Gregg Wallace and John Torode were both sacked last month after a report into conduct on the cooking show upheld allegations against them. The BBC decided to still show this year's amateur series - filmed before they were sacked - saying it was "the right thing to do" for the chefs who took part.

A former MasterChef winner has come out in support of sacked presenter John Torode. Thomasina Miers, who won the 2005 reboot of the BBC show, said the former host was “incredibly nurturing and supportive” towards contestants.

MasterChef viewers were left fuming as they tuned into the new series of the BBC show, with many admitting they had to 'switch off' just minutes into the first episode