Phillip Schofield will be returning to TV screens soon, and his comeback has left many viewers unhappy.
The former This Morning host has kept a low profile since exiting the show after he admitted he lied about having an affair with a young employee.
The 62-year-old also parted ways with his management company in the wake of the scandal, as well as terminating his contract with ITV after 20 years.
On Tuesday night (24 September), Schofield shared a cryptic message to his Instagram stories as he wrote, “Watch this space… 9am” alongside a winking emoji.
It then emerged that he would be appearing on a secretly filmed Channel 5 special, titled Cast Away, which sees him marooned on a tropical island for 10 days, according to The Sun.
However, viewers were left incensed at the news as they called it a “disgrace”.
One person said the presenter was “desperate for attention” while dozens joked about the concept of the show which sees Schofield stranded alone as they commented, “absolutely nobody wants to work with him so he’s doing a show that has no cast or crew”.
Another added, “Phillip Schofield on a desert island for ten days in his TV comeback? The only way I’ll be watching that is if the island is heavily populated with lions, tigers, snakes and crocodiles.”
Others said they were stunned by the news as they wrote, “Quite shocked by that Phillip Schofield show but then I remembered that this is Channel 5 so hardly not surprising”.
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.
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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.”
The footage also included the words: “On a desert island, totally alone, with one chance to finally tell his story”.
Cast Away airs over three nights beginning 30 September.
The series will be Schofield’s first time on television since he sensationally left ITV last year following 20 years with the broadcaster.
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”.