To say that this year’s MasterChef UK has been an unmitigated calamity for the BBC feels like an understatement. In early July, Gregg Wallace was fired from the show after a series of sexual misconduct allegations, including one accusation of unwanted touching (45 out of 83 claims against him were upheld following an official report), leaving the BBC with a headache over whether to broadcast the latest series, which was filmed last autumn. It then emerged that the report into Wallace’s behaviour had also highlighted an accusation of racist language on the part of his co-host of 20 years, John Torode. The BBC swiftly dispensed with him, too, despite him saying that he doesn’t believe the incident happened.
The corporation confirmed in late July that it would broadcast the series anyway; one contestant, Sarah Shafi, was so appalled by the decision that she agreed to be edited out. Meanwhile, the broadcasting union Bectu said: “If [the BBC] are serious about addressing this industry-wide problem, broadcasters should not reward bad behaviour with primetime coverage.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, no advanced screeners were offered to the media; the first three episodes landed unannounced on BBC iPlayer on Wednesday morning, ahead of its 8pm broadcast on BBC One.
