Phillip Schofield – live: ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall says Schofield’s lover denied affair 12 times

ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall appeared before a parliamentary committee today (Wednesday 14 June) to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to safeguarding and complaint handling after former employee Phillip Schofield’s exit from This Morning.

The chief executive faced questions from MPs on the This Morning row at a session of the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee. This comes after former presenter Schofield, 61, resigned from ITV and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague.

Since Schofield’s resignation, This Morning has been plagued with allegations of “toxicity”. McCall vehemently denied this during the committee hearing and detailed how ITV bosses had repeatedly questioned Schofield and his lover about rumours of their affair.

The show’s former resident doctor Ranj Singh hit out at a “toxic” culture last month, saying he raised concerns about “bullying and discrimination” two years ago when he worked there – and afterwards felt like he was “managed out” for whistleblowing.

Key Points

• ITV chief asked to face MP questions about Philip Schofield and This Morning scandal

• ITV orders review into Phillip Schofield’s departure from This Morning

• Who is presenting This Morning with Holly Willoughby after Phillip Schofield’s departure?

• From Piers Morgan to Eamonn Holmes: Celebrities who weighed in on Phillip Schofield’s This Morning and ITV exit

ITV’s Dame Carolyn McCall faces MPs’ questions over Phillip Schofield exit

05:08 , Isobel Lewis

ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall is facing questions from MPs about the scandal surrounding This Morning after Phillip Schofield’s controversial exit from the programme.

Shortly after his initial exit from This Morning amid a rumoured feud with co-presenter Holly Willoughby, Schofield admitted to lying about his affair with a former runner of the show in 2020 in a statement to the Daily Mail.

Schofield resigned from ITV and stepped down as the host of the British Soap Awards on 26 May, with the presenter being replaced by Jane McDonald.

Now, McCall is appearing before a session of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee today to give evidence about how much ITV bosses knew regarding the situation.

News that McCall will testify before MPs came after ex-This Morning host Eamonn Holmes accused ITV of “covering up” for Schofield.

ITV chief asked to face MP questions about Philip Schofield and This Morning scandal

12:06 , Isobel Lewis

“Do you think you should keep your job?” McCall is asked.

“I do,” she replies.

12:05 , Isobel Lewis

Asked about her pay, Carolyn McCall says that she receives a base salary of under £1 million, with additional long-term and short-term bonuses.

12:04 , Isobel Lewis

Carolyn McCall has defended Love Island, after being asked about the deaths by suicide of Caroline Flack and two former contestants.

She says that mental health charities would attest that suicide cannot be linked to one event, and that ITV has drastically improved their duty-of-care procedures for islanders since 2018.

11:59 , Isobel Lewis

Asked about comments made by Caroline Flack’s family that ITV treats its talent like “commodities”, Carolyn McCall says: “We would really not want to treat anyone like a commodity.”

Kevin Lygo agrees, saying that “nobody would agree” with that statement.

11:57 , Isobel Lewis

Discussing recent allegations made by The X Factor contestant Rebecca Ferguson about her treatment on the show in 2010, McCall stressed that they broadcast, but not make the talent competition.

She adds that their duty-of-care requirements of producers have increased since 2019.

Kyla Mullins says that ITV looked into Ferguson’s complaints when they were made in 2021, with production company Fremantle stating things had “moved on significantly” since then.

11:44 , Isobel Lewis

Carolyn McCall seems shocked by suggestion ITV staff referred to daytime viewers as “Towerblock Tracys”.

She denies, saying: “I have never heard that.”

11:41 , Isobel Lewis

Kyla Mullins stresses that Person X has not signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Carolyn McCall says that she has no knowledge of any NDAs, apart from those for commercial reasons.

11:37 , Isobel Lewis

Carolyn McCall and Kyla Mullins confirm that Person X was a “family friend” of Schofield’s, but that ITV never found an issue in him being brought in for work experience via these channels.

11:32 , Isobel Lewis

Carolyn McCall says it was Schofield, not ITV who put Person X “under pressure” to lie about the affair.

11:31 , Isobel Lewis

MP John Nicolson has shared some complaints he has received from former ITV staffers, describing aggressive bosses and bullying on set.

Carolyn McCall has asked the MP if he would pass these complaints along to ITV. Kyla Mullins adds that Nicolson can give those people their complaints number if he feels comfortable.

11:24 , Isobel Lewis

Discussing Martin Frizell’s controversial recent interview on Sky News where he talked about aubergines, McCall calls the comments “foolish”.

11:19 , Isobel Lewis

Discussing the complaint made about the culture on This Morning made in the last five years but not by Dr Ranj Singh, Kyla Mullins says that none of the complaint was upheld.

