PHILLIP Schofield’s return to television has been branded as ‘sickenly desperate’ by Channel 5 viewers.
The broadcaster made a comeback to screens some 16 months after admitting to an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a younger This Morning crew member.
Phil, 62, was sent to a remote island for 10 days as part of Channel 5’s Cast Away.
Before he secretly left London – by train before multiple flights to not arouse suspicion – viewers saw the star at home with his daughters Molly, Ruby and his wife Stephanie.
They appeared to mock Holly Willoughby’s message to This Morning viewers when she returned in the wake of Phil’s axing.
As he headed for Madagascar, Phillip received a supportive message from TV and movie star Joanna Lumley.
Phil also broke down in tears as she spoke about discovering new things about himself in the wake of the scandal.
But for viewers at home, the scenes proved too much as they flocked to social media to comment.
One said: “Not watching a second of the sickeningly desperate attempt for #PhillipSchofield to garner sympathy for being a wrong ‘un. Imagine doing what he did and essentially having a video diary of your defence aired on TV. That his narcissism is being pandered to is grim.”
A second blasted: “Can’t believe a TV channel has given this guy a platform again.”
Some viewers supported the former ITV star, with one writing: “I think we can all now give this guy a break. His wife and daughters love him unconditionally. And if they’re on his side then so should everyone else be. Who the hell are we to judge ANYONE? I like Phil. Always have done always will. Well done fella.”
Another said: “I feel sorry for Phillip…. He has made a hash of everything but I don’t think he is a bad guy.”
In scenes set to air during the third and final episode, Phillip Schofield will say he was sacked by ITV because of the bad publicity caused by his paedophile brother’s crimes.
That contradicts the narrative created around the time of his departure in May last year, which suggested he had resigned after confessing to a fling with a younger runner.
He said: “I was becoming more of a story than the programme. And I agreed to say that I resigned because it would be neater for everybody. I was fired for the bad publicity for someone else’s crime.”
“I blew my own wheels off with everything else because I thought the only way to even begin to put this right for everybody is to do a full mea culpa.
“I came clean about my affair. What people don’t realise is I wasn’t fired from This Morning when I admitted lying… it was before, because of someone I used to call brother.”
By Rod McPhee
OVER three nights – and three hour-long episodes – Phillip Schofield has been bearing his soul in new Channel 5 show Cast Away.
And it’s basically a chance for the former This Morning host to explain the circumstances that saw him leave the show last year.
To put it mildly, he left under something of a cloud, admitting he’d had a fling with a much younger runner on the programme. But in the C5 show he presents his own versions of events – one which is at odds with the narrative that emerged at the time.
He was portrayed as a man who’d had an “unwise” affair, who’d resigned as a result and had let many of his colleagues down.
But in Cast Away Philip insists he was fired by ITV and not for the affair, but because of the bad publicity that surrounded the crimes of his paedophile brother. He summed it up best when he claimed he’d been “pushed under a bus.”
After watching Cast Away what you’re left with is something rather confusing, however.
Did Philip think he’d done something wrong by having the fling with the runner, or not? For example, he said he wouldn’t have been slammed for it quite so much if it were a heterosexual fling.
He said he: “would have received a pat on the back for having an affair with a woman.” This infers that the only thing wrong with it was that it was a same sex fling. So why does he also say: “I will be forever sorry. I screwed up. I made a mistake.”
The answer, I suspect, is that the whole affair was a murky business. There were so many blurred lines around appropriateness, professionalism and honesty.
The only firm conclusion you can draw from the show is that Phillip himself isn’t ENTIRELY sure to what extent He was guilty of wrongdoing.
Amid the confusion, what will the viewing public think? I suspect that this will leave those who disliked Phillip to feel even more suspicious of him.
Those who backed him, will feel reassured too. But those who still aren’t sure what to think will be none-the-wiser – and I’m not sure if that’s what Phillip would have wanted.
SHOPPERS are racing to their nearest bargain supermarket to scoop up Oreo cheesecakes scanning at the till for just 49p after its price was slashed from £2.49.
