Broadcaster returns to TV in Channel 5’s Cast Away
Phillip Schofield has announced he will appear in a new TV series after leaving This Morning 16 months ago.
The 62-year-old will appear in Channel 5’s Cast Away, which will sees him stranded on an island off Madagascar for 10 days.
In an Instagram post, Schofield wrote: “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.”
The three-part reality show, which starts on Monday at 21:00 BST, will see the broadcaster fend for himself on the inhabited island.
Without a camera crew or production team, he has recorded his journey himself with a handheld camera, body camera and a sound pack.
In May 2023, Schofield agreed to step down from ITV’s This Morning “with immediate effect” after more than 20 years, following reports of a rift with co-presenter Holly Willoughby.
A week later, he admitted to having had an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague and has not made a TV appearance since.
Speaking to the BBC last June, Schofield said the affair was “consensual” but his “fault” and his “biggest, sorriest secret”.
Earlier in the year, Schofield’s brother, Timothy Schofield, was jailed for 12 years for sexually abusing a boy.
Schofield had presented This Morning since 2002, with Willoughby joining him as a co-presenter in 2009.
He is expected to talk about his departure from TV and the affair on the show.
In a teaser for the show Schofield can be seen walking on a beach with the caption: “One celebrity on a desert island totally alone with one chance to finally tell his story”.
The Sun reported that Schofield had “quite a few offers for various things – but has steadfastly turned them all down”.
It also said that that this “sort of challenge has always appealed to him” and he decided to go ahead with the show after the approval from friends and family.
“He wanted a chance to share his story, unedited and honest, and let viewers see another side to him,” a friend reportedly told The Sun.
They added that he is “in no rush to come back to TV full-time yet”.
“He remains very bruised, and is just taking some time now to weigh things up before he makes any major decisions.”
Channel 5 describe the documentary as an “epic study of solitude and mental fortitude” with each episode capturing “their raw experience – both physical survival and the emotional toll of solitude – offering an intimate exploration of the human spirit and the limits of endurance”.
Previous celebrities to appear on the show include Joanna Lumley and Ruby Wax.
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