Phillip Schofield returns to TV in new Channel 5 show Cast Away

"Maybe I'll be Robinson Crusoe, or maybe I'll just be Tom Hanks' Wilson and quietly drift off into the wild blue yonder."

Phillip Schofield on Cast Away, Channel 5

by Arabella Horspool |
Published on

After leaving This Morning 16 months ago, Phillip Schofield is returning to TV in a new Channel 5 series, Cast Away. The reality show will follow the 62-year-old broadcaster as he's left to fend for himself on a desert island off Madagascar for ten days.

When is Phillip Schofield returning to TV?

The show is split into three parts, with the first episode airing on Channel 5 on Monday 30th September.

There was no production team or camera crew; the series was filmed by Phillip himself with a handheld camera, body camera, and sound pack.

Speaking about the show, Schofield said: "This is most definitely a first for me and the only thing I felt compelled to do. 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 Hanks' Wilson and quietly drift off into the wild blue yonder."

Phillip Schofield returns in Cast Away ©© Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited

This will be his first appearance since he stepped down from This Morning “with immediate effect” back in May 2023, after more than 20 years, following an alleged rift between him and co-presenter Holly Willoughby.

Just a week after he left the daytime entertainment and lifestyle show, he admitted to having had an "unwise but not illegal" affair with a younger male colleague, three years after coming out as gay in 2020.

Phillip Schofield Cast Away trailer

Philip Schofield returns to TV on the 30th September at 9pm on Channel 5 & My5; watch the trailer here:

Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who is passionate about TV, film and theatre. She enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, playing board games and spending time with her pet dogs, tortoise and chickens.

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