From a quip about ‘salty balls’ to an egg tart innuendo, Masterchef has never been a show that has shied away from suggestive jokes.
But as star presenter Gregg Wallace steps away amid a misconduct probe, resurfaced clips have shown outlandish outbursts from both him and co-judge John Tororde littered across the show’s history.
While the innuendos are now coming up for debate, the pair’s brand has helped the BBC show set itself apart from the sea of cookery shows on TV.
The broadcaster has now revealed that 13 people, including Kirsty Wark, have complained about Wallace’s conduct while working with him over a 17-year period across five shows, from 2005 to 2022.
Wallace, 60, has been accused of taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to ‘give her a fashion show’ and talking about his sex life to others.
On one occasion he allegedly told a junior female colleague he wasn’t wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans.
Wallace has previously denied making any sexual comments and Masterchef’s production company, Banijay UK, saying he is ‘committed to fully cooperating throughout the process’.
One memorable quip occurred during a 2016 episode of MasterChef: The Professionals and saw Wallace tell one contestant: ‘It’s just missing that sauce that is going to bring the whole thing together. I’m desperate to dip that pork into something wet!’
As star presenter Gregg Wallace steps away amid a misconduct probe, resurfaced clips have shown outlandish outbursts from both him and co-judge John Tororde littered across the show’s history
Wallace (pictured with John Torode), 60, is ‘committed to fully cooperating throughout the process’, the show’s production company Banijay UK said
Torode meanwhile made his own quip in 2012 when he asked a female contestant if she considered herself to be ‘a conservative cook or an experimental cook’.
‘I’m experimental at home with my husband,’ replied the contestant, to which a laughing Torode told her: ‘I’m not asking what you do at home.’
Then, in 2015 while tasting a female contestant’s dessert, Wallace declared: ‘I want to take my shirt off and dive in!’
Wallace’s comments haven’t been limited to the main series. A 2011 episode of Celebrity MasterChef saw the judge tell actress Margi Clarke: ‘In here needs to be a bit wetter. It’s like a diamond ring in a carrier bag!’
Back in 2023, viewers were shocked by another Wallace innuendo as he sent contestant Diya Kotecha-Lodhia packing.
The judges were left ‘underwhelmed’ by her starter and said that her main dish ‘didn’t quite work’.
But it was Gregg’s accidental innuendo that left fans at home in stitches, when reflecting on the starter he simply said: ‘I found those balls really quite salty.’
Torode’s wife Lisa Faulkner spoke out on the jokes earlier this year, admitting that during her time on the show she would think, ‘I don’t want to hear this’, as Wallace delivered punchlines to crew members.
Whilst the innuendos are now coming up for debate, Wallace and Torode’s outlandish brand have helped the BBC show set itself apart
in October, Gregg denied claims he boasted about his sex life to a younger female BBC employee and took his top off in front of her while filming a game show, saying he would never ‘flirt with’ or ‘hit on’ another woman
Torode meanwhile made his own quip in 2012 when he asked a female contestant if she considered herself to be ‘a conservative cook or an experimental cook.’
Faulkner, 52, appeared on the series in 2010 when she went on to win the Celebrity MasterChef trophy – and has now opened up about her time on the show.
She told Cheltenham Literature Festival last weekend how she would overhear the former greengrocer’s jokes as she was chopping away, reported The Sun.
‘Gregg was telling – I’m probably not allowed to say this…Gregg just told rude joke after rude joke to the crew,’ Lisa told the audience.
‘You’re just sitting there and if you’re on the front bench just chopping away thinking, ‘I’ve got ten minutes left’, and he’s saying, ‘So this girl walked into a bar…’
‘And I’m going, ”Please, I don’t want to hear this joke”.’
Her husband John who was on stage with her to promote their new book, told her: ‘It’s changed quite a lot really…’
But John was caught up in a joke furore of his own earlier this year when plating up a dish of toad in the hole during a cooking segment of This Morning, leaving host Cat Deeley grimacing.
John joked: ‘I never thought I’d say to Cat Deeley, ‘Here’s a little sausage for you darling’.’
The BBC has said that it will take the issues raised about Wallace ‘seriously’
Torode ‘s own wife Lisa Faulkner has spoken out on the jokes this week, admitting that during her time on the show she would think, ‘I don’t want to hear this’, as Wallace delivered punchlines to crew
Cat, 47, tapped him on the back and replied: ‘Oh I like it, thank you,’ before she turned to make a face at the camera.
