The BBC confirmed yesterday that it "sacked several members" following a recent review of the corporation's culture. The broadcaster made the announcement through Samir Shah, chairman of the BBC, who said that some powerful figures still make life "unbearable" for their colleagues. The news comes after MasterChef presenter John Torode was at the centre of an allegation that he used racist language. The review into the behaviour of his co-presenter, Gregg Wallace, has upheld this. John has now been officially axed from the BBC, and in an Instagram statement on Tuesday, the TV chef said he had "no recollection" of what he is accused of.
Samir Shah said: "Our staff are dedicated, hardworking, and treat each other with respect. However, there are pockets in the organisation where this is not the case. There are still places where powerful individuals - on and off-screen - can abuse that power to make life for their colleagues unbearable."
He said people had been dismissed following the review, which was released in April. He did not elaborate about who they were.
Express Online has contacted the BBC for comment.
Following the MasterChef controversy, there is now doubt about the show's future. BBC's director general, Tim Davie, said no decision has yet been made on this year's series. The unseen series was reportedly filmed last year with both Wallace and Torode.
Earlier this week, more than 40 allegations against Wallace were also upheld as part of a nine-month inquiry into his conduct. The investigators found that 45 out of 83 allegations against him were substantiated. Wallace stepped back from MasterChef last year before he was officially sacked last week by the BBC.
In November 2024, 13 individuals initially accused Wallace of making inappropriate sexual comments, but BBC News has now claimed to have received 50 more complaints from people who say they came across him during a range of shows and settings.
Commissioned by the MasterChef production company Banijay UK and led by the law firm Lewis Silkin, two standalone allegations were also made against other people, including one for the use of racist language.
Torode confirmed on Instagram that he was one of the individuals alleged to have used racist language and was “shocked and saddened” by the allegation.
He said: “The allegation is that I did so sometime in 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and that the person I was speaking with did not believe that it was intended in a malicious way, and that I apologised immediately afterwards.
“I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened. However, I want to be clear that I’ve always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment. I’m shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.”