The savvy customer shared their find on Facebook, receiving hundreds of likes and comments from fellow Oreo fans eager to get their hands on the sweet treat.
The post revealed that Farmfoods had slashed the price of its Oreo cheesecakes to just 49p.
Reacting to the post one user wrote: “And this is why I love Farmfoods.”
“I know where I’m going tomorrow,” commented another.
A third shopper tagged their friend and said: “Your gran would have sent us to Farmfoods lol.”
While a fourth user added: “We need a Farmfoods trip.”
Several others tagged friends, urging them to head to Farmfoods as soon as possible.
It is unclear which branch the shopper snapped up the bargain treat and discounts may vary from store to store.
Previously, the major supermarket chain sold another classic chocolate at a discounted price.
A bargain hunter revealed that she got an amazing deal on Kinder chocolate eggs which scanned for just 49p at the tills.
She said: “49P EACH FARMFOODS.”
The savvy shopper bought 15 of the pack of three kinder eggs treats.
She said: “Yes I left some I have four kids and nieces and nephews.”
The post racked up nearly 1000 likes in just a few hours with over 500 comments.
Many users said they would have completely cleared the shelves if they had spotted the deal in their local stores.
One user said: “Hi if you find a find just take the cost of living means everyone has been affected. Well done you.”
Another said: “I cleared my Farmfoods shelf, not sorry but mine had the month of August on for anyone wondering.”
“Wouldn’t have left any,” claimed a third.
Unfortunately for some shoppers, news of the bargain chocolate spread quickly, leading to multiple stores running out of stock.
One user said: “Bummer didn’t see any in my local farm foods and can’t beat kinder chocolate.”
Another savvy shopper spotted the deal in her store after seeing the post online.
She said: “49p in Farmfoods thanks for the person posting it and buying all of it.”
Some viewers were concerned about the quality of the treats asking if the low prices were due to them being out of date.
They asked: “Are the dates good on them? These would be so good for trick-or-treaters!”
But those who had managed to get the deal assured they would be good for a few months.
The shopper said: “Mine are September.”
It comes after Iceland fan rushed to their nearest store to buy a “fab” snack dupe scanning at tills for £1.20 less than the popular original.
And sweet-toothed Brits have been left delighted after spotting a new flavour of a popular treat sitting on Co-op shelves.
SUN Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to find a cut-price item and bag a bargain…
Sign up to loyalty schemes of the brands that you regularly shop with.
Big names regularly offer discounts or special lower prices for members, among other perks.
Sales are when you can pick up a real steal.
Retailers usually have periodic promotions that tie into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends, so keep a lookout and shop when these deals are on.
Sign up to mailing lists and you’ll also be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too.
When buying online, always do a search for money off codes or vouchers that you can use vouchercodes.co.uk and myvouchercodes.co.uk are just two sites that round up promotions by retailer.
Scanner apps are useful to have on your phone. Trolley.co.uk app has a scanner that you can use to compare prices on branded items when out shopping.
Bargain hunters can also use B&M’s scanner in the app to find discounts in-store before staff have marked them out.
And always check if you can get cashback before paying which in effect means you’ll get some of your money back or a discount on the item.
A CROOKED lawyer has admitted legal aid fraud involving drumming up false torture and murder claims against British soldiers in Iraq.
Disgraced Phil Shiner, 67, pursued cases against veterans, alleging ill-treatment of detainees during the 2003 Iraq war.
Yesterday, at London’s Southwark crown court, he admitted three counts of defrauding the Legal Services Commission for funding to pursue claims.
Shiner ran Public Interest Lawyers and hid the fact Iraqi complainants had been provided by an agent making cold calls on his behalf.
He claimed £200,000 in funding for his firm to represent clients — and raked in £3million.
He was struck off as a solicitor in 2017 over 12 misconduct charges.
Sentencing is in December.
Andy Kelly, head of the National Crime Agency’s International Corruption Unit, said: “This conviction is a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex domestic and international investigation.
“Shiner’s actions resulted in untold pressure and anxiety on members of the British Armed Forces, pursuing legal challenges funded through dishonest actions.”