John Torode has been sacked as MasterChef presenter after an allegation against him using “an extremely offensive racist term” was upheld.
On Monday, the TV chef said he had “no recollection” of the incident, adding: “I do not believe that it happened.”
But in a statement on Tuesday, the show’s production company Banijay UK said it and the BBC “are agreed” that his contract on the show will not be renewed.
It plunges the BBC cooking show into a deeper crisis, after more than 40 separate allegations against Torode’s co-host Gregg Wallace were also upheld as part of an inquiry into his conduct.
The controversy over MasterChef started last year, when BBC News first revealed claims of inappropriate sexual language against Wallace.
Wallace was sacked last week as dozens more people came forward to BBC News with allegations against him. He has always denied the claims.
A BBC spokesperson said: “John Torode has identified himself as having an upheld allegation of using racist language against him.
“This allegation – which involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace – was investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm, Lewis Silkin.
“John Torode denies the allegation. He has stated he has no recollection of the alleged incident and does not believe that it happened. He also says that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment.
“The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously. We will not tolerate racist language of any kind and, as we have already said, we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken. John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.”
Speaking to BBC News, BBC director general Tim Davie described the allegation against Torode as “a serious racist term which does not get to be acceptable in any way shape or form”.
“It’s really important we are taking this seriously,” he said. “We’ve drawn a line in the sand”.
Davie wouldn’t be drawn on how much recent BBC controversies, from MasterChef to the failures over its Gaza documentary, to Bob Vylan’s set at Glastonbury, have cost licence fee payers.
“I’m not minimising the damage,” he said, “of when you make mistakes of this nature.”
But he added: “How we manage them and how we lead our way through it is how you build trust.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Davie told a press conference that the Masterchef “absolutely” has a future, adding that it was “much bigger than individuals”.
But he refused to say what would happen to the unseen series – which was filmed last year, with both Wallace and Torode in it.
In an Instagram post on Monday, Torode revealed he was the subject of an allegation of using racist language, upheld as part of an inquiry into separate allegations against Wallace.
He said the allegation was that he made the remarks in a social setting in 2018 or 2019.
He added that the allegation included that the “person I was speaking with did not believe that it was intended in a malicious way and that I apologised immediately afterwards”.
Torode added: “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.”
