Phillip Schofield makes a dramatic return to TV after secretly filming a new show on a remote island – 16 months after off-screen affair led to ITV axe

Phillip Schofield is returning to mainstream television after signing up for a new show, 16 months after leaving This Morning.

The presenter has been secretly recording the Channel 5 special Cast Away, which sees him spend 10 days on a tropical island in the Indian Ocean.

Schofield, 62, has spoken of his acrimonious departure from ITV, while now fending for himself on the island off the coast of Madagascar.

Viewers will see the sacked presenter discuss the emotional impact of being banned from mainstream television after news of his affair with a 20-year-old jogger emerged on daytime programme This Morning.

A source said The sun: ‘Phil has had a number of offers for various things over the past few months, but he has turned them all down.

The presenter has been secretly filming the Channel 5 special Cast Away, which sees him spend 10 days on a tropical island in the Indian Ocean

‘This kind of challenge has always appealed to him and after consulting with friends and family he decided to go for it. It has all been top secret and it has happened incredibly quickly to keep the news under wraps.

‘After 42 years in television, Phillip has learned how to film and tell a story from some amazing crews and teams.’

The source added: ‘He had 10 days to himself, with no camera crews or production, and shot some incredibly raw footage – some of it is heavy and emotional to watch.

‘But he wanted the chance to share his story, uncensored and honest, and to show viewers a different side of him.

‘While this is a huge step for Channel 5 and huge for Phillip, he is in no rush to return to television full-time. He is still very battered and is just taking some time to consider everything before making any major decisions.’

The three-part series airs on Channel 5 from Monday night and will be Schofield’s first TV appearance since leaving This Morning under a cloud in 2023.

It was May 2023 when the presenter admitted on the programme This Morning to having had a relationship with a much younger male colleague, and later lying about it.

He described their romance as “ill-advised, but not illegal,” explaining that it occurred during his nearly 30-year marriage to Stephanie Lowe, with whom he has two children.

Schofield subsequently resigned from both This Morning and ITV, saying he was “deeply sorry” that Lowe had been unfaithful.

At the time, it was reported that Steph was “devastated” by the revelation and angry that her husband had lied to her.

However, it later emerged that she chose not to file for divorce because she didn’t want him to “sink even deeper” than he already has, and despite everything, “the love is still very much there.”

In addition to his marriage, Schofield’s relationship with co-host Holly Willoughby also fell apart over the scandal, with rumors rife that the two were at odds.

Schofield’s daughter Molly is now his publicist after leaving the agency that once represented her father.

PR guru Mark Borkowski says he made his tepid return to the public eye only after a year-long absence, during which he tried to disappear and get himself in order.

Borkowski called him a rare talent, saying, “He tests the waters. But the audience is very forgiving.”

Schofield told the BBC in an emotional interview last June that the affair had ended his career, and it emerged that the aftermath had left him with suicidal thoughts.

He told how his two daughters, Molly and Ruby, had saved his life and had ‘watched over me and never let me out of my sight’.

He admitted during the interview with Amol Rajan that he denied manipulating the younger colleague, before telling critics: “Do you want me to die? Because that’s where I am.”