Gregg Wallace may be completely ERASED from the new series of MasterChef despite it already being filmed so it can be aired next year

Gregg Wallace may be completely removed from the new series of MasterChef so that it can be broadcast, MailOnline has announced.

Wallace had already filmed the upcoming amateur chef series last month with his co-presenter John Torode, 59. But the 60-year-old will now be wiped from the tapes before it is shown next year.

Wallace quit the show last week after a wave of allegations of sexually inappropriate comments on set, which has sparked fears the next series could have to be dumped entirely.

Despite the BBC’s insistence that the future of MasterChef will only be decided following the outcome of the investigation, a production insider told Ny Breaking that the series is ‘salvageable’ as the option to remove Wallace from the episodes entirely is carefully considered. This would mean that the series – which will have cost production company Banijay a significant amount of money – does not have to be thrown in the bin.

The source said Torode and Wallace’s critiques, in which they provided feedback on the contestants’ food, were filmed separately.

Wallace had already filmed the upcoming series for amateur chefs last month with his co-host John Torode, 59 (pictured)

They said: ‘John and Gregg were always recorded on separate cameras. Any two shots, or wide shots containing the pair, can be cut off. Removing Gregg completely is a difficult but not impossible task.”

Last Friday, Australian chef Torode was flown abroad to continue filming the show, with Irish chef Anna Haugh stepping in to replace Wallace.

Filming for the upcoming series was completed on Tuesday afternoon and is set to air in spring 2025.

It is now unclear when the BBC will broadcast the recently recorded episodes.

Sources on set said ‘it couldn’t have gone better’, with one saying: ‘Given the circumstances it was seamless.’

‘We had the popular Anna Haugh, who has previously appeared on the show, step in and work with John to give the contestants feedback.

‘The production team made every effort to keep the atmosphere on set as calm as possible for our amateur finalists.’

It wouldn’t be an unprecedented move for a BBC program to erase its stars from the screen.

Wallace quit the show last week after a wave of allegations of sexually inappropriate comments on set, which has sparked fears the next series could have to be dumped entirely

Last Friday, Australian chef Torode was flown abroad to continue filming the show, with Irish chef Anna Haugh (left) stepping in to replace Wallace (pictured centre).

In 2023’s RuPaul’s Drag Race, a reality TV competition for drag queens, a contestant was banned after being accused of inappropriate behavior before the show aired.

While TV presenter Jay Blades, who was accused last month of physically and emotionally abusing his wife, has not appeared in pre-recorded episodes of The Repair Shop that have aired since.

Last week, Wallace resigned from Masterchef after a BBC News investigation revealed allegations of the presenter’s sexually inappropriate behavior on television sets over a 17-year period.

The former greengrocer has denied behavior of a sexually harassing nature. But he is now subject to an external investigation by London law firm Lewis Silkin, instructed by MasterChef production company Banijay.

Torode broke his silence on Wednesday but declined to defend his television colleague of 19 years, saying he fully supports the investigation into the claims of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior and language.

He said it was “difficult” to continue working after hearing the allegations.

On Thursday evening, the BBC broadcast the semi-finals of MasterChef: The Professional, starring Wallace. But it has scrapped the planned broadcast of two Christmas specials of the cooking show.