The BBC has confirmed it's pulling two MasterChef Christmas specials that were due to air over the festive period.
This comes after the broadcaster recently announced Gregg Wallace would be stepping away from his role on the show amid an investigation into historic misconduct allegations against him.
An investigation into Wallace, who worked as a judge and presenter in the culinary competition, revealed allegations of inappropriate sexual comments and inappropriate behaviour against him.
However, his lawyers have denied he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
Related: Gregg Wallace issues apology after "inappropriate and misogynistic" defence
The decision to axe the planned Christmas episodes represents a shift in position from the BBC as earlier this week the broadcaster said all MasterChef episodes filmed would be aired as planned.
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The two festive specials were due to be celebrity editions of the show, with a star-studded cast competing in the MasterChef kitchen.
Announcing the decision to pull the episodes, a BBC spokesperson said: "As we have said, MasterChef is an amazing competition which is life-changing for the chefs taking part and the current series of MasterChef: The Professionals is continuing as planned.
"The celebrity Christmas specials are obviously a different type of show and in the current circumstances we have decided not to broadcast them."
The first Christmas special, a Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off, featured The Wanted singer Max George, Emmerdale star Amy Walsh, Love Island star Luca Bish and comedian Shazia Mira.
The second instalment, entitled MasterChef Meets Strictly Festive Extravaganza, was due to feature Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden, Gorka Marquez, Kai Widdrington and Nancy Xu, with Motsi Mabuse setting a challenge.
MasterChef isn't the only programme affected by the controversy surrounding Wallace as three repeat episodes of Inside the Factory will no longer be shown on BBC Two in the lead-up to Christmas, the BBC spokesperson confirmed.
Digital Spy reached out to Wallace's representatives for comment when the investigation was first announced but didn't hear back.
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Emma is an experienced entertainment news journalist with NCTJ accreditation and a First-Class Honours Degree in Journalism. Having started her career as a broadcast journalist, Emma’s voice has been heard on varying radio stations across the UK including Absolute, Magic, BBC Three Counties Radio, LBC London News and more.
Later specialising in multimedia entertainment news, Emma has brushed shoulders with numerous famous faces and interviewed the likes of Edward Norton, Margot Robbie, Sir Michael Palin, Rick Astley, and too many soap stars to count. Having produced a range of engaging news content over the years for brands such as 7Digital’s Entertainment News, Yahoo, and Express Online, Emma eventually joined Digital Spy in 2022 as Deputy News Editor, becoming Acting News Editor in 2023 and then News Editor in 2024.
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