Masterchef - going, going, gone?

Doodledog, I think my husband must have gone to the same charm school as he trips -up his tongue so often!
I think the charm school was called "Madam Slippery's School for wiley chancers". 😊

Apparently Andi Oliver is going to be the replacement.

There is a lively woman who wears her glasses on her head.
Can't be bothered to look up her name. But her pic was next to an article about all this.
So presumably is being touted as a presenter.
She has a rather irritating daughter called Mosquito.

Oh I rather like Andi Oliver, she would make an excellent MC host.
Oh! & yes let's hope her irritating daughter doesn't get to co-host though!
Another one that makes my teeth itch is pompous, arrogant Marcus Waring, not him for heavens sake.
Ps, what about Jay Rayner, he seems normal & pleasant, without hidden slime beneath his skin, like some of them!! 😶

I do not like the programme, and stopped watching it a few years ago as it just made me cross. Mostly Greg Wallace dislike/intolerance really. John Torode always seemed unflappable, and I cannot see him causing offence.
I also dislike Grace Dent, so I hope the show vanishes for good.

I haven't followed it for years - since Lloyd Grossman was in it, really. When I have seen it I've been annoyed by the way they distract the contestants when they're really busy. I'd be waving a tea towel at them and shouting 'Get Out Of My Kitchen!!' I'm surprised there aren't more accidents with hot pans and water.

I also dislike the way JT talks with his mouth full, and GW is generally annoying.

Andi Oliver is not a trained chef, neither is Si King. Nor is Nadia, Nigella or Mary B. They're excellent cooks and I'm not disputing that.

Personally I'd prefer to see a proper, trained chef who understands the rigours of a professional kitchen, has worked in a brigade and has had to work their way through the ranks.

I think the mix they have on Masterchef Australia works well - it's never been quite the same since Gary, Matt and George but it's still the best of the franchise. But it is Channel 7's flagship programme and the budget is absolutely huge compared to our Masterchef.

I’m sure it’s already been announced ages ago by BBC that Grace Dent is going to replace Greg. She’s a restaurant critic, so I think it will most likely be a chef replacing John. As Marcus and Monica provide the in depth restaurant trained chef input to the judging, I think personality should be a more important factor when replacing John.

Oh goodness! Please don't let the producers put Monica Galetti or Marcus Waring anywhere near Masterchef!
Both are completely charmless. 🤔

I can’t stand Grace Dent so I shan’t be watching. Nothing new there - I haven’t watched since I first saw Wallace . Where do they drag these apologies for presenters from? I can’t think of one, on any programme, that doesn’t grate on me!

Crossstitchfan

I don’t like Torode any more than I like Wallace which is why I never watched MC after the first couple of episodes, but I find this whole thing about Torode and his sacking weird to say the least. Why has something he allegedly did/said years ago been brought out of the woodwork? Who brought it up, and why now? There’s something very strange going on and it’s making me wonder what on earth will come out next to bite somebody on the bum!
As someone upthread said, it’s all completely different from years ago when almost anything was ok. The TV we watched then wouldn’t be allowed now. Remember Til Death Us Do Part’, for example? That would never be allowed to be shown now).
It worries me that I don’t know how to refer to a black person (can I even say that?). Are they ‘a person of colour’, (and what a stupid expression that is), are they coloured, black, negro, etc. or what? I would never want to upset or insult anyone, so I am getting scared to say anything these days. Does anyone have an answer? (I hope I haven’t offended anyone with this post!)

I too find this current situation utterly frustrating and confusing. Evidently it is wrong to say 'A coloured person', but acceptable to say 'A person of colour'. No doubt someone will correct me, but is this not simply rearranging words?

I too find this current situation utterly frustrating and confusing. Evidently it is wrong to say 'A coloured person', but acceptable to say 'A person of colour'. No doubt someone will correct me, but is this not simply rearranging words?

I'm not correcting you, but responding to your question. It's not just rearranging words. To describe someone as 'a coloured person' suggests that white is the default, and that their colour is the important thing about them. It was also a term used to discriminate against anyone who wasn't white in Apartheid South Africa. Using 'people of colour' puts the emphasis on the person, if you see what I mean, and doesn't have the Apartheid connotations.

I understand that it's confusing, as 'acceptable' terms change all the time, but as I understand it the logic is as I describe above.

Re Torode - I have no idea if this is true, but I have read two things that he is supposed to have said. One is that he used an Australian term for a sandwich that is acceptable in Australia, but not here. It was in the title of a children's book that was popular in the past, about a boy who was chased by tigers and tricked them into running round a tree until they melted. It was also used by Alf Garnett, and on that Love Thy Neighbour programme. The other thing I read was that he used an offensive word that is a slur against travelling people.

