Phillip Schofield Returns to TV on Channel 5

Phillip Schofield, former This Morning presenter, has returned to TV after more than a year away in Phillip Schofield Cast Away for Channel 5.

The three-part series, which debuted on September 29 and is airing through October 1, follows Schofield as he is cast away on an unpopulated island off the coast of Madagascar for ten days and nine nights. Left alone with only a handful of cameras to document his own experience of total isolation and the forces of nature, Schofield is given the time to battle with his own mind and explore his controversial story.

Though Schofield is alone on the island throughout the series, the production team was stationed 30 minutes offshore to interview in the event of an extreme emergency. Schofield’s mental health and physical safety were monitored as the experience progressed.

Phillip Schofield Cast Away was produced by Burning Bright Productions. It was commissioned by Guy Davies for Channel 5 and executive produced by Clive Tulloh and Louise Quayle at Burning Bright. The producer-director was Ewen Thomson.

“This is most definitely a first for me and the only thing I felt compelled to do,” Schofield said. “It 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. 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!”

Davies, commissioning editor at Channel 5, said, “This isn’t just a survival challenge; it’s a chance for Phillip to look back over the last explosive 18 months of his life and explore what happened. The audience will learn how he feels now about television and the future, as well as the past. And it will be Phillip Schofield as we have never seen him before–unguarded, emotional and brutally honest.”

“We are very excited about this powerful and emotional series,” added Tulloh, managing director at Burning Birght. “It is much-watch tv. It gives a whole new meaning to survival.”