Channel 5 bosses are set to keep a keen eye on ratings and reactions to Phillip Schofields new survival series with hopes he could star in further projects.
The disgraced presenter yesterday revealed he was taking part in his own Channel 5 survival show just 16 months on from leaving This Morning after admitting to having an unwise but not illegal fling with a junior male colleague.
Billed as an authentic and intense physical and mental challenge, the three-part show, Phillip Schofield: Cast Away, will give the 62-year-old free reign to tell his side of the scandal that derailed his career.
And Channel 5 bosses will reportedly asses the publics reaction and ratings of the new series, which starts next Monday, before lining up any future projects involving Schofield, according to The Mirror.
Schofield is said to have turned down a selection of big money TV offers before choosing to sign up for Cast Away - which he believes will allow him to share his story in an unedited and honest way.
Disgraced presenter Phillip Schofield is starring in a new Channel 5 survival show just 16 months on from leaving This Morning. Promotional material for the show sees Schofield sitting on a beach looking disheveled while staring at the camera
The three-part show, Phillip Schofield : Cast Away, will give the 62-year-old free reign to tell his side of the scandal that derailed his career. Pictured: Phillip talking to the camera in a clip from the upcoming show
Phillip Schofield is seen walking his dog on the day he announced his TV comeback
The series will air across three nights from Monday September 30 to Wednesday October 2, in three 60 minute installments.
It follows Phillip as he is cast away for ten days and nine nights on a remote, unpopulated island off the coast of Madagascar.
Viewers will see the axed presenter reflect on the emotional impact of his exile from mainstream TV after news of his affair with a 20-year old runner on This Morning came to light.
Its understood that Schofield was given a handheld camera, body cameras and a sound pack before being left to record his emotional week-and-a-half long journey.
But while Schofield may hope the move will allow him to reconnect with viewers, the show has already been met with disdain by the public and TV critics alike.
Following the announcement of the show, TV critic Scott Bryan said: Quite shocked by that Phillip Schofield show but then I remembered that this is Channel 5 so hardly not surprising.
Meanwhile, TalkTV presenter Renée Hoenderkamp branded the star a narcissist, adding that she did not think he should be having anymore screen time.
She said: Is this not a chance for a narcissist to just have more me time on screen? I dont want to know his story, Im not interested in it.
The Cast Away trailer reveals footage of Phillip Schofield on a deserted island
Schofield will discuss his acrimonious departure from ITV and daytime show This Morning while fending for himself on the island, located off the coast of Madagascar
Schofields predecessor on This Morning, Eamonn Holmes, reacted to news of the new show while live on GBNews.
When former Home Office Minister Norman Baker sarcastically remarked my heart bleeds, Holmes let out a chuckle in a very telling reaction to the news.
It was May 2023 when the presenter admitted to having a relationship with a much younger male colleague on This Morning, and later lying about it.
He described their romance as unwise but not illegal and explained it took place during his nearly 30-year marriage to Stephanie Lowe, with whom he is a parent to two children.
Schofield subsequently resigned from both This Morning and ITV and said that he was so very sorry to Lowe for being unfaithful.
At the time, it was reported that Steph had been left devastated by the revelation and angry that her husband had lied to her.
However, it was later revealed she is choosing not to file for divorce because she does not want him to fall any further then he already has, and despite everything, the love is still very much there.
As well as the breakdown of his marriage, Schofields relationship with co-host Holly Willoughby faltered in the midst of the scandal, with the pair understood to be at loggerheads.
Schofields daughter Molly is now his publicist after she quit the talent agency that once represented her father.
Phil broke his silence on his TV return on Wednesday. Posting on Instagram, the star shared photos promoting his Channel 5 show Cast Away
One clip from the show, released ahead of its release, sees Schofield in tears telling the camera: I know what I did was unwise, but is it enough to completely destroy someone?
Another scene in the show sees Phil drinking from a coconut while decked out in full survivor gear
PR guru Mark Borkowski says his tepid return to the public eye has come after a year away to disappear and get himself together.
