John Torode ‘treated worse than a serial killer’ as ITV Loose Women star lets rip on BBC MasterChef axe: ‘Like Stasi East Germany!’
Loose Women and I’m A Celebrity star Jane Moore has shared her thoughts on the news that John Torode will not return to MasterChef after an independent investigation upheld allegations that he used an extremely offensive racist term in the workplace.
The BBC and production company Banijay UK confirmed his contract will not be renewed following the findings. The incident allegedly occurred in 2018 and was investigated by the law firm Lewis Silkin.
Torode has denied the allegation, stating he has no recollection of the incident and does not believe it happened. He also said that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment.
The presenter had been with the BBC cooking programme for almost 20 years.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed the axe on Tuesday, saying: “John Torode has identified himself as having an upheld allegation of using racist language against him.
“This allegation, which involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace, was investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm, Lewis Silkin.”
The spokesperson added: “The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously. We will not tolerate racist language of any kind and, as we have already said, we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken.”
“John Torode denies the allegation. He has stated he has no recollection of the alleged incident and does not believe that it happened. He also says that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment,” the BBC spokesperson confirmed.
Torode posted on Instagram on Monday night, confirming he was the person alleged to have used racist language. He said he had “no recollection of the incident” and was “shocked and saddened” by the allegation.
He also took to Instagram on Tuesday to address his sacking, claiming the BBC or Banijay hadn’t contacted him and that he was looking forward to career opportunities elsewhere.
Writing in her latest column, Moore has hit out at the BBC over its handling of the Torode and Wallace saga, taking issue with the way the former has been ousted.
Moore suggested that, given Torode’s lack of recollection of the alleged incident that emerged this month, “he wasn’t given the chance to robustly defend himself”.
She added: “What I do know is that the secrecy that surrounds a lot of these corporate investigations — be it conducted internally by the HR department or, in this case, an external legal firm — makes it hard for an accused individual to fight their innocence.”
Moore then drew comparisons between Torode and a friend of hers who went through a similar investigation. “He was the subject of an internal ‘investigation’, throughout which he wasn’t allowed to know the name of his accuser nor the details of their claims, for fear it might identify them,” she explained.
“What the hell? Even serial killers get to see the evidence against them and put up a defence in court.
“But in the world of corporate HR, it seems that a Caesar-like thumbs up or down is delivered on someone’s reputation and career without the chance to mount a robust challenge.”
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She asked: “How, pray tell, can you refute potentially career-damaging allegations when you don’t know the accuser, the time, the place, and the alleged transgression? It’s like Stasi East Germany.”
The Loose Women concluded in The Sun: “Look, I don’t know Torode and have no idea if he used racist language or not. But surely he should have been given a chance to see any evidence (if it exists) and refute it?”
The allegation against Torode emerged as part of a review into the behaviour of Torode’s co-presenter Gregg Wallace, with 45 allegations of misconduct upheld against Wallace just over 24 hours earlier.
A Banijay spokesperson said: “The legal team at Lewis Silkin that investigated the allegations relating to Gregg Wallace also substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode, which occurred in 2018.”
The spokesperson stressed that “Banijay UK takes this matter incredibly seriously” and confirmed that “Banijay UK and the BBC have agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.”
As well as Moore, Torode has also received public backing from BGT judge Amanda Holden, who has continued to “like” his statements on Instagram.
Strictly’s Nancy Xu and McFly singer Danny Jones have also thrown their support Torode’s way in light of his sacking.