TV union and women’s group call for this year’s MasterChef to be shelved

John Torode (l) and Gregg Wallace on Celebrity MasterChef. Critics of the decision to air the latest series of MasterChef say contestants were consulted about it but not complainants about the conduct of the two men. Photograph: Production/BBC/Shine TV

The BBC is facing mounting pressure to scrap this year’s series of MasterChef after the sacking of the presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode.

The heads of the broadcast union Bectu and a leading women’s rights organisation have joined those calling for the series to be shelved, arguing it would cause distress to the people who had made complaints about the two men.