“Dent and Torode are rather a good team”
Celebrity MasterChef, BBC1
“It turns out that John Torode and Grace Dent work quite well together. They have a natural rapport and are at ease with each other, although it’s a more subdued, grown-up affair without Gregg Wallace’s maniacal gurning and the slight frisson of danger that he might sidle up and make a fruity comment about someone’s dumplings. It looks like Dent and Torode would have been fine as a double act. But I think the truth is that MasterChef would be fine whoever the presenters were, because the star ingredients are, and always have been, the formula and the food.”
Carol Midgley, The Times
“They do work well together as a presenting duo. That’s because Torode clearly likes her, whereas one suspects he was only tolerating Wallace while cringing inside. Dent has appeared on the show for years as a guest critic and transfers easily to the role of presenter. The show is far better without Wallace on it. Torode will be a bigger loss.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph
“Dent and Torode are rather a good team. Wallace clearly saw himself as the star of the show. With Dent and Torode, it was all about the chefs.”
Roland White, Daily Mail
“She makes a solid if (by her own admission) nervous start, delighted to tell the celebs ‘your 60 minutes start now’ and ladling out endless compliments. The nearest she comes to being a ‘feared restaurant critic’ (as restaurant critics are always described on MasterChef) is when she describes Gaz Choudhry’s messy ‘deconstructed hummus’ as ‘all a bit day three at Glastonbury’.”
Gerard Gilbert, The i
“It all feels quite safe. Dent has a reputation for being quite fierce, but the dual role of host and judge imposes some constraints on that. Alongside her, Torode is a fount of platitudes, yet there’s no denying that he has mastered the skill of gambolling around a busy kitchen making side-eyed observations, before delivering a concise judgement of the plate. In time, the sharper notes of Dent’s presenting palate will surely come to the fore, especially once she is counterbalanced with steely Irish chef Anna Haugh, who will pick up from Torode in 2026.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent
Men of the Manosphere, BBC3
“Men of the Manosphere is a thoughtful, tender, terrifying hour.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian
No comments yet