Head of BBC addresses future of MasterChef - as annual report released

The head of the BBC says MasterChef can survive as it is "much bigger than individuals" - but the corporation must "make sure we're in the right place in terms of the culture of the show".

Director-general Tim Davie said he "absolutely" thinks the popular cooking contest has a future, with the production's current deal with the corporation set to run out in 2028, and praised it as "a great programme that's loved by audiences".

His comments came just hours before MasterChef presenter John Torode was sacked after an allegation he used an "extremely offensive racist term".

His co-host Gregg Wallace was also sacked last week after claims of inappropriate behaviour.

Speaking as the BBC unveiled its annual report, and following a series of recent controversies, Mr Davie said the corporation's leadership team will not "tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values", and confirmed "senior individuals and people involved in these cases are being held to account".

On Monday, it was revealed an independent review into "inappropriate behaviour" by Wallace had upheld more than half of the allegations against him.

In response, Wallace said he was "deeply sorry" and never set out to "harm or humiliate".

A few hours after the Wallace report was published, Torode said an allegation he used "racial language" was upheld in the report but insisted he had "no recollection" of the alleged incident and "did not believe that it happened".

Mr Davie said the BBC's leadership team would not "tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values," while BBC chair Samir Shah acknowledged there were still pockets within the corporation where "powerful individuals" can still "make life for their colleagues unbearable".

They said several BBC staff members had been dismissed in the last three months following an independent review into workplace culture.

The review found the corporation did not have a toxic culture but there was a minority of people who behaved unacceptably and whose behaviour was not addressed.

Wallace is not included in that count as he was not directly contracted by the corporation, but was employed by independent production company Banijay.

The BBC has yet to decide if the unseen MasterChef series - filmed with both Wallace and Torode last year - will be aired or not.

'We will make mistakes'

News of the findings in the Gregg Wallace report came on the same day it was revealed the BBC was deemed to have breached its editorial guidelines over a Gaza documentary that was narrated by the child of a Hamas official.

Media watchdog Ofcom subsequently launched its own investigation into Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, which was removed from BBC iPlayer in February.

While the 2024-25 annual report showed a small rise in trust overall for the corporation, Mr Davie said it had been a year which saw the reputation of the BBC damaged by "serious failings" in the making of the documentary.

He said it was important that the BBC "took full responsibility for those failings and apologised for them" and called the documentary "the most challenging editorial issue" he has dealt with.

Mr Davie said the BBC was "taking action to ensure proper accountability and we're taking immediate steps to stop a failing like this being repeated".

Despite a series of controversies in recent months - including livestreaming the controversial Bob Vylan set at Glastonbury, when the band led chants of "death to the IDF" - Mr Davie insisted he can "lead" the BBC in the right direction.

When asked if he would resign, he replied: "I simply think I'm in a place where I can work to improve dramatically the BBC and lead it in the right way.

"We will make mistakes, but I think as a leadership and myself, I've been very clear, and I think we have been decisive."

After what he called a "tough period," he said the job of director-general was not one to take on "if you want a quiet life or a stress-free existence".

Mr Shah backed Mr Davie, saying he had shown "very strong leadership throughout all this period and he has my full support".

The report showed that Mr Davie, who has been in the role since 2020, has had a 3.8% pay rise, with his salary going up from £527,000 last year to £547,000.

BBC's top-earning stars revealed

The BBC annual report also revealed its on-screen top earners, which saw former Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker top the chart for the eighth year running.

The former Match Of The Day presenter, who left the BBC in May, earned £1.35m in 2024/25, according to the corporation's annual report.

Last year's BBC annual review was overshadowed by controversy over flagship show Strictly Come Dancing, while the year before saw disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards named the corporation's highest-paid news anchor, despite having been suspended for nine months.

The report showed the BBC TV licence fee generated an income of £3.8bn, while BBC Commercial delivered record sales of £2.2bn, and the BBC's main commercial arm, BBC Studios, delivered earnings of £200m.

But the BBC said this was still not enough to plug the licence fee gap, which they say generates 30% less income than it did in 2010.

Ahead of the Charter Review, the BBC will publish findings from their biggest ever audience questionnaire, with findings due to be published later this year.

(c) Sky News 2025: Head of BBC addresses future of MasterChef - as annual report released