AFTER 16 months in TV wilderness, Phillip Schofield is heading into the actual wilds for his big comeback.

Yesterday, The Sun revealed that the former This Morning host will return to the small screen in a Channel 5 special, called Cast Away.

The show will see him marooned on the tropical island off Madagascar, where Phil will self-film his powerful journey and lay bare everything he has been through since being axed from This Morning over an affair with a younger colleague.

An insider told us: “After 42 years on telly, Phillip has learnt from some great crews and teams on how to film and tell a story.

“With 10 days to himself, no camera crews or production around, he shot some unbelievably raw footage – some of it makes for tough, emotional viewing.

“But he wanted a chance to share his story, unedited and honest, and let viewers see another side to him.”

The show will air on Monday and there will be three episodes in total.

Now brand and culture expert Nick Ede exclusively reveals why he believes dipping his toe back in the water for a short TV stint is a shrewd move for Phil.

And he says the show will be his “hair shirt” moment – referring to the tradition practise of wearing a rough, uncomfortable garment in order to punish yourself publicly.

Shrewd business decision

“I think it’s an interesting move for Phillip Schofield to do this,” he says. “I think what’s really good for him is he’s not hosting anything, he’s not doing a quiz show, he’s not doing a consumer show. 

“He’s basically appearing as himself on a desert island, as a castaway, to go and find himself.

“It’s his mea culpa moment, where he has to be exposed and he is warts and all, which people love. 

“We love to see that when we’re watching I’m A Celebrity or Big Brother.”

Phillip was fired from This Morning back in May 2023 over the affair which also spelled the end of his friendship with former co-host Holly Willoughby.

Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley took over from Holly and Phil on the daytime juggernaut and he was also replaced by Stephen Mulhern on the Dancing on Ice.

The Sun understands that Phillip turned down several big money offers from ITV and BBC to go with Channel 5 for his first vehicle since his public fall from grace.

In the trailer for the show, Phillip says: “I’ve been cast away on a desert island completely on my own. All I have is camera gear, I can say whatever I want about whoever I want.

“It’s my chance to tell my side of my story. I know what I did was unwise but is it enough to absolutely destroy someone?”

And Nick believes it was a brave decision from both Phil and the TV company but may work in favour for both parties.

He explains: “This is actually a really good way of him working out whether he’s still relevant, based on what the ratings are like. 

Phil’s TV return

By Clemmie Moodie

SOME thought it would never happen. He thought it would never happen.

But, after a 16-month exile, Phil Schofield is back where he belongs — on TV.

A lot has happened in that time, none of it involving Phil. He’s gone from household name to household recluse.

I was the first person to interview him after his axing from This Morning, and he was a shell of a man. Pale, gaunt and shaking, he spoke, haltingly, in a whisper.

Nailing vape after vape, he thought his once ­glittering career was over. Many came out in support but he couldn’t face opening himself up for more scrutiny.

He’s said “no” to every opportunity that’s since come his way.

But the chance to reset on a remote island has proven too big a draw. This is a chance to have his say — raw, unfiltered and honest. Who knows what will emerge? (Only Phil, a few Madagascan crabs, and a Channel 5 edit suite will know).

It’s a risk, anything with TV cameras generally is, but worth taking.

“Will X and all the different social media platforms talk about it, will the media talk about it? 

“And then, from there, you’ll be able to work out whether he could potentially have a comeback or not. So actually, it’s quite a shrewd move.

“This is a brand new show and hasn’t really been done before in this kind of way.

“The channel is  taking a risk but it’s a risk-taking channel and to do this is going to be great for them because they’re going to have lots of press and PR about it, people are going to be talking about it and hopefully they’ll have some good ratings.”

The wrong move?

But Nick believes Phil may have already misstepped by choosing a TV show, in which he is in charge of what he says, rather than a tell-all interview with a journalist.

He says: “Phillip’s TV programme will expose him in a way, but he still is controlling it. 

“This is a man on his own, controlling a narrative.

“He hasn’t got any big name reporter, like Prince Andrew had in his famous TV showdown with Emily Maitlis, to ask him really strong, penetrating questions. 

Trust has gone and that’s the big thing with the audiences in the UK. They really want to trust their talent and I don’t feel we’ll get that back.

Nick EdeBrand and culture expert

“This is a man on his own talking about his own redemption and the issues that he’s had and hopefully working them out on his own. So the narrative will always be what he has to say.

“And it will be very interesting to see how that plays out.”

How to rebuild trust

To rebuild the trust with his fans, and ensure this is his TV comeback, Nick says Phil needs to consider how open he is about the affair with a younger colleague, which saw him axed from This Morning.

“From a future point of view, it might redeem him a little bit,” he says. “Channel 5 has a really strong audience. It’s more of an older demographic and they’re used to watching travelogues, consumer shows or mysteries.

“So, for someone like Phillip Schofield, it’s actually the perfect platform.

“I think we might see him doing travelogues after Cast Away, just very easy shows, with a nice audience of middle-aged people who want to know where to go next. 

“But I think it’s going to be very difficult terrain for him to go through. 

“It’ll be very interesting to see where he goes, if he goes anywhere at all.”

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Source: Tampa Bay Times