Before signing up to make his TV comeback on Channel 5’s Cast Away, Phillip Schofield had already reportedly turned down several offers to appear in other shows.
Newspapers had been speculating in recent months about whether he might make his return with an appearance on a reality competition series like ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
But his decision to take part in a less high-profile show could end up being an astute PR move.
He has chosen a series that will see him attempt to survive for 10 days without food, water, or even a camera crew.
There are likely to be a few reasons why.
First of all, Cast Away is a pre-recorded programme, and Schofield’s series has already been filmed. That means he and those around him will already know how it went and what headlines might be written about it when it airs.
In contrast, taking part in something like I’m A Celebrity as his first TV gig would have meant giving away a huge amount of control.
For that kind of programme, with episodes showing content from the previous 24 hours, you don’t know in advance how you will be presented in the edit or how well you’ll get on with your fellow campmates.
Taking part in Cast Away removes any possibility of Schofield clashing with other contestants or being challenged by them – as Nigel Farage was in the last series of I’m A Celebrity.
PA MediaThe fact that Schofield was completely isolated for the Channel 5 series is helpful in another sense, too.
Some celebrities might have been reluctant to share a platform with him at this early stage of his comeback, in case there is any backlash from the public, 15 months after his departure from ITV’s This Morning following the scandal over an affair with a younger male colleague.
Anybody sharing the screen with him now on a reality show might have tried to distance themselves from him as a result.
But being on his own on an island removes that possibility, and means he can test how the show goes down with viewers without having to involve anybody else.
Comeback narrative
Cast Away’s format could also be beneficial to Schofield in terms of how his comeback narrative plays out.
The series will see him try to survive in tough conditions. That can often be a good way for scandal-hit celebrities to endear themselves to the public and give the impression that they have undergone some kind of renewal.
Matt Hancock tried something similar after losing his job as health secretary, by appearing on the brutal SAS: Who Dares Wins.
And appearing on a series like Cast Away lets Schofield dip his toe in the waters of publicity without the added scrutiny that would come from being on a much bigger show.
Another reason for choosing Cast Away could be that Schofield sees Channel 5 as a possible future employer.
He’s unlikely to go back to ITV or the BBC – in the first instance anyway – and he may not be well known enough internationally to sign with one of the streamers.
Instead, if Cast Away goes down well, Channel 5 could be one of the main broadcasters enthusiastic to work with him on other projects.
The network also has an older audience which are both familiar with him, and perhaps also more forgiving.
Social media return
It’s worth pointing out that Schofield has never been convicted of any crime. As he has said himself, his affair was “unwise but not illegal”.
Not everybody will welcome his comeback, however.
We’ve never heard publicly from the younger employee involved in his affair. And many feel, regardless of whether or not it was consensual, that there was a power imbalance Schofield should have considered.
There have also been no further public allegations made against him since he was last on air, which adds to the likelihood that he will be able to make some kind of comeback.
It’s also notable that Schofield has returned to social media recently.
The presenter took an almost year-long break from posting on Instagram following his exit from This Morning, and returned about four months ago.
When he did, he smartly restricted who can comment on his posts, limiting the amount of trolling he might have received.
That suggests he has been gently laying the groundwork for some kind of TV return.
Last year, Schofield told the BBC’s Amol Rajan that his career in showbusiness was over following his This Morning exit. It appears he now feels differently.
As he says in the trailer for Cast Away, the series is “my chance to tell my side of my story”.
“I know what I did was unwise,” he reflects. “But is it enough to absolutely destroy someone?”