It had been previously reported that John Torode, who also hosts a cookery show with his wife Lisa Faulkner on ITV, used the N-word while singing along to a Kanye West song during a wrap party in 2019. He then used the word again whilst chatting to a friend on the MasterChef production team, who didn't take offence, according to The Sun. But, BBC News has since reported this was not the incident which led to the complaint upheld by the report. It has now been reported that the former MasterChef host used a racist term while on set filming the BBC show and directed it towards a member of staff. The Australian-born chef will not be returning to his position on the cooking show after he was at the centre of an allegation that he used racist language. The broadcaster has not elaborated on what the exact slur was.

The BBC said on Tuesday that Torode's contract would not be renewed after a report found he had used an "extremely offensive racist term" following a complaint from a member of staff. BBC News has since reported this was not the incident which led to the complaint upheld by the report. This instead related to another incident a year earlier, when he allegedly used the same word on set after filming an episode of Masterchef and it was directed at a member of staff. The news site added that nine other complaints were made against Torode in the report, relating to allegations of racist language, abusive language towards junior production staff and sexual language. Only one was upheld, for an incident on the set of MasterChef in 2018 when he allegedly used a severely offensive racist term.

BBC News also revealed that John and Gregg Wallace were "never friends" despite working together for 19 years. An individual who worked on the cookery show told BBC News that the dynamic between Torode and Wallace always "seemed off."

Another former MasterChef worker also claimed: "Clearly they had a good chemistry when the cameras were rolling. But you rarely saw them interact when the cameras were off. And when Gregg was saying inappropriate things like that, John held his counsel. I never saw him step in."

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.

New reports claim that MasterChef will go ahead as planned, albeit with a delay. According to The Sun, a source said: “These past eight months have been truly hellish for all concerned. The BBC and Banijay have faced a moral and professional dilemma like never before. Obviously, Gregg’s case was more clear-cut, but John being dragged through the mud wasn’t what anyone wanted or expected to happen.

"But at the same time, and as a publicly funded body, the BBC has a duty to both provide entertainment as well as fulfil its obligations to cast, crew, contestants and ­viewers alike.

"If they were to can these two series, hundreds of people — those who appeared or worked on the shows — would be so bitterly disappointed. So the feeling at present is that the show, quite literally, must go on — albeit once the dust has settled and all the fuss died down."

The BBC declined to comment. John's representatives were contacted for comment by Express Online.