The channel said it was "the right thing to do" for the chefs who took part, but British broadcast union Bectu has criticized the BBC for rewarding "bad behavior" with prime-time coverage.

Gregg Wallace and John Torode's final series of amateur MasterChef has landed on BBC iPlayer after both presenters were dropped from the popular cooking show. The first three episodes of the 21st series were released on iPlayer early on Wednesday morning, ahead of the first episode airing on BBC One at 8pm.