{"id":309817,"date":"2025-08-01T17:34:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T17:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/309817\/"},"modified":"2025-08-01T17:34:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T17:34:12","slug":"tv-union-and-womens-group-call-for-this-years-masterchef-to-be-shelved-masterchef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/309817\/","title":{"rendered":"TV union and women\u2019s group call for this year\u2019s MasterChef to be shelved | MasterChef"},"content":{"rendered":"

The BBC is facing mounting pressure to scrap this year\u2019s series of MasterChef after the sacking of the presenters Gregg Wallace<\/a> and John Torode.<\/p>\n

The heads of the broadcast union Bectu and a leading women\u2019s rights organisation have joined those calling for the series to be shelved, arguing it would cause distress to the people who had made complaints about the two men.<\/p>\n

Last week the BBC said it would broadcast a series of MasterChef featuring Wallace and Torode<\/a>, which was filmed before the presenters were dropped after allegations about their behaviour were upheld.<\/p>\n

The corporation said it was not \u201can easy decision\u201d, but argued it was the \u201cright thing to do\u201d for the amateur chefs who had taken part, adding that the show\u2019s producers had spoken to contestants about airing the programme.<\/p>\n

But on Friday the head of Bectu, Philippa Childs, said the BBC<\/a> should reconsider its decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhilst the BBC claims that it has consulted with contestants there appears to have been no consultation with complainants; freelancers who have taken the very difficult step of speaking out and who will legitimately feel distressed,\u201d she told BBC News. \u201cIf [the BBC] are serious about addressing this industry-wide problem, broadcasters should not reward bad behaviour with primetime coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Penny East, the chief executive of the Fawcett Society, suggested it would be better to edit the presenters out entirely. \u201cSeeing Gregg Wallace on our screens will be deeply uncomfortable for many people, not least the brave women who have spoken about his appalling behaviour,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can\u2019t be right that men who sexually harass women continue to be given a platform and allowed to maintain their profile and power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wallace was dropped by the BBC after an independent report substantiated 45 allegations made against him<\/a>, including claims of inappropriate sexual language and one incident of unwelcome physical contact. He has apologised \u201cfor any distress caused\u201d and said the report cleared him of \u201cthe most serious and sensational accusations\u201d.<\/p>\n

Torode was dropped as a presenter after he said he was the subject of a substantiated complaint over the use of racist language<\/a>, which he believes never happened.<\/p>\n

On Thursday the Guardian revealed that one of the contestants from the latest series of MasterChef had been edited out of the programme<\/a>, after telling its producers she did not want the show to be broadcast.<\/p>\n

Sarah Shafi, from Leeds, said she told the show\u2019s producers that airing it would send the wrong message about the treatment of women.<\/p>\n

She said she initially rejected an offer by MasterChef\u2019s producers, Banijay, to edit her out of her episode. The 57-year-old agreed to be removed once the BBC announced it had decided to broadcast the series from 6 August<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t say edit me out,\u201d she said. \u201cI said: \u2018Axe the show, don\u2019t air the show. I\u2019m asking you not to air the show.\u2019 Prominent figures have been abusing their power. What message does that send out to women?\u201d<\/p>\n

One former MasterChef<\/a> worker who said she had been groped by Wallace told BBC News the decision to broadcast the series showed \u201ca blatant disregard for the people who have come forward\u201d.<\/p>\n

Another person who worked on the show, and who said Wallace pulled his trousers down in front of her, said the decision to air the series was \u201cprofoundly disrespectful\u201d to people who had made complaints. \u201cIt ultimately sends a message that such behaviour can be overlooked,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The BBC is facing mounting pressure to scrap this year\u2019s series of MasterChef after the sacking of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":309818,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[13,12,14],"class_list":{"0":"post-309817","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-stories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114954716001723693","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/309818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}