Schofield Cast Away Channel 5

Rekarie

I watched it.

The surprise for me was Joanna Lumley popping up to show support for him.

Must have some redeeming qualities if Joanna likes him.

I do believe he was thrown under a bus. I also think that his brother's court case could have been an issue with ITV.

As for Holly, well, I've never been a fan. I'd not have been unhappy to see her booted off TV.

I watched it, thought it was interesting.Didn’t think it self indulgent at all, a period of calm and reflection will be good for him, would be good for most of us.

We watched the first episode last night and will watch the following 2 episodes. Philip did nothing criminally wrong but admits that it was ill advised. Far, far worse folks than Philip who get nothing like the abuse that he has. Feel quite sorry for him. Who hasn’t made ill advised decisions at sometime in their lives?

I totally agree.

Feel quite sorry for him. Who hasn’t made ill advised decisions at sometime in their lives?
The affair was 'ill advised'. The rest of it goes further, IMO.

Seriously - what are the chances of someone with his profile and ability to pull in viewers would be 'cancelled' just for having an affair? Less than nil, I think.

I didn't watch but I used to watch him on This Morning. He came across as smug and self satisfied. The episode where he 'came out' was toe curlingly cringe making.

I agree Doodle. I think that maybe there was more to this than an affair.

Oh I am afraid that Joanna Lumley didnt surprise me at all. She holds a particular viewpoint that often centres the feelings of men.

No wouldn’t watch never liked him very arrogant and smug

I was never a fan of him and Holly. I can’t see why he was treated as he was. Talk about double standards. His supposed victim didn't feel one and wasn't bothered. Phil has to be less of a victim, he has a family who have stood by him.

I can't understand why anyone would give him the satisfaction of watching him

Many on television have had affairs and continued to be on
screen why is this different?

I did watch it out of curiosity and lack of anything else on the TV. Never paid much attention to what had happened to him but I thought he'd just had an affair with a younger chap who worked on his show and wondered why so much fuss was made of it.
To me he came across as a very bitter man, self obsessed and totally unpleasant. If he thought he was going to get public sympathy for doing this then he was very wrong. I think he needs professional help.

MissInterpreted

We did watch it, out of curiosity, but I felt it was a complete pity-fest. Schofield comes across as a total narcissist and in all honesty, I have no sympathy for him whatsoever. And I don't believe for one moment that he was completely alone on that island.

There had to be someone filming surely?

I think Holly being out of the public eye recently is to do with a totally different scenario - the awful security guard who threatened her, who is now thankfully in prison.

I should make clear that I haven’t watched this programme and don’t intend to do so.
A few years ago, I noticed a new biography of PS in my local library so decided to read about the man. I hadn’t much experience of him on tv but I had passed him in the street and thought his appearance and demeanour showed him to be someone who, if chocolate, would eat himself!
The book revealed a man with to very strong narcissistic traits. In talking about his coming out as gay, he appeared to give very little thought to his wife and children and how they might feel. It was totally all about him and a feast of pity. Ugh!
It sounds like the programme on tv shows that nothing has changed.

MadeInYorkshire

MissInterpreted

We did watch it, out of curiosity, but I felt it was a complete pity-fest. Schofield comes across as a total narcissist and in all honesty, I have no sympathy for him whatsoever. And I don't believe for one moment that he was completely alone on that island.

There had to be someone filming surely?

At the start, it was claimed that he was filming it all himself - and, to be fair, the footage did mostly look as if it had been done that way.

I don't like this man and making this programme, for me, won't alter public opinion. However - as far as being slammed for queue jumping - he was not alone - so why is the 'saintly' H.W. not being slammed as well, she was with him?! To some extent I agree with him that had he had an affair with a female, as have many more who appear on our screens, there would not have been as much made of it. Unfortunately, once the soft under belly is exposed, the hunters will have a hey day!!

I couldn’t stand the advert for the program, which I previously posted on He has made my skin crawl for many years and could never understand how people liked him. He’s net worth is thought to be around £9 million.

Having been in a position where a closeted gay man was married to a family member, I can only say that the damage that did has been irreparable to the wife. For that reason alone, I have no desire to watch Philip Schofield in anything. However, I had fallen out of love with them over the years and for me, his "We buy any cars!" advert was the last straw because of the reports about that particular company not actually paying what they appeared to be offering.
Everything I have read and seen about PS on Castaway has been self-pitying and unapologetic. Nobody knows for sure what happened but PS does appear to have given himself a narrative that is definitely as a victim. I think if you live a lie, you have to be responsible for it. He doesn't appear to think he is.

Allegedly he knew the young man he had the affair with when the young man was 15. I think this is what people found unsavoury. There is no suggestion that the affair started then.

Not in least interested

I can’t imagine what life is like if one has to hide their sexuality

Anniebach

Many on television have had affairs and continued to be on
screen why is this different?

Because he met the man he 'had an affair' with when the boy was 15. He befriended him at that age although the 'affair' apparently began when he was over the age of consent. Other boys of a similar age have also been befriended by Schofield.

Because the boy was given a large sum of money to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which does not suggest that there was nothing to hide.

Because his leaving ITV was not 'just' because of the affair - as well as the above Schofield hid the fact that he knew that his brother was involved in a very abusive 'relationship' with an underage boy - so abusive that he got a 12 year prison sentence - yet did nothing to protect the boy (who was known to PS).

Because his behaviour towards colleagues and guests on This Morning was so egregious that nobody has spoken up for him or made an attempt to work with him since his fall from grace.

Because the way the agent system works makes it difficult for people to speak out about what they know - powerful agencies such as the one who represented PS at the time can ensure that nobody on their books works with 'whistleblowers', which protects their clients from exposure whilst they are represented by the agency, but PS was dropped by his, and is now managed by his daughter (which could very conceivably explain the 'family support' in the programme). Without the protection of a powerful agent, PS, This Morning, and ITV were vulnerable to further damaging revelations.

Is that enough? He was not forced to leave because he had an affair, and there was no homophobia involved. His 'coming out' as gay and as having had an extra-marital affair resulted in support from the public, as it was manipulated to portray him as 'brave' and troubled. Had it not been for all the other factors (which were entirely of his own making) he would probably have pulled it off, even if he left the family show and concentrated on game shows and more general presenting.

He was the architect of his own misfortune, and the whinging on the programme shows that he accepts no responsibility for that.

Can’t and won’t watch him, he’s an arrogant man who should retire quietly.

I've got no interest in policing consensual relationships. I won't watch it as I hardly watch any TV and I've never watched PS but he does seem to be the victim of a witch hunt which is deeply unpleasant.

As for his "power" people only have the power you give them. I married someone I worked with who had more power than I did, so what? We fancied each other, he took more of a risk than I did as he'd have been more likely to be criticised but here we are 40 years later. If this young man and PS were attracted to each other why shouldn't they have a relationship, it seems his wife knew he was gay and she stayed with him which again is her choice.