Phillip Schofield is back on our screens after his dramatic departure more than a year ago. The former This Morning host, whose long and successful television career came to an abrupt end in May 2023 after admitting to an extra-marital affair with a much younger male co-worker at ITV , is returning to the small screen only to be cast adrift. The 62-year-old has teamed up with Channel 5 to film Phillip Schofield: Cast Away , a three-episode programme which has him trying to survive alone on the remote, unpopulated island of Nosy Ankarea off the coast of Madagascar for 10 days where he must forage for food and water.
He is left with only a handful of cameras to document his experience and confront the challenges of total isolation, the forces of nature and his own personal dilemmas. Speaking about his decision to do it, he said it was “the only thing I felt compelled to do” and “appealed to me on so many levels”. “I’ve recently had a lot of time to think about my life, what went right and what went wrong, but I’ve always had the safe arms of friends and family wrapped around me”, he added, “This time it’s just me, no ‘phone, no comforts, no crew and only lip balm as a luxury.
“I’m looking forward to exploring the island, trying to tie knots to secure my shelter and foraging and fending for myself in the wild ...
with no help. “Maybe I’ll be Robinson Crusoe, or maybe I’ll just be Tom Hank’s Wilson and quietly drift off into the wild blue yonder!.