After a year in which it has been beset by scandal, is the rocky MasterChef ship steadying at last? The unveiling of its latest recruit indicates that it might well be. Chef and television presenter Matt Tebbutt has been confirmed to join MasterChef: The Professionals as its new presenter-cum-judge. Stepping into the shoes of the disgraced Gregg Wallace, he feels like a breath of fresh, untainted air.
For the next series of the popular Professionals spin-off, Tebbutt will line up alongside incumbent pair Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti. The news was announced on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen, which Tebbutt has hosted for the past eight years. The messaging was clear. He’s one of us. Part of the gang. This is an internal promotion. Everything will be fine now.
Tebbutt was widely tipped for the gig, so it isn’t what you’d call an exciting appointment. The 51-year-old might be a predictable choice, but under the circumstances, he’s a canny one. Tebbutt is a safe pair of hands, which is precisely what the ailing foodie franchise needs.
Unlike glorified greengrocer Wallace, he has a wealth of experience in the restaurant industry. He trained at Prue Leith’s cookery school before working in some of London’s most celebrated kitchens, including Marco Pierre White, Chez Bruce, The River Cafe and Alastair Little. For more than a decade, he owned and ran the award-winning Foxhunter restaurant in South Wales. He knows his craft, so his opinion will be respected.
Matt Tebbutt currently hosts Saturday Kitchen on BBC One – PA
He has authored three cookbooks, and his television CV is extensive. As well as live weekly cookathon Saturday Kitchen, he has hosted Food Unwrapped and Drop Down Menu on Channel 4, Save Money: Good Food on ITV1 and Market Kitchen on the Good Food channel. His natural warmth and easy charm in front of the camera will keep proceedings bubbling along.
The exacting Wareing and the formidable Galetti can dispense tough critiques, while Tebbutt plays good cop. He has called himself “the fun one”, insisting he “doesn’t take life too seriously”. A dose of levity is welcome on cookery contests, which have a tendency to crank up the drama to bombastic levels. After all, it’s only a bit of dinner.
Crucially, Tebbutt is well-liked and implicitly trusted. He’s been a regular on the BBC since 2007, so is a dependable presence behind the scenes. Happily married with two children, he’s hopefully gossip-proof. Wallace was sacked after a report upheld 45 allegations about his conduct, including unwelcome physical contact and inappropriate sexual comments. His Australian sidekick, John Torode, was swiftly sent packing too, for one incident in which he used an offensive racial slur (something that was denied by Torode).
Gregg Wallace was previously a judge alongside Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti – BBC
The pair are still on-air as part of the main MasterChef contest, which was already in the can. The BBC decided it was only fair to the amateur cooks to broadcast it, albeit with the shouty duo’s roles reduced. This has still proved an unwelcome distraction, with contestants asking to be edited out. The show went viral and became a laughing stock for using the same Wallace reaction shots multiple times within the same episode to pad out the runtime.
It has all been a tawdry sideshow, disastrous for the programme and deeply embarrassing for the BBC. The powerhouse MasterChef brand was left in a complete mess by the unfolding crisis and double whammy of departures. After an annus horribilis for such a cornerstone of the primetime schedules, Tebbutt can help it turn a corner.
Gregg Wallace’s final MasterChef series is currently airing on BBC One – BBC
The BBC hasn’t yet announced who will replace Torode and Wallace on the main series. One would think Tebbutt has now jumped the queue, presumably with a fellow chef or food critic by his side. The likes of Tom Kerridge, Anna Haugh, Andi Oliver, Jim Famurewa, Angela Hartnett and Grace Dent (the latter of whom was announced as a new host of Celebrity MasterChef) are surely in the frame. The BBC could even go for broke by luring Nigella Lawson.
MasterChef is one of the BBC’s most reliable ratings-grabbers and most lucrative cash cows. It has spawned off-shoots, live shows, even its own range of kitchenware. The hit format has been rolled out globally. The Corporation is contracted to air the show until 2028 and has invested in moving production to state-of-the-art studios in Birmingham. A new-look line-up is a chance to wipe the slate clean and start afresh.
Tebbutt is such a familiar presence on BBC food programming that it almost feels like he’s on MasterChef already. He should slot in seamlessly. Wallace and Torode’s catchphrase was “Cooking doesn’t get tougher than this”. Well, TV transitions don’t get smoother than this. MasterChef might just regain its wholesome flavour after all.
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