Speculation over Gregg Wallace’s replacement on MasterChef is heating up after it was announced the scandal-hit BBC show will run for another four years.
The show’s future was confirmed on Friday following rumors that it was being axed in the wake of the scandal surrounding Gregg.
Former judge Gregg, 60, resigned last month as host of the BBC cookery show after almost 20 years, while an investigation into his alleged misconduct is underway.
The former greengrocer initially faced allegations of inappropriate behavior from 13 people, including Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, over a 17-year period across five shows from 2005 to 2022.
Since then, he has faced a barrage of new allegations including groping, pressing his crotch against a colleague and allegedly flashing another woman in his dressing room.
Now the race to replace the chef and star alongside judge John Torode is on with Gino D’Acampo, James Martin, Nigella Lawson, Grace Dent and Lisa Faulkner vying to take his place.
Speculation over Gregg Wallace, 60, replacing MasterChef is heating up after it was announced the scandal-hit BBC show will air for another four years.
The race to replace chef and star alongside judge John Torode (left) is on with Gino D’Acampo, James Martin, Nigella Lawson, Grace Dent and Lisa Faulkner in the running.
Lisa, the wife of celebrity chef and MasterChef judge John, could be in talks to star alongside her husband and replace Gregg.
The actress, 52, previously said at the Cheltenham Literature Festival in October, before the allegations surrounding Gregg came to light, that he would make “one crude joke after another that I didn’t want to hear” when she appeared on the program in 2010.
Lisa won the Celebrity MasterChef trophy during her stint in 2010.
Speaking about his time on the show, he said, according to the sun: ‘Gregg was saying – I’m probably not allowed to say this… Gregg just told one crude joke after another to the crew.
“You’re just sitting there and if you’re on the front bench just cutting away thinking, ‘I’ve got ten minutes left,’ and he’s like, ‘So this girl walked into a bar… And I’m like, ‘Please, I don’t want to hear this joke’.
Gregg is said to be “furious” with John, his MasterChef co-host of almost 20 years, after he failed to publicly support him.
The host, under fire, unfollowed the couple on Instagram, making his anger quite clear, although Lisa still follows Gregg and the chef’s wife, Anne-Marie Sterpini, follows the couple.
Former Judge Gregg (left) resigned as presenter of the BBC cookery show last month after almost 20 years, while an investigation into his alleged misconduct is underway.
Gregg initially faced allegations of inappropriate behavior from 13 people, including Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, over a 17-year period across five shows from 2005 to 2022.
Since then, he has faced a barrage of new allegations including groping, pressing his crotch against a colleague and allegedly flashing another woman in his dressing room.
John didn’t speak about the scandal for several days, but broke his silence on Wednesday to say: “I love my job and I love MasterChef.” I love being a part of this and I will continue to be a part of this.
“The idea that anyone who has appeared on our show has not had a brilliant experience is horrible to hear and I have found the recent press reports really disturbing.
“But as I hope everyone is aware that there is an investigation underway, which I fully support, I cannot comment further at this time, and I hope everyone understands and respects my silence on the matter in the future.”
Lisa also reposted the message.
Italian chef Gino certainly won’t be shy about giving his opinion, as he too is vying to take Gregg’s place.
The funny and bubbly This Morning star is a hit with viewers for his humor and down-to-earth banter.
According the sunThe bookies’ odds say James Martin is the favorite to replace Gregg and he passes out to save the day.
He is famous for his appearances on This Morning and his own ITV cooking show, James Martin’s Saturday Morning.
Lisa, the wife of celebrity chef and MasterChef judge John, could be in talks to star alongside her husband and replace Gregg.
The actress previously said, before the allegations surrounding Gregg came to light, that he would make “one crude joke after another that I didn’t want to hear” when she appeared on the show in 2010.
Italian chef Gino certainly won’t be shy about giving his opinion, as he too is vying to take Gregg’s place.
The bookies’ odds say James Martin is the favorite to replace Gregg and he passes out to save the day.
He is famous for his appearances on This Morning and his own ITV cooking show, James Martin’s Saturday Morning.
TV chef Nigella Lawson, who is currently on the judging panel of the Australian version of MasterChef, is also rumored to be replacing Gregg.
Hoping to bring a feminine touch to the show, I’m A Celebrity star and food critic Grace Dent is also in the running.
Grace appeared on MasterChef: Battle of the Critics in 2023
The 52-year-old first appeared on screens in 1999 and presented Saturday Kitchen for ten years from 2006.
However, James himself faced his own harassment allegations in 2023.
He swore 42 times while launching a foul-mouthed rant at his TV crew in 2018, shortly after his cancer diagnosis, and an extraordinary recording of the moment was leaked online.
The Daily Mail subsequently revealed exclusively that he could face being sacked by ITV after senior bosses were left furious by his behaviour.
However, he continued to host his morning show and survived the scandal.
TV chef Nigella Lawson, who is currently on the judging panel of the Australian version of MasterChef, is also rumored to be replacing Gregg.
Hoping to bring a feminine touch to the show, I’m A Celebrity star and food critic Grace Dent is also in the running.