Viewers tuned out of Phillip Schofield’s big TV comeback according to the latest ratings.
Phillip Schofield stepped back into the spotlight at the start of this month with a brand-new TV project.
More than a year after he was last seen on screens, the former This Morning host quietly filmed a survival special for Channel 5 called Cast Away.
The show saw him marooned on a tropical island near Madagascar for 10 days. Entirely alone, he documented the experience using a variety of cameras.
The series aired over three nights on Channel 5 from Monday, 30 September through to Wednesday, 2 October.
TV ratings data show the first episode was watched by 2.3 million viewers but 500,000 fewer watched a second episode.
Viewers dropped a further 200,000 viewers for the third and final instalment.
The figures include those watching on catch up on TV and online.
It wasn’t just viewers who rejected the show, with some critics branding it a “wasted opportunity”.
Discussing the show, Phillip 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 Hank’s Wilson and quietly drift off into the wild blue yonder!!”
It was the second such special on Channel 5, with Ruby Wax filming a similar show in 2023.
