Phillip Schofield leaves This Morning

[pinkmonkey]

Massive c+p from Popbitch.

You might, quite reasonably, think the country has lost its goddamn mind getting so worked up over the fall-out from the host of a largely unwatched morning TV show conducting an "unwise, but not illegal" affair with a young runner – not least because this story has been plastered all over WhatsApp groups and social media for literal years now. But the properly fascinating bit of this story is the cover up. How brazenly the people closest to it will lie to save their skins. How unprepared the channel was to deal with a scandal like this, despite getting a test run with Ant McPartlin a few years back. And how - when so much of this story was common knowledge across the length and breadth of the country – it only actually became a problem for Schofe when the press finally decided to run it. The revelations are opening all sorts of fruitful avenues for Popbitch to explore, and we'll have plenty of opportunities in the coming weeks to deal with them. This week, we thought we'd start with a broader look at the talent agency that stuck with Phil for 35 years, how they kept his indiscretions out of the spotlight all this time, how they keep their wider client base out of trouble – plus, how they once covered up one of Phil's unwise AND illegal incidents... [Read Secret Agents on Popbitch]​

One of the first YMU clients to face the press since the Schofield story broke was Davina McCall, who had a Q&A event for her new documentary last night. Awkward enough, but doubly so given Davina's agent is... Molly Schofield.​

>> Big Questions <<​ Who's asking what this week?​ What is it about the This Morning set that inspires bouts of young runner shagging? Schofield is by no means the first. One ITV presenter was famous in-house for getting caught in flagrante with a young work experience girl in the studio's fire escape. (The boss at the time had him exiled to a far-flung regional channel to keep it all hushed up.)​

​

>> Phil-anthropy <<​ Take it from someone who knew​ When Phillip Schofield was a tender young teen – working as a lowly teaboy at the BBC, trying to break into showbiz himself – he too attracted the attentions of a famous older broadcaster. Someone who gave Schofe his very first bit of Radio 1 airtime. Jimmy Savile. In his 2020 autobiography, Schofe recounts the piece of valuable advice Savile once imparted to him. Advice he sadly failed to heed: "Be nice to everyone on the way up; you'll need them all on the way down." FYI: Phil offered to buy Savile a drink for this, but Savile turned him down – saying that it "wouldn't be appropriate".​

Scandal begets scandal: Phillip Schofield got his start on This Morning as cover for John Leslie when John Leslie got arrested.​

>> Direct line <<​ Without pride; without prejudice​ It isn't just Schofield's agents who'd run interference with the press to keep unflattering coverage of him at bay. Head honchos at ITV weren't above getting their hands dirty either. It wasn't uncommon for tabloid reporters who wrote anything even mildly critical of Phil and Holly to find This Morning's editor Martin Frizell raging in their inboxes, personally emailing the bylined hacks to complain direct. If the story he disliked appeared in the Daily Mirror, he particularly enjoyed making thinly veiled threats that he would nuke the Mirror's association with the Pride Of Britain Awards if they didn't change their tone. While some journalists and editors did indeed alter headlines and stories post-publication to placate him, others just blocked his email address and let him whinge into the void.​

ITV execs are all insisting they had no idea Phil Schofield was bonking a runner under their noses, and it's almost universally horseshit. The only one we'll give the benefit of the doubt is ITV Daytime boss Emma Gormley – as her on-set nickname is "Emma Gormless".​

>> Dan-hearted <<​ Write what you know​ Given his own HR history, you might have wondered what in the everloving fuck gave Dan Wootton the almighty nerve to start running his mouth about Phillip Schofield's behaviour. But runner-lover romance is something of an area of expertise for Wootton. At the start of his career, back in his native New Zealand, Dan was the much younger lover of a morning TV presenter, for whom he was a junior researcher too. He was 21; she, Lisa Manning, was 40. And, much like Schofield, Lisa ended up leaving the show amid some fevered gossip in the local papers. It too ended badly. She dumped Dan after falling for actor John Rhys-Davies (a.k.a. Sallah from Indiana Jones/Gimli from Lord Of The Rings) – and they remain married to this day.​