Viewers took to social media to point out the unfortunate timing of John’s comment in the light of the scandal affecting his co-presenter.
‘Why is John Torode’s co-star the bald one getting in trouble for sexual innuendos when he said today live on ITV with Cat Deeley,’ the social media user wrote.
‘Make sure he is sacked as well.. women shouldn’t put up with these disgusting sexual comments any longer!’
The BBC claims that Wallace walked away from MasterChef today after BBC News sent a letter to his agent on Tuesday, setting out allegations from 13 people and giving him a right of reply. They say he was warned after a complaint was raised in 2018, but new historical claims emerged over the summer of 2024.
Wallace, 60, is ‘committed to fully cooperating throughout the process’, the show’s production company Banijay UK said. But he will be on BBC One as usual tonight because MasterChef: The Professionals, which is already recorded, will transmit as planned and into December. MasterChef’s Christmas specials will also be broadcast.
Mr Wallace is yet to comment today – but at the time of the announcement this afternoon he did take to Instagram to share his recipe for prawn tacos with pineapple salsa.
But in October Gregg vehemently denied that he had made inappropriate sexual comments towards women, declaring that he would never ‘flirt with’ or ‘hit on’ another woman and saying: ‘I didn’t say anything sexual’.
Cat was then seen grimacing towards the camera after Torode made a comment when plating up a dish of toad in the hole during a cooking segment of This Morning
BBC News said it had been told of other allegations, including the presenter ‘talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to ‘give her a fashion show’, and telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans’.
Banijay has not revealed the nature of the allegations, but last month it was claimed the grocer turned TV star had boasted about his sex life to a younger female BBC employee and took his top off in front of her.
It was previously reported by the Times back in May last year that he had allegedly offended female staff members at the Nestlé UK factory in York with comments about their weight during a ‘friendly’ conversation.
Wallace then denied that he left the BBC show Inside The Factory in March that year due to inappropriate comments made towards female staff.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain in August 2023, the called the claims ‘inaccurate’.
The newspaper had quoted a source as saying: ‘He was rude towards staff and continued to talk in a derogatory manner, especially to women.’
The comments were reportedly non-sexual but deemed ‘inappropriate’ and a complaint was lodged with Voltage TV, the production company responsible for developing the show.
When asked on GMB by Richard Madeley about his departure from the programme, Wallace responded by saying: ‘There was an argument inside the factory, the reporting isn’t accurate.
Actress Lisa Faulkner (centre) has said Gregg Wallace (left) repeatedly made rude jokes to MasterChef crew members – she is married to his co-host John Torode (right)
‘There was an issue and I thought this is the perfect time to come out.’
‘Offending people? No, no – if you look at the headlines, you can’t see a story that matches those headlines.’
Gregg also revealed that he also wanted to leave to help care for his son Sid, born in 2019, who is autistic.
Explaining his home situation, he said: ‘I’ve got a little boy called Sid who at the moment is non-verbal, he is still in nappies, he’s got learning difficulties. Mum needed help there.’
He revealed that the demanding nature of the filming around the different factories across the country meant that it made sense to give it up.
Wallace added: ‘It’s completely inaccurate, I didn’t challenge it. There was an issue, I don’t want to discuss the issue but it wasn’t what the papers said it was.
‘There was nothing offensive to anybody that’s just people guessing. It was a decent time to come out, I think.’
Wallace wed Anne-Marie Sterpini, 22 years younger than him, at Hever Castle in Kent in August 2016, having met three years earlier.
Gregg Wallace has said in another Instagram video message that he has always been true to his wife Anne-Marie Sterpini – the couple are pictured here at the wedding of Lisa Faulkner and John Torode in Banbury, Oxfordshire, in October 2019
In a statement to the PA news agency, Banijay UK said: ‘This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows.
‘Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate.
‘While this review is underway, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully cooperating throughout the process.
‘Banijay UK’s duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set.
‘Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately.’
The statement added: ‘If anyone would like to talk to us or raise any issues or concerns, then they can contact speakup@banijayuk.com in confidence.’
The BBC has said it takes any issues that are raised with it ‘seriously’.
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘We take any issues that are raised with us seriously and we have robust processes in place to deal with them.
‘We are always clear that any behaviour which falls below the standards expected by the BBC will not be tolerated.
‘Where an individual is contracted directly by an external production company we share any complaints or concerns with that company and we will always support them when addressing them.’