BBC allegedly asked Torode to quit MasterChef and cite stress after a racial language claim emerged

MasterChef star John Torode has found himself at the centre of an escalating BBC scandal, with insiders alleging that he was urged to resign from the long-running show and blame mental health issues after being accused of using racially offensive language.

The revelation follows the explosive fallout from a misconduct investigation into Torode’s co-host Gregg Wallace, who faced 45 substantiated complaints. A report by law firm Lewis Silkin, commissioned by production company Banijay, detailed decades of inappropriate behaviour by Wallace—and confirmed two further upheld allegations against unnamed individuals, one of which involved racist language.

Soon after the report’s publication, Torode confirmed on Instagram that he was the individual involved in the upheld racist language allegation, stating:

“The allegation is that I used racial language in a social setting in 2018 or 2019. The person I was speaking with reportedly did not think it was malicious and accepted my apology at the time. I have no recollection of the incident.”

While expressing shock and denying intent, Torode also firmly denounced the use of any racial language:

“I want to be clear that I’ve always believed any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment.”

But behind the scenes, it appears tensions had already erupted. According to a source quoted by The Sun, BBC bosses contacted Torode on Thursday night and followed up with an ultimatum email on Friday, instructing him to decide by Monday whether to resign and cite mental health stress in his exit.

“It was suggested he quit due to the scrutiny around the show,” the source claimed. “But John made it clear he doesn’t suffer from mental health issues and was shocked and appalled at the suggestion.”

Torode, who has fronted the BBC’s flagship cooking competition since 2005, reportedly made clear that he does not want to walk away from a job he loves over a claim he does not recall—and that stems from an entirely separate investigation into his colleague.

The BBC welcomed the Lewis Silkin report, stating it had no plans to work with Wallace in future, and acknowledged that “opportunities were missed” to address misconduct earlier. Wallace has since been dropped from all BBC programming.

Torode was not named in the report, but once speculation mounted, he issued a public statement for the sake of transparency. He insisted that he has no memory of the incident and deeply regrets that anyone might have taken offence from something he may have said in the past.

BBC Director-General Tim Davie has not publicly commented on Torode’s future. However, a statement from the broadcaster emphasised the seriousness of the wider situation:

“The investigation details a substantial number of allegations of inappropriate conduct spanning 19 years. This behaviour falls below the values of the BBC.”

“Two allegations relating to other individuals are now being addressed urgently by Banijay UK.”

In the wake of the scandal, speculation is mounting that MasterChef could undergo a major shake-up. Broadcaster Grace Dent has been tipped as a potential permanent replacement for Wallace, while support for Torode has been more divided.

Some fans and colleagues, including Amanda Holden, have publicly supported Torode, calling for fairness amid a rapidly spiralling public backlash. Others, however, have echoed demands for accountability.

For now, Torode remains in his post—but pressure is mounting, and the BBC’s next move could determine the future of one of its most iconic TV franchises.