Former This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield can be seen claiming “disaster has struck” as his tent is destroyed by strong gusts of wind in a new clip from Cast Away, which sees him return to TV for the first time since 2023.
The series will see the ex-Dancing on Ice host getting to grips with isolation across 10 days and nine nights.
In the clip from the upcoming Channel 5 show, the 62-year-old can be seen settling in for the night after his first day in Madagascar, where he sets up his tent, builds a fire, and hunts for food.
In the middle of the night, he is woken by a storm.
Complete isolation. No comforts, no safety net. Phillip Schofield faces life on a remote island, learning to live in the unforgiving wilderness.
— Channel 5 (@channel5_tv) September 25, 2024
📺 Phillip Schofield Cast Away starts Monday 9pm on Channel 5 & My5 pic.twitter.com/tM9rJbEPWN
In the clip, Schofield says before going to sleep: “I want to catch a fish that makes me feel full. I am literally going to sleep as I’m holding this.
“Anyway, there we go and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The video then cuts to him waking up later in the night and saying: “Bl***y hell, disaster has struck, howling wind blowing through everything, it’s taken out all the front (of my tent).
“This (the tent) is about to tear itself to pieces and there’s still every possibility that it will. I wasn’t expecting that.”
The three-part show, Phillip Schofield: Cast Away, will see the former ITV presenter marooned on a tropical island off the coast of the African country with a handful of cameras, following his nearly two-year absence from the limelight.
In an earlier trailer for the series, Schofield acknowledged not disclosing an affair with a younger colleague was “unwise” but questioned whether it should “absolutely destroy someone”.
In the teaser, he says to the camera: “I’ve been cast away on a desert island, completely on my own, all I have is camera gear, and I can say whatever I want about whatever I want.
“It’s my chance to tell my side of my story. I know what I did was unwise but is it enough to absolutely destroy someone?”
The earlier clip was interspersed with scenes of Schofield trying to find food and survive on the island.
Channel 5 said the experience of Schofield being left alone allows him to “confront the challenges of total isolation, the forces of nature and provides the time to battle within his own mind as he explores his own controversial story”.
Speaking about appearing in the series, 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.”
Oldham-born TV star Schofield receives a training day with a survival expert prior to arriving via boat, as he is “left to navigate his new island home alone, attempting to scavenge for mangoes, find a water source and catch fish”.
Coming Soon to Channel 5…
— Channel 5 (@channel5_tv) September 23, 2024
A celebrity marooned on an uninhabited tropical island off the coast of Madagascar for 10 days is challenged with total isolation, the forces of nature, and the battle within their own mind. pic.twitter.com/O1vFUJUfbx
Schofield will also “reflect on some of the tougher times in his life” amid days “without any meaningful food”.
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Hungry, he will try to catch crab for dinner at dusk before getting lost “in the dense jungle with only a headlamp and no idea of how to get back to camp”, Channel 5’s episode description says.
Schofield said last year he had “lost everything” after admitting to the affair, and that the fallout had a “catastrophic effect” on his mind.
Phillip Schofield: Cast Away begins airing at 9pm on Monday on Channel 5, and will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday at the same time.
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