The signs Phillip Schofield will never return to TV after tonight

Phillip Schofield on Cast Away laying on a makeshift bed. He is looking at the camera with one hand behind his head. He is wearing a grey t-shirt. He has short grey hair and a stubble. — Phillip Schofield’s TV career could be over (Picture: Channel 5)

Phillip Schofield has made his highly-anticipated TV comeback on Cast Away, but some signs are pointing towards it being a short-lived return.

Since Schofield parted ways with This Morning and then ITV in May 2023 he has remained off the small screen aside from a disastrous BBC interview with Amol Rajan, which saw the 62-year-old puff on a Lost Mary while reflecting on his mistakes.

The reason he’s remained away for so long is due to the circumstances around his departure.

Schofield resigned from This Morning following weeks of speculation surrounding his fractured friendship with Holly Willoughby. Six days later he left ITV completely with immediate effect after admitting to an affair with a much younger This Morning colleague.

Before his abrupt exit, Schofield had been working in the TV industry for almost 40 years.

He might have hoped Cast Away would be the beginning of a soft re-launch of his TV career, but here are the clues that it won’t happen…

Lack of accountability

Phillip Schofield making a fire on Cast Away. He is wearing blue shorts and a longsleeved grey top. — Schofield spent a week and a half on a tropical island alone (Picture: Channel 5)

The programme’s concept sees Schofield stranded on a tropical island for a week and a half. For the three-part docuseries, he is completely alone and documents his adventures in a self-tape. It is billed as ‘an authentic and intense physical and mental challenge’.

‘In the last 18 months, my life has totally unravelled. I locked myself away from the outside world. But now I want to see if the ultimate isolation can finally set me free,’ Schofield poses at the start of each episode.

It initially seems promising. Having so much time and now company other than the wildlife would surely make way for self-reflection, and accountability.

However, rather than demonstrate how much he’s grown and reflected on the events that led to his This Morning exit, he is still just angry. He described the events as happening to him, rather than acknowledging his active role.

Phillip Schofield stood alone on a dessert island for Cast Away. He is walking on the sand, and the sea is visible in the background — The final episode will air tonight (Picture: Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited/Burning Bright Productions/PA Wire)

He also claims to have been fired from This Morning because of the negative publicity surrounding his brother Timothy Schofield, who was sentenced to 12 years for child abuse.

‘I will find a way. I will not be defeated,’ he said at one point.

Metro.co.uk’s TV Editor Adam Miller pointed out that the self-pitying statement is something you’d usually hear from a victim or a survivor.

‘Schofield’s biggest mistake is to present himself as either,’ wrote Adam.

‘By the end of the miniseries, he writes down all the names of the toxic people in his life and throws a list into the fire. Clearly, this entire trip has been about him forgiving the people who have wronged him and not the other way around.’

The Cast Away ratings

Philip Schofield on Cast Away. He is holding a coconut. He has dirty nails, disheveled hair and a stubble. — Just 1.4 million viewers watched the first episode (Picture: Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited / Burning Bright Productions / REX)

After 18 months away, there was a certain amount of hype around Schofield’s return. A smart marketing campaign was launched weeks before to build excitement but kept his name and face out of the picture.

Schofield eventually unveiled himself as the person who would be spending 10 days alone on the island off the coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

‘Now you know how I spent my summer! Alone for 10 days, no food, no water, no crew. My story of survival, both on a desert island and off it,’ he teased.

Despite the anticipation, Cast Away attracted just 1.4 million viewers on the launch episode. This means that 0.6 million more people tuned into his former employer, ITV, which aired the second episode of its new crime drama Joan. His former show This Morning meanwhile reaches over 4 million viewers a week.

Viewers have been put off

Phillip Schofield sitting alone on a dessert island for Cast Away. He is looking off into the distance while wearing a blue t-shirt — Viewers have been openly critical (Picture: Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited/Burning Bright Productions/PA Wire)

Having a TV career that spanned nearly four decades suggests Schofield did have a certain likeability that kept viewers tuning in. This isn’t so evident in the reaction to the episodes so far, which has been overwhelmingly negative.

Schofield may have been hoping to be welcomed back and forgiven but his downfall seems to be continuing. A lot of people are no longer buying what he’s selling, including Chris who scathed on X: ‘If this is Phil’s attempt at redemption, it’s totally failing for me.

‘I was kind of neutral. Didn’t like how Holly got brought down with him. But after these rants I’m not liking the man at all…’

Gareth Hartley shared: ‘I have never heard so much self-indulgent tripe, whinging and self-pity in my life. Me me me, you did the wrong mate.’

‘I know what he did was deemed “unwise” but he’s coming across very smug & wanting pity. I don’t get how this show can be anything other than more damaging for him,’ observed John.

Others called his participation ’embarrassing’, ‘ill-advised’, and ‘car crash’.

Schofield has burnt bridges with ITV

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby sitting on the This Morning sofa. Phil is wearing a blue shirt and black trousers. Holly is wearing a floral yellow dress. They both look happy — Schofield seemed to make a joke at Willoughby’s expense (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

Schofield wasn’t shy about making his feelings clear on ITV with a thinly-veiled statement.

After acknowledging he was rumoured to take part in I’m A Celebrity…. Get Me Out of Here, Schofield said that there are ‘some channels you just won’t work for’.

‘Some people you won’t work for,’ he quickly added. During his career, Schofield worked almost exclusively for ITV, so the very public cutting ties could be disastrous.

Richard Osman and Marina Hyde pointed out that ITV very clearly doesn’t want to work with him anyway. ‘I’m sure Kevin Lygo, the director of programming at ITV, is crying into his coffee about that one,’ said Hyde on their podcast The Rest Is Entertainment. Osman added that he wasn’t invited to do I’m A Celeb.

Schofield also seemingly took aim at Willoughby, 43, moments into the first episode.

After Willoughby returned to This Morning without Schofield, she addressed the viewers, asking: ‘Are you ok?’

While sitting with his family – wife Stephanie Lowe and their two daughters Molly and Ruby – Phil quite clearly mocks Holly, saying: ‘If you’re ok then we’re ok and I’m ok. Are you ok?’

Once again, he has separated himself further from the people once instrumental to his career. If there were little hopes of a reconciliation before, they now stand at zero.

The final episode of Phillip Schofield Cast Away will air tonight at 9pm on Channel 5.

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