Calling him a rare talent, Borkowski said: Hes testing the waters. But audiences are very forgiving.
Schofield told the BBC in an emotional interview last June the affair had finished his career and revealed that the fallout had left him feeling suicidal.
He told how his two daughters - Molly and Ruby - had saved his life and had guarded me and wont let me out of their sight.
He admitted during the sit-down interview with Amol Rajan denied he had groomed the younger colleague, before telling critics: Do you want me to die? Because thats where I am.
Schofield also insisted he had not groomed his young lover, despite first meeting him when he was 15.
He said: Attraction is attraction. Its no different in the gay world as it is in the heterosexual world or in the lesbian world.
There shouldnt be a difference. This is where homophobia comes in. We did first meet when he was 15, I visited the drama school [he attended].
He said the fallout from his admission that he lied about his affair with a younger male colleague had been relentless, revealing he has had suicidal thoughts.
Schofield said: My girls saved my life. They said last week they havent left me for a moment. Theyve been by my side every moment because theyre scared to let me out of their sight. What is that like for daughters to have to go with something like that?
And they said to me, dont you dare do this on our watch. Were supposed to be looking after you. If my girls hadnt been there, I wouldnt be here, because I dont see my future.
Schofield was given a handheld camera, body cameras and a sound pack before being left to record his emotional week-and-a-half long journey
In many scenes from the show, he is seen in tears as he battles with the emotional toll of his experience
Schofield also slammed a handful of people with persistently loud voices in a statement days after leaving This Morning - and rejected claims of a toxic culture on the programme.
The daytime show was plunged into meltdown since revelations over Schofields relationship with a much younger man at ITV emerged with the channel losing millions of pounds in sponsorship deals and some guests refusing to appear on the sofa.
ITV deny losing sponsorship deals. Shark Ninja have been the shows sponsor since September 2023.
But speaking out on social media in May 2023, Schofield hit out at those with a grudge against me.
In a statement posted on his Instagram, the presenter said: Now I no longer work on This Morning I am free to say this. I hope you have noticed that its the same handful of people with a grudge against me or the show who seem to have the loudest voice.
This Morning IS the best show to work on, with the best people. In all the years I worked there there was no toxicity. You can listen to those persistently loud voices if you like.
But the thousands of guests over the years, thousands of staff and crew, hundreds of presenters and contributors all know it, it IS a family of wonderful, talented, kind, hard, working people.
Bosses at ITV published the much anticipated review into the scandal and allegations of toxic working culture in December. It was conducted by an independent lawyer, Jane Mulcahy KC.
It was May 2023 when the presenter admitted to having a relationship with a much younger male colleague on This Morning, and later lying about it (pictured with co-host Holly Willoughby)
Schofield with his wife Stephanie Lowe and daughters Molly - who is now his publicist - and Ruby in London in 2018
One employee told the Mail of their sheer bewilderment that only one junior worker was aware of the relationship.
The report found that ITV did not cover-up the relationship and that station bosses had made considerable efforts to discover the truth in 2019 – four years before the affair broke.
The external review found that the channel was unable to uncover the relevant evidence until Schofields own admission in May 2023, when he told the Mail that he had been having the relationship and later lied about it.
ITV bosses have said both Schofield and his former lover, a runner who has never been named, repeatedly denied allegations of a relationship until the star dramatically quit ITV and formally apologised.
It added that only one person out of 48 interviewed – a junior employee – said they knew about the presenters relationship with a younger male former colleague before he revealed it in May.
Mulcahy revealed that Schofield refused to take part in the review into the circumstances surrounding the his departure because of the risk to his health. She added that she was informed that the hosts mental health had since deteriorated.
Schofields former colleague and lover also declined to participate in the report.
However, staff at ITV have been left cross, accusing the report of being a waste of time.
The findings did reveal that there was a culture of silence at the channel, saying that junior employees at ITVs This Morning still fear that speaking out will damage their careers in the industry.