Part of the reason Dan Wootton has got such bad nappy rash about this whole situation? He was desperate to be repped by YMU in his ITV days, but they didn't want him.​

>> Skeleton party <<​ A few bones to pick ​ Remember when the Jimmy Savile scandal broke in 2012 and Max Clifford was one of the first out of the gate to start giving his two cents on it all – only to be revealed later as one of the dirtiest perverts going? We recommend you keep an eye on some of the people who are shouting loudest about this Phillip Schofield scandal – as some of the papers and networks who are making the most noise, predictably, have the most to cover up themselves. There's barely an organisation going that hasn't got a similar skeleton in its closet. Eamonn Holmes' reasons for sticking the knife into Schofe are pretty obvious. The two have a long-standing professional rivalry – so the glee he's taking in all of this is purely business. However, the irony hasn't been lost on many that GB News isn't exactly the safest pulpit from which to spout this sort of stuff. As well as the stories we've previously run about the harassment that the station's on-screen ''talent' have subjected underlings to (both at GB News and at former jobs), there are now a lot of ex-colleagues getting rather energised about the hypocrisy on show, re: toxic atmospheres and abuse in the workplace. It looks primed to blow up sooner rather than later, but we don't imagine Eamonn will regret his decision either way. As he says: abuse has to be called out.​

 

[pinkmonkey]

In the early 90's my old flatmate/polytechnic mate of mine (a fashion model) was set up on a date with John Leslie by a 'mate' of hers who was a key grip working in daytime tv. Without going into too much detail it didn't go well.

 

[Spymaster]

Let's hope Mr Leslie's attention, or that of his lawyers, isn't drawn to this post ^^^

What the fuck is wrong with people?

 

[two sheds]

Sued for saying "it didn't go well"

 

[Spymaster]

Sued for saying "it didn't go well"

Don't be a tit. There's a very obvious implication there. It should also be noted that the person in question has been cleared of all allegations made against him, and had any charges dropped.

 

[sealion]

Phillip Schofield says his career is over following affair

Oh well ,never mind.

 

[sealion]

Has he looked in the fridge? When I lose stuff it's often in there.

Or under an unlit grill. Yes, my socks manage to creep in there after i've had a reefer or three on washing day.

 

[Pickman's model]

Let's hope Mr Leslie's attention, or that of his lawyers, isn't drawn to this post ^^^

What the fuck is wrong with people?

What do you think is actionable in it?

 

[Pickman's model]

Oh well ,never mind.

It wasn't much of a career to begin with

 

[andysays]

Nobody's hounding him to suicide.

Certainly no one on this thread is doing so (and I don't think Spymaster was suggesting they were, but if we take his interview at face value (and I'm inclined to do so, all things considered) I can kind of understand why it might feel to him that he is being hounded by some sections of the media, and why he might genuinely be at least at risk of suicide.

 

[two sheds]

What do you think is actionable in it?

Admittedly nothing needs to be actionable for someone with loads of money to bring a case. I think it needs more than that though, something like ".... and he left without paying the bill"

 

[Idris2002]

Why does anyone care about any of this?

Schofield had sex with a 20 year old who he'd been in touch with since he was 15. No suggestion of underage sex but mass outrage ensues on 25 page Urban75 thread.

David Bowie screwed multiple underage girls and engaged in highly dubious sexual practices over decades and is lionised and vigorously defended on Urban75.

You have to laugh, innit.

 

[ouirdeaux]

if we take his interview at face value (and I'm inclined to do so, all things considered) I can kind of understand why it might feel to him that he is being hounded by some sections of the media, and why he might genuinely be at least at risk of suicide

Why would you take his interview at face value? After all, he's done nothing but lie up to this point.

If he is genuinely feeling suicidal, then he'd be better off seeking professional help than going in for a public pity party on television.

