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Matt Tebbutt, the new judge of the BBC cooking series MasterChef: The Professionals, has stated that he “doesn’t want to ruffle any feathers” on the series.
The 51-year-old presenter, known for hosting Channel 4’s Food Unwrapped and the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, is stepping in to replace Gregg Wallace, who departed the long-running programme earlier this year amid a high-profile scandal.
Speaking to the Daily Express, Tebbutt said: “Stepping into someone’s TV shoes is a difficult position to be in. But I did it before – under totally different circumstances, of course – when James Martin left Saturday Kitchen.
“I just try and make my own mark without making too many waves,” he continued. “I’ll be as safe as houses on MasterChef: The Professionals!”
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Matt Tebbutt in a promotional image for ‘Saturday Kitchen’ (BBC/Cactus TV/Nick Millward)
Wallace, 60, was dismissed from the longrunning MasterChef franchise following an investigation into allegations of historical misconduct.
An independent report substantiated 45 allegations against the presenter, which included claims of inappropriate sexual language and one incident of unwelcome physical contact. Wallace has apologised “for any distress caused”, and said that the report cleared him of “the most serious and sensational accusations”.
John Torode, Wallace’s longstanding co-presenter on the original MasterChef, also exited the show after the review upheld an allegation of having used racist language. Torode said he had “no recollection of the incident” and was “shocked and saddened” by the allegation.
Addressing his arrival on The Professionals, Tebbutt continued: “It’s fair to say the ‘Good Cop’ would apply here.
“My two grown-up kids, for instance, call me ‘GI Dad’ but the ‘GI’ refers to ‘give in’ rather than the GI Joe reference that I’d hoped they meant. Seriously, though, I think I’ll be pretty fair but expect high standards – after all some of these contestants are at the top of their game.
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Fired hosts John Torode and Gregg Wallace on the new series of ‘MasterChef’ (BBC)
“It’s all been very exciting and I was very chuffed to be picked for The Professionals. I was pretty surprised to be honest but I think they wanted to get someone with as much experience as possible so they could drop them in at the deep end!”
Earlier this week, it was announced that Grace Dent and Anna Haugh would be taking over as the new presenters of MasterChef.
It was also reported that Wallace is seeking to launch legal action against the BBC following his dismissal from the programme.