The BBC has appointed food critic Grace Dent and chef Anna Haugh as the new hosts of MasterChef after long-time presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode were removed from the show following an independent inquiry.
Dent, an author and podcaster who has appeared regularly as a guest on MasterChef, and Haugh, the Dublin-born chef behind London’s Myrtle and a familiar television judge, will front the amateurs series. The change follows a review published this summer that upheld multiple claims against Wallace and found one claim against Torode to be substantiated.
Dent said she was "over the moon to be coming back to the MasterChef kitchen and unearthing what culinary skills people have been cooking up behind closed doors. It's a joy to be working with Anna, who brings all her incredible experience to the table. I am in for such a treat with this series, I can't wait to get started." Haugh said she was "delighted to be back on MasterChef and judging alongside the wonderful Grace Dent, whose writing and wit I've admired for years," adding that she looked forward to getting into the studio for "what will be a great competition."
The BBC confirmed that Matt Tebbutt, presenter of Saturday Kitchen, will replace Wallace as a judge on the spin-off MasterChef: The Professionals, joining Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti on that programme.
Wallace and Torode had presented MasterChef for about 20 years. The controversy began last year when BBC News revealed allegations of inappropriate sexual comments and behaviour by Wallace, prompting the show's production company to order an immediate inquiry. The review published this summer upheld more than 40 claims against Wallace, including one of unwelcome physical contact and three alleging he had been in a state of undress. A single claim that Torode used a severely offensive racist term was also found to be substantiated.
Both men have commented on the findings. Wallace has said he was cleared of the "most serious" allegations. Torode has said he has "no recollection" of the incident that was upheld against him.
The BBC decided to broadcast this year's amateurs series, which was already filmed and includes both Wallace and Torode, citing the interests of the contestants who had taken part. Haugh stood in for Wallace in the final episodes of the current amateurs series after the allegations first emerged during filming in November.
Dent was a contestant on MasterChef: Battle of the Critics in 2023 and had been announced last year as a host for the next series of Celebrity MasterChef alongside Torode after Wallace temporarily stepped back from presenting. The BBC has not yet announced what it plans to do with the completed celebrity series.
The broadcaster has not released a detailed timetable for the transitions or said when the new amateur series will air under Dent and Haugh. The appointment marks a significant change to the long-running cooking franchise as producers seek to move forward following the inquiry's findings and decisions to remove the show's former faces.