There is nothing in what has happened that he hasn't brought on himself. I don't see how he's being hounded; rather, his lies are unravelling. It's all public, because he's a TV personality. He's had decades of experience in knowing what that entails.

 

[sealion]

It wasn't much of a career to begin with

Or in the middle, nor the end.

 

[gosub]

Why would you take his interview at face value? After all, he's done nothing but lie up to this point.

If he is genuinely feeling suicidal, then he'd be better off seeking professional help than going in for a public pity party on television.

There is nothing in what has happened that he hasn't brought on himself. I don't see how he's being hounded; rather, his lies are unravelling. It's all public, because he's a TV personality. He's had decades of experience in knowing what that entails.

Two weeks of being front page tabloid fodder....there'll be some hounding.

And that decades of experience is why he's still trying to manage the media

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Or in the middle, nor the end.

What about Gordon though, huh?

Tbf when I was 15 a 16 year old female wanked me off with a Gordon the Gofer puppet, so it could be a thing for child abusers

 

[ouirdeaux]

Two weeks of being front page tabloid fodder....there'll be some hounding.

And that decades of experience is why he's still trying to manage the media

Maybe. But he's not short of a few bob. He could go abroad until it had blown over, rather than paint himself as a victim.

If he really is suicidal, he should be seeking proper help.

If he is. Had he an ounce of self-awareness, he wouldn't expect to be believed after telling nothing but a pack of lies. For years.

 

[gosub]

Maybe. But he's not short of a few bob. He could go abroad until it had blown over, rather than paint himself as a victim.

If he really is suicidal, he should be seeking proper help.

If he is. Had he an ounce of self-awareness, he wouldn't expect to be believed after telling nothing but a pack of lies. For years.

Agree that he'd probably be better off counting penguins in the Falklands waiting for the papers to get bored

 

[sealion]

What about Gordon though, huh?

Is he a bit of a gopher goer?

 

[andysays]

Maybe. But he's not short of a few bob. He could go abroad until it had blown over, rather than paint himself as a victim.

If he really is suicidal, he should be seeking proper help.

If he is. Had he an ounce of self-awareness, he wouldn't expect to be believed after telling nothing but a pack of lies. For years.

Generally when people say they are feeling suicidal, I think it's best that we take that at face value.

Or are you suggesting that he's exaggerating or even making the whole thing up?

And how do you know he hasn't sought "proper help"?

 

[lazythursday]

I dunno. I've always thought he was a bit of a twat, and reluctant to defend him, but if what he says is true I'm really struggling to see that he's really done much wrong - other than to his ex wife.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

I feel sorry for him. Trial by tabloid.

 

[Pickman's model]

I dunno. I've always thought he was a bit of a twat, and reluctant to defend him, but if what he says is true I'm really struggling to see that he's really done much wrong - other than to his ex wife.

so you don't think his initiating legal action based on a lie is in any way wrong

 

[lazythursday]

so you don't think his initiating legal action based on a lie is in any way wrong

Did he do that? That bit has passed me by. Yeah of course that's wrong but it's hardly comparable to plenty of other celebrity scandals.

 

[Pickman's model]

Did he do that? That bit has passed me by. Yeah of course that's wrong but it's hardly comparable to plenty of other celebrity scandals.

tbh the entire episode is rather tawdry

 

[lazythursday]

Tawdry maybe but not the savile-esque horror many were salivating over. Unless there's far more to come in the Sunday papers.

 

[TopCat]

Stains on the sofa

 

[Pickman's model]

Tawdry maybe but not the savile-esque horror many were salivating over. Unless there's far more to come in the Sunday papers.

savile abused in one day more people than schofield is accused of grooming or whatnot. so it's really not savile-esque in any sense

 

[Pickman's model]

Stains on the sofa

unsightly blemishes on the cutlery

 

[StakerOne]

My 2p.

Unless there's something I don't know, I can't see what all the fuss is about.

Has this younger male made any complaints? From what I understand he hasn't.

The end.