When Banijay, the producers of MasterChef, held a dinner attended by its top executives, programme makers and presenters almost two weeks ago, the longevity of its wildly successful cooking show was among the achievements to be toasted, alongside its move to state-of-the-art studios in Birmingham.
Yet just hours before guests arrived, a social media post from MasterChef’s erstwhile presenter Gregg Wallace began a nightmare fortnight that has left one of the BBC’s most important shows in need of not one, but two new judges. It has also left some in the TV world wondering if the show requires a wider refresh.
