Gregg Wallace makes return to public stage in surprising way

Former MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace has revealed the surprising way he is making a return to live cooking after being axed from the BBC in July 2024.

On Friday, the British chef announced he will be hosting a 12-hour TikTok live cooking show, titled Gregg’s Kitchen, which will go live on Sunday.

The social media programme will see Gregg joined by content creators, including proprietors of Wolverhampton-based Malik Butchers, who post content on social media.

In a video posted on Malik Butcher’s Facebook page, Wallace says: “We are going to be cooking some amazing dishes, we are going to have some incredible guests, lots of cookery, lots of live chat and more importantly, lots of very good offers for you to buy on TikTok shop.”

Surprising return

Gregg’s return to live cooking comes after he was let go from the BBC after an investigation into historical allegations of misconduct, which upheld multiple accusations against him.

Gregg began co-presenting MasterChef in 2005, but it was announced in November 2024 that he would step away from his role while misconduct allegations were investigated.

© BBC/Shine TV

A review later upheld 45 of the 83 allegations against him, which mostly occurred between 2005 and 2018 and included one of “unwelcome physical contact.”

It said the “majority of the substantiated allegations against Mr Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour”, adding that “a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated”.

At the time, Gregg issued an apology saying he was “deeply sorry for any distress caused” and that he “never set out to harm or humiliate.”

All change

Gregg’s on-screen co-host, John Torode, was also let go from the broadcasting giant.

John’s contract wasn’t renewed by the BBC after an independent investigation substantiated an allegation that he used an “extremely offensive racist term” in the workplace in 2018. 

© PA Images via Getty Images

While the chef has denied the allegation, the BBC and production company Banijay UK stated they would not tolerate such language, leading to his effective dismissal from the show he had hosted since 2005.

The former duo have been replaced by Grace Dent and chef Anna Haugh.