As ever, these things are subjective, but if the first is true then he may well have been unaware that the term is offensive here - the book hasn't been around for years (I think JT is in his 50s), and if he apologised when its offensive nature was pointed out, then fair enough.

If it is the latter, then there is no excuse. I can't see how a word like that can be anything other than offensive (and I'm not sure how it could easily come up in a cookery show, either).

I've just thought of a better way to say it - would describing someone white as 'a colourless person' feel offensive? It's the same thing in reverse, with dark skin as the default, and the colour of 'white' skin as lacking something.

Actually Doodledog, you might have the answer there.
Since no one actually has a white skin and indeed I understand that white man was used as an insult by North American Indigenous people, maybe using light skinned and dark skinned would work.

Torode should be sacked for constantly referring to turmeric as ' tumeric' what sort of chef does that

I don't particularly like Torode and I won't be sad to see him go but I understand the person this was said to didn't take offence and an apology was made immediately. It rather looks like someone else overheard the remark and has complained now. Regardless of whether JT can remember the incident or not, the remark has apparently been substantiated. Should The BBC have put pressure on the production company? I don't know but I suspect all of us have made the wrong comment occasionally and I don't believe a one off mistake should be dealt with so heavily especially when they knew what GW was up to and did so little. I just wonder whether there were more comments that people had heard but just didn't complain so the company have acted quickly.

When one considers the massive extent of BBC programming it's unsurprising that problems occur. We should recognise these occasional mistakes for what they are and move on, ignoring extremist politicians who weaponise mistakes against the BBC. It's unique and we need to keep it.

MasterChef is not produced by the BBC. It was made for them by an outside company who employed Torode & Wallace, and carried out the investigation. There were multiple accusations about both men. Torode would not have been sacked for a single occurrence, uncorroborated. He was offered the chance to have a year off and to undertake a training course to assist his understanding of what he had done wrong, Torode declined (Richard Osman, the presenter and author) disclosed this on his podcast this week).

BlueBelle

Windmill so we accept professional ( or any other) men looking, touching and using innuendo's towards women and pulling their kecks down to presumable shock That’s all ok then because to complain is puritanical !!!
I grew up in a time when men who groped, touched or worse were just ‘having a laugh’ ! I thought we d moved on a bit

I totally agree, but it does seem a little false to judge people for something that was accepted and indeed seems to be common practice, by today's standards if the victims did not call it out or walk away at the time.

Things like wolf-whistling and bottom/head patting, saucy calendars in the office, and remarks about time of the month were normal, as was employing/promoting men over more experienced women, and paying them more were norms in the 50-80s, but how can we sue for that now?

I joined a supermarket chain in the 90s and followed the factory manager into a meeting. I watched him pat his PA on the behind. She did not react, but I resolved to ask her later. During the meeting there was quite a bit of coarse remarks and swearing. Factory manager actually said "we will have to behave ourselves now there is a lady present", to which I asked the PA "are you not normally here then?"
I did call him out later about his behaviour towards her, and advised him that it was actually constructive dismissal to name just one of his sins.

My choice for replacements would be Andi Oliver and Si King, hands down the most natural people. They don’t appear to be arrogant and pretentious like JT and GW. So come on BBC choose the above replacements.

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I've never watched even one episode of Masterchef but know many who were regular viewers and loved it.

Why would you consider it going off the air to be 'happy days'? If you don't like something then don't watch it. But don't deprive those who enjoy it.

(I've read similar snide comments re 'Strictly' too. Just can't understand it)
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John Torode allegedly used the N word seven years ago
although he can’t remember it himself.

But it was today described as the 'worst racial slur there is' by Richard Osman, who added of the investigation: 'They found that to be substantively true. They found evidence that they were happy with — that that was true'..

Excuse me but what the Dickens has any of this got to do with Richard Osman?

It’s a stitch up!

merlotgran
It’s certainly another chance for attention seeking “celebrities” to jump into the fray.
They need to be careful. Maybe the posters whose instincts tell them well in advance of discovery, have any such feelings about Richard Osman?

Why not put basil brush in charge?

Let's hope they don't bring back Marcus Wearing. I will never forget how he spoke to a contestant, even Greg Wallace said to him' steady on man, he's not a professional' Bring back Morica as she is really good but plenty of other people to be the co presenter. It's been ruined anyway by just being a few rounds. I watch MasterChef Australia, that is how it supposed to be done.