John Torode is an Australian-British chef and television presenter best known for judging MasterChef on BBC One from its relaunch in 2005 until 2025. Born in Melbourne on 23 July 1965, he moved to the UK in 1991, built a career in Terence Conran’s restaurants, opened Smiths of Smithfield in London, and became a household name as one half of the MasterChef judging duo alongside Gregg Wallace. In July 2025, after 20 years on the show, the BBC and production company Banijay UK confirmed his MasterChef contract would not be renewed, following an upheld allegation that he had used racist language — an allegation Torode denies. As of October 2026, he remains a regular chef on ITV’s This Morning and runs a YouTube channel with his wife, Lisa Faulkner.
At a Glance: John Torode
- Full name: John Douglas Torode MBE
- Born: 23 July 1965, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia — 61 in October 2026
- Moved to the UK: 1991; worked for the Conran Group from 1992
- Best known for: Judging MasterChef on BBC One, 2005–2025
- Restaurants: Smiths of Smithfield (opened 2000), Cafeteria (2001, since closed), The Luxe (2009) — he later sold his shares in both Smiths of Smithfield and The Luxe
- Honour: Appointed MBE in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to food and charity
- Wife: Lisa Faulkner, married October 2019; four children — Jonah and Lulu from his first marriage, older sons Casper and Marselle from an earlier relationship
- As of October 2026: No longer on MasterChef; a regular chef on ITV’s This Morning, with a YouTube channel, John and Lisa’s Kitchen and Home
Who Is John Torode?
John Douglas Torode was born on 23 July 1965 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the youngest of three boys. His mother died when he was four, and between the ages of four and ten he and his brother Andrew lived in Maitland, New South Wales, with their grandmother, who taught him to cook. He later lived in Edithvale, Melbourne, with his father and brothers, though his father was often away for work.
Torode began his cooking career at 16, leaving school to attend catering college and taking apprenticeships in Melbourne restaurants, including Le Coq Au Vin in Aspendale and establishments in Beaumaris. He has said in interviews that his childhood food was fairly ordinary, and that roast chicken remains one of his favourite dishes because of its connection to his childhood.
How Did John Torode Become Famous in the UK?
Torode moved to the United Kingdom in 1991. A year later, he began working as a sous-chef at Le Pont de la Tour and Quaglino’s for the Conran Group, under Terence Conran. It was at Quaglino’s that he first met Gregg Wallace, whose company supplied vegetables to the restaurant — a meeting that would shape both men’s careers a decade later.
His television debut came in 1996, when he began appearing as a guest chef on ITV’s This Morning. He became a regular on the show, and has now cooked on This Morning for 30 years — a run that continued through 2026, when he made 11 appearances on the programme in the first half of the year alone, according to reporting in July 2026.
His first cookbook, The Mezzo Cookbook, won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Food Photography in 1998, an early sign of the reputation he was building as a chef who understood presentation as well as flavour.
What Restaurants Did John Torode Open?
In 2000, Torode opened his first restaurant, Smiths of Smithfield, in a Grade II listed building opposite Smithfield meat market in Farringdon, London. A year later he opened a second restaurant, Cafeteria, near Notting Hill Gate. In October 2009, he opened a third, The Luxe, in Spitalfields Market.
Torode later sold his shares and moved on from both Smiths of Smithfield and The Luxe — under his leadership, turnover at the two restaurants reached £9.2 million, according to his biography. Cafeteria has since closed. Smiths of Smithfield itself continues to trade in Farringdon under other ownership, as a four-floor dining and drinking venue.
How Long Was John Torode on MasterChef?
In 2005, the BBC relaunched MasterChef with a new format, and Torode was chosen to present and judge it alongside Gregg Wallace, replacing Gary Rhodes. Torode was picked for the role ahead of food critic A. A. Gill. By 2011, the show had been sold to 25 countries, and the format went on to spawn spin-offs including Celebrity MasterChef and Junior MasterChef, which Torode co-presented, initially alongside Nadia Sawalha and more recently with Donal Skehan.
Torode’s 20-year run on the show made him one of British television’s longest-serving presenters — a run in the same league as fellow long-running television presenter Phillip Schofield. He has said in interviews that he enjoyed the fact that the show was unscripted, and that the cameras were simply there to capture genuine interactions between the judges and the contestants.
Alongside MasterChef, Torode fronted a run of BBC food-travel series: John Torode’s Australia (2014), John Torode’s Argentina (2015), John Torode’s Malaysian Adventure (2016), Korean Food Tour (2017), John Torode’s Asia (2017–2018), John Torode’s Middle East (2018) and John Torode’s Ireland (2022). In early 2024, he and Lisa Faulkner presented John & Lisa’s Food Trip Down Under, a five-part ITV1 series about the food and drink of Western Australia.
What Happened to John Torode in 2025?
In November 2024, MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK, announced that Gregg Wallace would step away from the show while historical allegations of misconduct against him were investigated. Banijay commissioned the law firm Lewis Silkin to carry out an independent review. The review examined 83 allegations against Wallace, of which 45 were substantiated, and also upheld two standalone allegations against other people — including one against Torode.
On Monday 14 July 2025, Torode confirmed on Instagram that he was the person alleged to have used racist language, saying he had “no recollection of the incident” and was “shocked and saddened” by the allegation. He said he did not believe it had happened, and that the allegation related to something said in 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, where the person he was speaking with did not believe it was intended maliciously and he apologised immediately afterwards.
On Tuesday 15 July 2025, the BBC and Banijay UK confirmed that Torode’s contract on MasterChef would not be renewed. A BBC spokesperson said the allegation had been “investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm, Lewis Silkin”, and that Torode denied it. The spokesperson added: “The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously. We will not tolerate racist language of any kind and, as we have already said, we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken. John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.” Banijay UK said the same: the two companies were agreed that his contract would not be renewed.
