Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has waded in on the conversation following John Torode’s departure from MasterChef. The Australian-born TV chef will not be returning to his position on the cooking show after he was at the centre of an allegation that he used racist language. The broadcaster has not elaborated on what the exact slur was. Earlier this week, John was sacked from the BBC, and he said he had “no recollection” of what he is accused of and that he was “shocked and saddened” by the allegation. It has since been claimed that John was axed for using “the worst racial slur there is.”

Clarkson’s Farm star Jeremy Clarkson has now had his say on John’s departure. In his column for The Sun, he drew comparisons with his days on Top Gear and even said, “We were saints”. He also said that he was “a bit worried” about Torode.

He wrote: “Funny isn’t it how Top Gear was always seen as the bad boy of the BBC. Every week, we’d be in the papers for doing something wrong or saying something inappropriate.”

Jeremy continued: “It now turns out that compared to every other show on the Beeb, we were saints. But that said, I am a bit worried about this John Torode chap from MasterChef. Because he seems to have been sacked for an offence even though no one can quite say what the offence was.”

Express Online has contacted the BBC for comment.

BBC star Richard Osman has also spoken about the allegation on his The Rest is Entertainment podcast, saying: “So in terms of the John Torode thing, which was allegations of using racist language, John Torode says, ‘I don’t recall it. I don’t believe it happened,’ he said. But the people who’ve gone through that report and have talked to people who were there at the time do believe it happened.

“And by the way, there’s all sorts of things that weren’t upheld because they couldn’t say for certain they believed it happened. But, you know, on this particular occasion, it’s not woke gone mad.

“You know, he used, I think, probably the worst racial slur there is. And they found that to be substantively true. They found evidence that they were happy with — that that was true. He is saying, ‘I definitely didn’t do it. I certainly can’t remember it,’ but that one was upheld.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “John Torode has identified himself as having an upheld allegation of using racist language against him.

“This allegation – which involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace – was investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm, Lewis Silkin. John Torode denies the allegation. He has stated he has no recollection of the alleged incident and does not believe that it happened. He also says that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment.”