In case you missed the memo, Phillip Schofield is back on TV doing lots of crying and breaking down in an attempt to rehabilitate his reputation, which seems like what a lot of reality TV is about these days.
62-year-old Schofield is ‘trapped’ on a tropical island for 10 days on Channel 5 show ‘Cast Away’, where he basically mopes around and reflects on the last 16 months of his life and career and the scandal surrounding him.
The first episode airs today (September 30) and it begins with Schofield being asked why he wants to take on the challenge of living on his own on the island, to which he replies: “I think there’d be an awful lot of people that hope I never come back.”
Top marks for self-awareness!
Schofield also appears to mock his former pal and co-host Holly Willoughby on the episode, making reference to her infamously cringe ‘Firstly, are you OK?’ comment to viewers when news first broke about Schofield’s ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a young colleague.
During the early moments of Cast Away, Schofield is having a barbecue with his wife and two daughters, and quips: “If you’re OK then we’re OK and I’m OK. Are you OK?”
Later in the show, when eating a fruit, he says: “It’s going through an angry bitter stage… like some television presenters haha.”
He also opens up on how ‘lucky’ he was throughout his four-decade career, saying that his time as the host of This Morning was a ‘privilege’ and that he now knows ‘what it feels like to be cancelled’.
Schofield says: “It’s like the biggest grenade going off in your life, and you know you let people down, you’ve let yourself down, and it was unwise and [an] unprofessional thing to do, I will be forever sorry, I screwed up, I made a mistake, and I hurt the people around me.”
For most people, it’s probably a bit too soon for a Philip Schofield ‘redemption arc’, but he insists Cast Away will be his last ever television appearance so maybe that makes it more palatable. Then again, he’s probably just saying that in case it flops and no one cares and he never finds work again, so that it will seem like his choice.
Maybe Channel 5 could really test him by dropping a young male intern on the island with him? Maybe go full Lord of the Flies with it? I mean, how will we know for sure that he’s fully rehabilitated?
Well anyway, you can watch the first episode tonight on Channel 5 if you’re interested. Wonder if Holly Willoughby will have a swipe back at some point?
For the moment Holly Willoughby’s stalker was arrested and told police “I’m not gonna lie, she’s a fantasy of mine”, click HERE.