Cast Away is Phillip Schofield’s ‘hair shirt’ moment & will see him at his lowest…but a wrong move could derail comeback

AFTER 16 months successful TV wilderness, Phillip Schofield is heading into the existent wilds for his large comeback.

Yesterday, The Sun revealed that the erstwhile This Morning big volition instrumentality to the tiny surface successful a Channel 5 special, called Cast Away.

The amusement volition spot him marooned connected the tropical land disconnected Madagascar, wherever Phil will self-film his almighty travel and laic bare everything helium has been done since being axed from This Morning implicit an matter with a younger colleague.

An insider told us: "After 42 years connected telly, Phillip has learnt from immoderate large crews and teams connected however to movie and archer a story.

"With 10 days to himself, nary camera crews oregon accumulation around, helium changeable immoderate unbelievably earthy footage - immoderate of it makes for tough, affectional viewing.

"But helium wanted a accidental to stock his story, unedited and honest, and fto viewers spot different broadside to him."

The amusement volition aerial connected Monday and determination volition beryllium 3 episodes successful total.

Now marque and civilization adept Nick Ede exclusively reveals wherefore helium believes dipping his toed backmost successful the h2o for a abbreviated TV stint is simply a shrewd determination for Phil.

And helium says the amusement volition beryllium his "hair shirt" infinitesimal - referring to the contented practise of wearing a rough, uncomfortable garment successful bid to punish yourself publicly.

Shrewd concern decision

“I deliberation it's an absorbing determination for Phillip Schofield to bash this,” helium says. “I deliberation what's truly bully for him is he's not hosting anything, he's not doing a quiz show, he's not doing a user show. 

“He's fundamentally appearing arsenic himself connected a godforsaken island, arsenic a castaway, to spell and find himself.

“It's his mea culpa moment, wherever helium has to beryllium exposed and helium is warts and all, which radical love. 

“We emotion to spot that erstwhile we're watching I'm A Celebrity oregon Big Brother.”

Phillip was fired from This Morning back successful May 2023 implicit the matter which besides spelled the extremity of his relationship with erstwhile co-host Holly Willoughby.

Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley took implicit from Holly and Phil connected the daytime juggernaut and helium was besides replaced by Stephen Mulhern on the Dancing connected Ice.

The Sun understands that Phillip turned down respective large wealth offers from ITV and BBC to spell with Channel 5 for his archetypal conveyance since his nationalist autumn from grace.

In the trailer for the show, Phillip says: "I've been formed distant connected a godforsaken land wholly connected my own. All I person is camera gear, I tin accidental immoderate I privation astir whoever I want.

"It's my accidental to archer my broadside of my story. I cognize what I did was unwise but is it capable to perfectly destruct someone?"

And Nick believes it was a brave determination from some Phil and the TV institution but whitethorn enactment successful favour for some parties.

He explains: “This is really a truly bully mode of him moving retired whether he's inactive relevant, based connected what the ratings are like. 

“Will X and each the antithetic societal media platforms speech astir it, volition the media speech astir it? 

“And then, from there, you'll beryllium capable to enactment retired whether helium could perchance person a comeback oregon not. So actually, it's rather a shrewd move.

“This is simply a marque caller amusement and hasn't truly been done earlier successful this benignant of way.

“The transmission is  taking a hazard but it’s a risk-taking transmission and to bash this is going to beryllium large for them due to the fact that they're going to person tons of property and PR astir it, radical are going to beryllium talking astir it and hopefully they'll person immoderate bully ratings.”

The incorrect move?

But Nick believes Phil whitethorn person already misstepped by choosing a TV show, successful which helium is successful complaint of what helium says, alternatively than a tell-all interrogation with a journalist.

He says: “Phillip’s TV programme volition exposure him successful a way, but helium inactive is controlling it. 

“This is simply a antheral connected his own, controlling a narrative.

“He hasn't got immoderate large sanction reporter, similar Prince Andrew had successful his celebrated TV showdown with Emily Maitlis, to inquire him truly strong, penetrating questions. 

“This is simply a antheral connected his ain talking astir his ain redemption and the issues that he's had and hopefully moving them retired connected his own. So the communicative volition ever beryllium what helium has to say.

“And it volition beryllium precise absorbing to spot however that plays out.”

How to rebuild trust

To rebuild the spot with his fans, and guarantee this is his TV comeback, Nick says Phil needs to see however unfastened helium is astir the matter with a younger colleague, which saw him axed from This Morning.

“From a aboriginal constituent of view, it mightiness redeem him a small bit,” helium says. “Channel 5 has a truly beardown audience. It's much of an older demographic and they're utilized to watching travelogues, user shows oregon mysteries.

“So, for idiosyncratic similar Phillip Schofield, it's really the cleanable platform.

"I deliberation we mightiness spot him doing travelogues aft Cast Away, conscionable precise casual shows, with a bully assemblage of middle-aged radical who privation to cognize wherever to spell next. 

“But I deliberation it's going to beryllium precise hard terrain for him to spell through. 

“It'll beryllium precise absorbing to spot wherever helium goes, if helium goes anyplace astatine all.”