Richard Osman Speaks Out as John Torode is Axed in Racial Slur Controversy
So, there's been a whirlwind of drama at the BBC lately, and the latest shocker comes from none other than MasterChef presenter John Torode. If you've been following the news, you'll know he's just been sacked by the BBC following an allegation that he used the N-word — not once, but allegedly twice — during an after-hours gathering several years ago. And what’s more, it all reportedly went down while he was singing along to Kanye West’s Gold Digger . Now, that’s a bombshell.
The first incident is said to have happened during a casual work get-together around 2018 or 2019, where Torode supposedly quoted the explicit version of Kanye’s lyrics. The second incident? A conversation with a production colleague — someone who, interestingly, didn’t take offence at the time. It was someone else who overheard and later raised the issue. That’s how the whole thing came under scrutiny.
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What really raised eyebrows, though, was the involvement of Richard Osman — former Pointless host and now presenter of House of Games . Osman didn’t hold back. On his podcast, he described the allegations against Torode as “watertight” and called the term Torode allegedly used “the worst racial slur there is.” That public endorsement of the investigation’s findings added a lot of fuel to the fire. It’s also worth noting that both Osman’s and Torode’s shows are made by Banijay, the same production company, which only deepens the web.
Torode, for his part, has categorically denied using the slur. He says he only knows the clean, radio-edit version of Gold Digger , which replaces the N-word with “broke.” He also claims to have no recollection of either incident and is “utterly devastated” by the BBC’s decision. His wife Lisa and close friends are reportedly rallying around him as he processes what’s happened. The whole thing came out of nowhere for him — apparently, he only found out about the allegations weeks ago, despite them being several years old.
Adding to the controversy is the way the BBC handled his exit. According to sources close to Torode, his representatives weren’t even properly informed before the press office publicly released the news that his contract wouldn’t be renewed. Ouch. That stings, especially for someone who has been such a prominent face on MasterChef for nearly 20 years.
To make matters even messier, all this came hot on the heels of co-host Gregg Wallace’s own departure from the show after a wave of misconduct allegations — 45 of which were upheld. Between both of these exits, MasterChef is now facing a major identity crisis, with the future of its latest season still up in the air.
As for Torode, he’s made it clear that he’s heartbroken, not just because of the allegation, but because of how it all ended. “I adored MasterChef ,” he said, “It was a huge part of my life. To have it all ending like this is awful.” Regardless of where you stand, it’s a sobering reminder of how high the stakes are when it comes to accountability and language in the public eye.
The fallout continues, and with voices like Richard Osman weighing in, it doesn’t look like this story’s going away anytime soon.
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