They’ll start filming the new series of MasterChef next year – and sources at the show are already ruling out the possibility of Gregg Wallace returning, regardless of what the investigation into his behavior reveals.
The question is: who will follow in his shoes? At this early stage, show bosses want chef Andi Oliver or food critic Grace Dent to take Wallace’s place.
Oliver has worked on Great British Menu and presented her own show, Andi’s Fabulous Feasts. Dent has appeared as a judge on MasterChef many times.
I’m told the “dream” would be to pair one of them with celebrity chef Angela Hartnett, a former guest judge. She has a hugely successful podcast, Dish, with Nick Grimshaw, and extensive broadcasting experience. But they fear they may not be able to convince her to jump on board.
Wallace’s co-host John Torode is described by someone on the show as “the legacy host,” and it seems like the idea that he was around – and thus possibly witnessed Wallace’s behavior – could count against him, at least for some. .
He has presented the cooking show together with Wallace since 2005. Torode himself would like to persevere, as he made clear in a statement on Wednesday this week.
I’m told, “The idea of a complete reboot is appealing.” Another source demurs: “It’s too early to say anything definitive other than Gregg not coming back.”
They continued, “Angela Hartnett is the ideal person they would like to have on the show, but it’s not clear if she agrees or if she wants to spend the time on it.
Greg Wallace in TV show ‘Loose Women’, London, UK – June 19, 2023
John Torode on the TV show ‘This Morning’, London, UK – October 15, 2024
John Torode and Gregg Wallace John Torode and Gregg Wallace at ‘Masterchef’ Studios, London, Great Britain
‘They want one presenter who is a real, authentic professional chef. The other person, the ‘Gregg’ if you will, could be Andi Oliver or Grace Dent. They really love Grace Dent.
“I think some people like Tom Allen and (chef) Matt Tebbutt too. It won’t be Jay Rayner. He is ‘too strong flesh’ for men.’
The source added that Wallace believes Torode would be happy if his wife, actress Lisa Faulkner and former Celebrity MasterChef winner, co-hosted the show with him. It is believed that this was the reason he unfollowed the two on social media. However, I have been told that a ‘nepotistic’ appointment of Torode’s wife bosses does not seem like the best solution to the current crisis.
Wallace announced this week that he is “stepping away” from the show amid numerous allegations of inappropriate behavior.
New Snap Debunked
Following the news in these pages last week that HBO will cast much younger actors as adults in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series, the Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Paapa Essiedu, who is 34, is set to play teacher Severus Snape.
The late Alan Rickman (pictured) took on the role in the films. Both men started their acting careers on stage; both at the RSC.
Following the news in these pages last week that HBO will cast much younger actors as adults in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series, the Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Paapa Essiedu, who is 34, is set to play teacher Severus Snape.
As mentioned last week, Mark Rylance would be circling the role of Dumbledore, who was played by Richard Harris and then Michael Gambon in the films.
The TV series is told in ten parts, over a period of ten years, and is a ‘faithful’ adaptation of the books. An HBO spokesperson said: “We will not confirm details until we have deals completed.”
No rest for the wicked
There is no rest for the wicked – and that includes theater producer Jamie Wilson. He started rehearsals for a touring production of Calamity Jane, starring former Cinderella Carrie Hope Fletcher, the morning after the gala performance of Elton John’s musical The Devil Wears Prada. The whip crackin’ tour starts in January.
The latest bright young thing rises from Down Under
Watch out for Odessa Young. Hailed as ‘Australia’s next big actress’, she can currently be seen opposite Jeremy Allen White (pictured right) in the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, which is filming in New Jersey.
The film covers the period leading up to his release of the 1982 album Nebraska and features Odessa, a Springsteen fan, as his girlfriend ‘Faye’.
In real life, Springsteen dated model and actress Joyce Hyser from 1979 to 1985.
Odessa Young attends the premiere of ‘The Damned’ during the 2024 Tribeca Festival at the SVA Theater on June 6, 2024 in New York City
Hyser is the beautiful girl in the pop video for Dan Hartman’s song I Can Dream About You, and after breaking up with the Boss, she was in a relationship with Warren Beatty for over a year.
Odessa will next be seen as the girlfriend of a white supremacist cult leader (played by Nicholas Hoult) in The Order, out December 27.
She is also the object of Saltburn star Jacob Elordi’s erotic obsession in an adaptation of the Booker Prize-winning novel The Narrow Road To The Deep North, which has just been bought by the BBC.