New MasterChef hosts unfazed by past scandal

New MasterChef hosts Grace Dent and Anna Haugh say the show is “bigger than any one person” after replacing Gregg Wallace and John Torode

The new MasterChef hosts have weighed on replacing departed presenters John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

Grace Dent and Anna Haugh usher in a new era of the BBC series which kicks off on April 21, taking over from Torode and Wallace who hosted the food show for 20 years. According to the Radio Times they will be ‘swapping posturing and pomposity for warmth, graft and sharp-eyed authority’.

United by ambition, humour and hard-won careers in male‑dominated worlds, Dent and Haugh make clear that MasterChef doesn’t need rescuing – it just needs cooks brave enough to step up, and judges confident enough to meet them

Referring to taking over as judges Irish chef Anna Haugh diplomatically told the Radio Times: “Well, (MasterChef is) bigger than any one person, and the contestants are brilliant. The show is a reflection of them.”

Gregg Wallace was the face of the MasterChef for two decades but was sacked in July 2025 after a production company inquiry upheld 45 allegations of misconduct, including inappropriate language and unwelcome physical contact.

Over 80 allegations were made against Wallace who stepped down to address the claims and apologised for any distress caused. New hosts Grace Dent and Anna Haugh were announced in September 2025.

Co-host Torode was dismissed from MasterChef following an investigation into misconduct, after allegations of his use of a “racist term” in a 2018 conversation were upheld.

Now Haugh is joined by restaurant critic and broadcaster Grace Dent who has a long history with the show as a regular guest critic and appeared as a contestant on MasterChef: Battle of the Critics in 2023.

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Unfazed by replacing two of the biggest names in television Grace Dent told Radio Times: “I don’t feel I am ‘picking up’ after anybody.

“I’ve been going to work every day at the helm of the most important food show, probably in British television history.”

Dent cried when she landed the MasterChef job calling it a “life-long goal” and a “dream come true”. She vowed to replace theshwo’s “utter male energy” with her own “baddie” energy.

Before her full-time appointment, Anna Haugh replaced Gregg Wallace in the final episodes of the 2025 amateurs series after allegations against him surfaced during filming.

She is a highly respected chef and the founder of the Myrtle restaurant in London and previously served as a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals.

The pair also tell the Radio Times about their nerves, hunger, raw talent and the brutal reality of cooking under pressure.

The 2026 season of MasterChef is set to run for 7 weeks, featuring 48 contestants, starting next Tuesday.

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