Grace Dent should be the future of MasterChef – not Matt Tebbutt

Dent (right) was announced as host for Celebrity MasterChef (Picture: BBC/PA Wire)

After the long overdue resignation of Gregg Wallace on MasterChef there was clearly only one person who could save one of the BBC’s longest-running series from going up in flames – Grace Dent.

Wallace, 60, confirmed he was stepping away from MasterChef in November last year after the BBC received allegations of making inappropriate sexual remarks.

Several former contestants then came forward to share their uncomfortable experiences of working with Wallace and Sir Rod Stewart accused him of ‘bullying’ his wife Penny Lancaster when she competed on the celebrity series in 2021.

Wallace has denied the allegations but really pulled the plug on his career when he blamed ‘middle class women of a certain age’ for carrying the pitchforks and pushing the allegations into the spotlight.

Dent, 51, was then announced as host for Celebrity MasterChef, the obvious choice after building a devoted fanbase of all ages with her podcast, Comfort Eating, and a triumphant appearance on I’m A Celebrity.

Dent is refreshingly engaged with the future of culinary broadcasting (Picture: BBC)

Now it’s emerged Dent could be overlooked for MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals by Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt, 51, a decent bloke and safe bet who would bring exactly the same energy as John Torode, keeping the show’s tradition of a bromantic duo at the helm.

And that’s a problem.

Dent is refreshingly engaged with the future of culinary broadcasting, regularly popping up on various TikToks, helping to platform aspiring new foodies with a voice.

She rates Michelin star meals with the same esteem as a really bang on fry-up at a local café and she’s got razor-sharp wit, which would be the perfect antidote for Wallace’s wince-inducing jokes that did make it to air – let alone the alleged ones so inappropriate they didn’t.

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Dent began filming Celebrity MasterChef in January. Her future on the MasterChef franchise felt like a sure-fire deal and the perfect two fingers up at Wallace, who blamed ‘women of a certain age’ for his fall from (no pun intended) grace.

But, according to The Sun, Tebbutt is in advanced talks to take over Wallace on MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.

There could be many reasons why Dent isn’t committing to all three editions of MasterChef but if I was the BBC and Banijay Entertainment – the production company that makes MasterChef – I would bend over backwards to have Dent as the face of MasterChef, even above Torode.

Wallace’s allegations aside, MasterChef has needed a strong female energy for years (Picture: BBC/Shine TV)

MasterChef isn’t just damaged by the Wallace allegations, it’s on life support. It needs an intensive rebrand and as much as Tebbutt is perfectly lovely to watch on Saturday Kitchen, having another middle-aged man presenting alongside its existing middle-aged male host is so obviously a bad idea.

Not to say Tebbutt isn’t reliable, but Wallace’s allegations aside, MasterChef has needed a strong female energy for years.

Monica Galletti presented MasterChef: The Professionals with Wallace from 2009 to 2021. She was briefly replaced by Anna Haugh for one series only before she returned as a judge for one more stint in 2023.

Galetti is one of the best chefs in the country but never really became the face of MasterChef, the brand still very much belonged to Wallace and Torode.

Dent became a MasterChef favourite by being comically scathing as a guest judge when contestants had to face a notoriously tough panel of restaurant critics renowned for being difficult to impress.

She’s making food more and more accessible (Picture: BBC /Shine TV)

She was by far the most intimidating critic – unbearably stern and brutally honest. It was her job to terrify but over the years Dent has become better known for her humour, warmth and sharp intellect.

Her podcast celebrates everyday food with celebrity guests who often by their own admission are more Kendall Jenner than Nigella Lawson in the kitchen.

She’s making food more and more accessible, shattering the stigma that posh food is for posh people and that anyone with an educated palate should steer clear of a Pot Noodle.

That is exactly what MasterChef should be about.

Granted, Tebbutt managed to save Saturday Kitchen in the wake of James Martin’s exit, which is no mean feat.

Saturday Kitchen could have easily flopped after Martin launched his rival show on ITV in exactly the same time slot but instead he’s taken it from strength-to-strength.

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Tebbutt is exactly where he needs to be.  

Dent, however, is on the rise and proving that even women of ‘a certain age’ can enter their 50s and thrive more than ever. MasterChef would be unbelievably foolish skip the chance to be the platform that makes her the star she’s bound to become one way or another, with or without its help.

Obviously, there is still a place for middle-aged men on television. I don’t want to sound like I believe Wallace is reflective of middle-aged men and we need to take them all off TV.

But MasterChef, particularly, needs a strong female leader. It needs to prove the days of Wallace are long-gone, that it’s returning with a completely new slate and it’s listened to the many women who came forward and made complaints, which date back years.

Is another middle-aged man the way to do this? God no.

But optics aside, Dent is so clearly the best direction for MasterChef and at this point, I really think the show needs her more than she needs it.

So much so there is an eerie chance it’s her decision not to present MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals, but if that’s the case, someone needs to pull out all the stops to convince her otherwise.

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