Should Phillip Schofield have returned to TV? Yahoo readers have their say

The former This Morning presenter returned to prime time television on Channel 5's Cast Away, but not everyone agreed it was a good idea.

Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After 72 hours the poll closes and, each Friday, we'll publish and analyse the results, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers.

Phillip Schofield Cast Away: Episode 1
Phillip Schofield returned to UK TV in Cast Away. (Channel 5)

Yahoo readers largely think it was wrong for Phillip Schofield to return to television this week in Channel 5's survival show Cast Away. The TV presenter had been off air since quitting ITV in 2023 when he admitted to a secret affair with a younger male colleague at This Morning. He strongly denied accusations of grooming. In surprise news that was revealed with just a few days' notice, Schofield was back on prime time for three nights this week in the reality show which maroons a celebrity in isolation on an uninhabited island for ten days.

The show saw Schofield airing his thoughts on the scandal which ended his long-standing broadcasting career, hitting out at "three s***s" in the TV world who he says abandoned him. The final episode saw him throwing the names of the "toxic" people he feels "betrayed him" in to a fire. Talking to the camera, Schofield said "now the toxic bank is empty. The goodness bank is full. Don’t dwell on what you’ve lost, live for what you have and be grateful for it."

However, in an exclusive new poll, Yahoo readers have said they think it was not a good idea for Schofield to be back on TV so soon. Mart from Sunderland told Yahoo: "No way should he be on television. He had his chance and has blown it big style. He has been proven to be a liar and a cheat." M from Norfolk agreed saying: "[He] should not of been allowed back on television, completely wrong, disgraceful."

In his defence, some readers felt it was time to move on. "What he did was a minor, stupid thing to do at a time he was trying to find who he really was," said Darren from Bristol. "But does he need to be punished in this way? No not all."

Jeremy from Chandler's Ford agreed saying, "If he has not broken any english laws, then personal life is personal, and should stay like that, even if they are in the spotlight! Those who have such high morals, must firstly look at themselves."

Yahoo News UK asked our readers Should Phillip Schofield be back on TV? Here are the results:

(Yahoo UK)
(Yahoo UK)

Our poll from Monday at midday until midday Thursday asked: 'Should Phillip Schofield be back on TV?'

It received 10,922 votes and showed 55% of Yahoo readers think Schofield should not be back on television.

37% of voters said that Schofield should be back on TV with just 7.69% being undecided.

55% of Yahoo readers think Schofield should not be back on television.

(Yahoo UK)
(Yahoo UK)

Yahoo News UK readers were also asked: Out of ten, how fair is it that Schofield has been given a new TV show?

This poll received 3,635 votes with the most common vote being 0 with 1,260 votes, indicating many readers were unhappy with his return to TV.

The average strength-of-feeling score on all the votes was 3.99.

Most Yahoo readers felt it was unfair that Phillip Schofield had been given a TV show.

Our original poll article can be found here.

Read more of Yahoo UK's Poll of the Week articles