MATT TEBBUTT SAYS MASTERCHEF DROPPED HIM AFTER ONE SERIES

Matt Tebbutt said producers removed him from MasterChef: The Professionals after one series as a presenter. Speaking on the Go To Food podcast, he rejected the suggestion that he had chosen to leave, saying: “I didn’t leave.” Tebbutt said producers called him at 5pm, the day before he was due to appear on The One Show. He had planned to promote MasterChef: The Professionals during that appearance. He said he declined to appear after receiving the call.

Tebbutt said producers told him they wanted to take the programme in a different direction. He said he understood that television plans could change as new people joined a production. He criticised the timing of the decision, saying: “But don’t tell me the day before I was due to go on The One Show.” Tebbutt described himself as “f**king livid” and called the handling of his departure “poorly handled”. He also claimed those responsible had known about the decision for months before they told him.

Tebbutt presented MasterChef: The Professionals alongside chefs Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti. He joined the programme after the departure of former MasterChef presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode, whom the programme had removed. Tebbutt continues to present Saturday Kitchen. An unnamed person quoted when his departure emerged in March said Tebbutt could return to MasterChef: The Professionals as a guest. The person said those running the programme believed Wareing and Galetti could present it together.