The decision ended a 20-year run. Torode later said he had hoped to have some say in his exit from a show he had worked on since its 2005 relaunch, but that events in the preceding days had prevented that, and that it was “time to pass the cutlery to someone else”. He also pulled out of headlining the Seaham Food Festival in August 2025, saying he wanted to “take some time out”.
The pre-recorded 21st amateur series of MasterChef, filmed before the findings, was broadcast by the BBC from 6 August to 26 September 2025, after consultation with the contestants. The BBC said showing the series “in no way diminishes our view of the seriousness of the upheld findings against both presenters”, and that it believed broadcasting it was the right thing to do for the cooks involved. The series was re-edited, with Anna Haugh stepping in for the final two episodes, and was won by fishmonger Harry Maguire.
Who Replaced John Torode on MasterChef?
MasterChef continued without either of its long-time presenters. The 22nd amateur series premiered on BBC One on 21 April 2026, judged by restaurant critic Grace Dent and chef Anna Haugh, who had already stepped in on MasterChef: The Professionals. Dent had also replaced Wallace on Celebrity MasterChef.
On 3 June 2026, the BBC announced that Michelin-starred chef Giorgio Locatelli would join Grace Dent as the new judge on Celebrity MasterChef, replacing Torode. Locatelli had previously judged the Italian version of the competition, and said he was looking forward to working with celebrity contestants and watching them grow. The announcement was reported by the BBC’s announcement of Giorgio Locatelli as Torode’s Celebrity MasterChef replacement.
What Is John Torode Doing Now?
As of October 2026, Torode has no announced new BBC work, and no new MasterChef role. His television work is now centred on ITV, where he has remained a regular chef on This Morning throughout 2026, supported by the programme’s hosts, according to reporting in July 2026.
John & Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen, the ITV show he co-hosted with Lisa Faulkner since 2019, was rested for 2026. The show ran for 10 series, and reporting in July 2026 said there were no current plans for an 11th series, though no final decision had been made on whether it would return. ITV was reported to have continued to back Torode, and a source said he was “very much a part of the ITV family through his role as a regular chef on This Morning“.
Torode and Faulkner have also moved into online video. Their YouTube channel, John and Lisa’s Kitchen and Home, filmed in their kitchen at home in Muswell Hill, north London, had gathered around 26,400 subscribers and 1.8 million views by mid-October 2026, according to Spectrum FM. Their second joint cookbook, John & Lisa’s Weeknight Dinners, was published in autumn 2026.
In 2026, the couple also faced a personal challenge that they spoke about publicly: Faulkner was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in April 2026 and underwent treatment including radiotherapy. In July 2026, Torode confirmed she was in the clear.
Who Is John Torode’s Wife?
Torode is married to actress and cook Lisa Faulkner. They met when Faulkner appeared on — and won — Celebrity MasterChef in 2010, while both were married to other people. After Faulkner worked in Torode’s restaurant, Smiths of Smithfield, the two began a relationship, and Torode proposed on Christmas Day 2018. They married in October 2019, with guests including Amanda Holden and Torode’s MasterChef co-presenter Gregg Wallace.
It is Torode’s second marriage. He was previously married to Jessica Thomas from 2000 to 2014; Jonah and Lulu are from that marriage, while his older sons, Casper and Marselle, are from an earlier relationship. Faulkner was previously married to EastEnders actor Chris Coghill from 2005 to 2011, and has one adopted daughter, Billie.
Since 2019, the couple have cooked together on screen regularly, first on John & Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen and in their cookbooks John and Lisa’s Kitchen and John & Lisa’s Weeknight Dinners.
What Is John Torode’s MBE For?
Torode was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to food and charity. He received the honour from Prince William at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 2023. The award recognised both his cooking career and his charity work, including a 2014 campaign, “Come… Eat Together”, which encouraged elderly people to get together in their communities over food.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is John Torode?
John Torode was born on 23 July 1965 in Melbourne, Australia, which makes him 61 years old as of October 2026.
Why did John Torode leave MasterChef?
His contract was not renewed by the BBC and Banijay UK in July 2025, after an independent review by law firm Lewis Silkin upheld an allegation that he had used racist language in 2018 or 2019. Torode denies the allegation, says he has no recollection of the incident and does not believe it happened. The BBC said it would not tolerate racist language of any kind.
Is John Torode still on TV?
Yes. As of October 2026, he remains a regular chef on ITV’s This Morning, a role he has held since his television debut in 1996. His ITV show with Lisa Faulkner, John & Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen, was rested for 2026, and the couple run a YouTube channel, John and Lisa’s Kitchen and Home.
Who is John Torode married to?
He is married to actress and cook Lisa Faulkner. They met when she won Celebrity MasterChef in 2010 and married in October 2019. It is his second marriage; Jonah and Lulu are from his first marriage to Jessica Thomas, and his older sons Casper and Marselle are from an earlier relationship.
What is John Torode’s MBE for?
He was appointed MBE in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to food and charity, and received the honour from Prince William at Buckingham Palace in 2023.
Does John Torode still own Smiths of Smithfield?
No. He opened Smiths of Smithfield in London in 2000 and later sold his shares, as he did with his other restaurant, The Luxe. The restaurant itself continues to trade in Farringdon under other ownership.
Who replaced John Torode on MasterChef?
The amateur series is now judged by Grace Dent and Anna Haugh, who took over for the 22nd series in April 2026. On Celebrity MasterChef, Michelin-starred chef Giorgio Locatelli was announced in June 2026 as Torode’s replacement, joining Grace Dent.
