Phillip Schofield supported by huge star as she makes appearance in Cast Away
A HUGE star supported Phillip Schofield as he made his TV return – 16 months since his last appearance.
The former This Morning presenter is starring in Channel 5’s Cast Away as he tells his side of the story that ended his 40-year career.
Airing over three nights, it sees Phil, 62, sent to a remote desert island where he’s left to his own devices.
But before setting off, Joanna Lumley appeared on screen as she sent him a supportive message.
The Absolutely Fabulous star previously starred on the format and offered up friendly advice to Phil.
In a video message, Joanna said: “Listen, Phil these are the tips I’ve got, keep your knives sharp, spend much of the day trying to find wood otherwise you won’t be able to eat anything.
“When I was on the island I made a pair of shoes out of my bra… and I would love to think that you could do something a bit challenging, and bring it back so we could all look at it.
“I shall be thinking of you all the time Phil, and actually I’m a little bit jealous, lots of love.”
The message visibly moved Phil as he replied: “Oh you darling, thank you so much, that’s amazing.”
Viewers have flooded social media with mixed responses, with one posting: “Phillip Schofield did nothing illegal but obviously the morons of Twitter know best. The daft c***s.”
A second wrote: “I’m getting self-indulgent vibes from this.”
“I won’t be watching his pity party. He is despicable, never forget all the things he did and hurt he caused,” said a third.
Cast Away verdict
By Rod McPhee
OVER three nights – and three hour-long episodes – Phillip Schofield has been bearing his soul in new Channel 5 show Cast Away.
And it’s basically a chance for the former This Morning host to explain the circumstances that saw him leave the show last year.
To put it mildly, he left under something of a cloud, admitting he’d had a fling with a much younger runner on the programme. But in the C5 show he presents his own versions of events – one which is at odds with the narrative that emerged at the time.
He was portrayed as a man who’d had an “unwise” affair, who’d resigned as a result and had let many of his colleagues down.
But in Cast Away Phillip insists he was fired by ITV and not for the affair, but because of the bad publicity that surrounded the crimes of his paedophile brother. He summed it up best when he claimed he’d been “pushed under a bus.”
After watching Cast Away what you’re left with is something rather confusing, however.
Did Phillip think he’d done something wrong by having the fling with the runner, or not? For example, he said he wouldn’t have been slammed for it quite so much if it were a heterosexual fling.
He said he: “would have received a pat on the back for having an affair with a woman.” This infers that the only thing wrong with it was that it was a same sex fling. So why does he also say: “I will be forever sorry. I screwed up. I made a mistake.”
The answer, I suspect, is that the whole affair was a murky business. There were so many blurred lines around appropriateness, professionalism and honesty.
The only firm conclusion you can draw from the show is that Phillip himself isn’t ENTIRELY sure to what extent He was guilty of wrongdoing.
Amid the confusion, what will the viewing public think? I suspect that this will leave those who disliked Phillip to feel even more suspicious of him.
Those who backed him, will feel reassured too. But those who still aren’t sure what to think will be none-the-wiser – and I’m not sure if that’s what Phillip would have wanted.