BBC bosses want Gregg Wallace to make shock MasterChef return despite sacking

Gregg Wallace may have been sacked from MasterChef but bosses at the BBC and production company Banijay are convinced the series he’d already filmed before the scandal could yet be saved. One option is that the cookery competition, which cost an estimated £8million to make and was intended to run for 24 hour-long episodes across eight weeks on primetime BBC1, could be shown on iPlayer only.

The decision over its future on BBC1 will fall to director general Tim Davie, who must choose whether to show it on BBC1 or iPlayer or shelve it if it was deemed inappropriate. The BBC said that decision would only be made once the report from law firm Lewis Silkin is made public later this week.

One insider said: “Once the report comes out, we will all know what the legal review has found. Gregg has claimed that many of the more serious allegations against him have not been upheld, and has apologised for the rude and inappropriate language he used, causing complaints that were upheld. The feeling is the series is not dead yet - there are high hopes that it could yet see the light of day.”

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The 24-part pre-recorded series was put on ice earlier this year after 13 women came forward to complain about presenter Wallace, 60. Since then, BBC News has claimed that 50 more allegations about him have been made by women, ranging from inappropriate language to groping and sexual intimidation, which he vehemently denies.

Sources close to the show - recorded last year - have said it would be “impossible” to cut him out entirely. As a judge alongside John Torode, Wallace is integral to the format and editing the series to limit his time on screen has also been ruled out.

It comes amid rumours that the winner of the series is considering legal action over their triumph not making it to the screen. One insider said: “For that person, the series not being shown has massive ramifications. They may well have wanted to launch a cookery career off the back of it and now feel that this controversy is preventing that opportunity - through no fault of their own.”

For the contestants, and especially for those who reach the final and the winner, taking part in MasterChef is huge. The show has been life-changing for a great many people who have gone on to pursue careers in cooking.

“These 24 episodes are finished and have been delivered to the BBC. To not show them would be a huge waste of licence fee payers’ money,” one insider said.

“One option is to limit the amateur series with Gregg as presenter to just an iPlayer showing. But it deserves more than that because the brand is huge for the BBC and so many viewers love watching it on BBC1.”

Last year the show celebrated its 20th anniversary with an event attended by 72 former contestants, including many champions whose professional lives changed course as a direct result of taking part. The show also has a dedicated production team who put in many hours of work in order to make the 21st series.

The BBC1 series - which cost an estimated £8million to make - should have been shown earlier this year but was put on ice while the review continued.

Wallace’s co-host John Torode is expected to continue on the show, flanked by a new presenter likely to be Grace Gent, who stepped in for Wallace on the celebrity version earlier this year, filmed in the new Birmingham studio and expected to start next month.

Another contender is Saturday Kitchen presenter Matt Tebbutt, who was drafted in for MasterChef: The Professionals alongside judges Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti. Filming on that series is just finishing and it is likely to air towards the end of the year in is usual slot.

The BBC said no decision has yet been made on whether the amateur show will air, or on who will be the next presenter of the main series.

The regular version of MasterChef normally goes out in the spring and this year has been replaced by a range of programming including The Repair Shop on the Road and repeats of Who Do You Think You Are?

Whatever the decision over the 21st MasterChef series, featuring Gregg Wallace, casting is already underway for the 22nd series, with applications now open via the show’s Instagram account.

Those who support Wallace says he is being made a scapegoat by those who are trying to protect the hugely important MasterChef brand, claiming he is guilty only of having a “terrible sense of humour” and telling rude jokes at inappropriate moments. But the many claims against him, some going back more than 14 years, include flashing, groping and inappropriate sexual comments.

The official report is expected to be published today (THURS) or tomorrow, with Wallace claiming it will only be a short executive summary rather than the full findings.

He has questioned why “others” on the programme have not also had complaints against them investigated, saying in his post on social media earlier this week: “What really concerns me about the short summary is others who have been found guilty of serious allegations have been erased from the published version of events. I, and I'm sure the public, would like to know why?”

He has also hired a lawyer and vowed to fight his sacking, vowing: “I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience. The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest.”

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