable faces on British television and a figure who had even been honoured with an MBE for services to food and charity. The July 2025 decision ended that run abruptly and at the peak of the show’s prominence. The consequence was the loss of his long-term presenting role on the show’s defining program; the finding was a single upheld allegation of offensive language, one he publicly denied, rather than a career-spanning pattern. The case is cited as an example of how a conduct finding — even a single, specific, disputed one — can terminate a two-decade television career, and of how quickly a show can lose two of its presenters in succession.