Phillip Schofield to make shock return to television in ‘secretly filmed’ desert island show

Phillip Schofield is set to make an unexpected return to television 16 months after exiting ITV over his widely reported affair scandal.

The former This Morning host has kept a low public profile since last summer, when he admitted to having an affair with a younger male colleague.

The Sun reported on Tuesday that the 62-year-old has secretly filmed a Channel 5 special, titled Cast Away, which sees him marooned on a tropical island for 10 days.

The tabloid shared screenshots from the series of Mr Schofield looking grizzled in a dirty grey t-shirt and a white beard.

“Over the past few months Phil has had quite a few offers for various things – but has steadfastly turned them all down,” a source told The Sun.

“This sort of challenge has always appealed to him though and after consulting with friends and family, he decided to go for it. It’s all been top secret, and has been an incredibly quick turnaround in order to keep the news quiet.

“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.

“Whilst this is a massive coup for Channel 5, and huge for Phillip, he’s 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 teased the special on Monday with a clip showing just the back and legs of an unnamed celebrity as fans guessed who it might be.

The broadcaster captioned its post: “Coming Soon to Channel 5… A celebrity marooned on an uninhabited tropical island off the coast of Madagascar for 10 days is challenged with total isolation, the forces of nature, and the battle within their own mind.”

Cast Away airs over three nights beginning 30 September.

The news comes hours after Mr Schofield posted the message “watch this space” to his Instagram story, alongside a winky face emoji.

The series will be Mr Schofield’s first time on television since he sensationally left ITV last year following 20 years with the broadcaster.

Mr Schofield’s presenting partner Holly Willoughby left This Morning after 14 years in October 2023, explaining her decision as one made “for me and my family”.

In a statement at the time, Mr Schofield said he had had a “consensual on-off relationship” that was “unwise, but not illegal”.

He apologised for the affair, which happened while he was married to his wife of 30 years, Stephanie Lowe.