11:04 , Isobel Lewis

Kevin Lygo says Phillip Schofield didn’t “argue against” leaving This Morning, with his departure coming amid intense media scrutiny on the daytime show due to his brother’s trial.

Kevin Lygo says ‘it’s not that unusual’ that Schofield requested Person X to work with him on other shows

11:02 , Isobel Lewis

Responding to comments by Phillip Schofield got Person X jobs on other ITV shows he works on, Kevin Lygo says: “It’s not that unusual for producers to bring people over, for presenters to say, ‘Can I have that nice researcher?’ It’s not that unusual.”

McCall adds that it was the agent who put the request into the This Morning production team, adding that Person X was requested by other staff members including Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford.

10:52 , Isobel Lewis

Asked about former ITV talent, such as Eamonn Holmes, who have spoken out in the wake of Schofield’s departure, Kevin Lygo says that such former presenters often feel they have a “divine right” to stay on the network.

“It’s not surprising, is it, that when they go, they’re like, ‘Hate ITV, it’s awful.’ When the decade they were there, they were reaping the rewards and enjoying the job and everybody seemed to get on,” he says.

Just two complaints made about ‘toxic’ culture on This Morning in five years, Carolyn McCall says

10:42 , Isobel Lewis

McCall claims that there have been two complaints about a “toxic” culture or bullying on This Morning in the last five years, one of which was made public by Dr Ranj Singh.

You can read his comments below:

Dr Ranj Singh accuses This Morning of ‘toxic culture’ as Schofield scandal grows

Carolyn McCall on This Morning ‘toxic culture’ accusations: ‘It’s not something that we take that seriously'

10:40 , Isobel Lewis

McCall says that ITV “does not recognise” that there is a toxic culture taking place on This Morning.

“We have tangible evidence to tell you [that] the vast majority of people at daytime, at This Morning, are extremely motivated and very motivated.”

10:38 , Isobel Lewis

ITV secretary Kyla Mullins says that there have been no changes to the complaints process at ITV as a result of the Schofield affair.

10:30 , Isobel Lewis

Kevin Lygo says Phillip Schofield implied he still wanted to host British Soap Awards and Dancing on Ice, days before he admitted to lying to ITV about the affair.

Lygo says Schofield “looked me in the eyes” and lied to him, then “two days later”, everything came out.

Carolyn McCall says she’s ‘very concerned’ for Phillip Schofield’s welfare

10:28 , Isobel Lewis

McCall says she’s “very concerned” for Phillip Schofield’s welfare, following his BBC interview, and “extremely concerned” for Person X given the media intrusion into his life.

Phillip Schofield receiving counselling from ITV on his request

10:25 , Isobel Lewis

Carolyn McCall says that Phillip Schofield is still in contact with ITV. He is currently receiving counselling, funded by ITV, on his request.

McCall denies ignoring ‘shortcomings’ at This Morning

10:24 , Isobel Lewis

McCall denies questioning that she ignored “shortcomings” at This Morning due to the show being “commercially successful”.

Adding that all ITV shows are commercially successful, she says that it was about handling the rumours sensitively.

“Nobody here would ever turn a blind eye to something as serious as this,” she says.

Carolyn McCall stresses there was no ‘investigation’ into Schofield’s rumoured affair – rather an ‘ongoing review'

10:21 , Isobel Lewis

McCall says that Person X was put on furlough during the first nine months of lockdown, which came one month after Schofield came out.

She adds that the man was unable to handle the level of press intrusion into his life, so was offered support by ITV to come forward at his own pace, as well as being offered councilling.

However, she stresses that this wasn’t an “investigation”, but rather an “ongoing review” amid periods of “intense speculation”.

Kevin Lygo says Schofield was ‘agitated’ before coming out in February 2020

10:18 , Isobel Lewis

Recalling Schofield publicly coming out as gay in February 2020, ITV’s managing director for media and entertainment Kevin Lygo said that Schofield had been “agitated” when he decided to come out.

Lygo says he told the presenter he didn’t have to rush the process and would be supported by ITV no matter what, but that Schofield insisted he should do it then after discussing with his family.

Man Schofield had affair with ‘categorically denied’ affair ‘12 times'

10:16 , Isobel Lewis

ITV secretary Kyla Mullins, who also supports whistleblowers at ITV, claims that the man Schofield had an affair with was questioned 12 times about whether he had had a relationship with the presenter.

The man, referred to today as “Person X”, “categorically denied” the allegations every time.

10:10 , Isobel Lewis

Asked how she responded to former ITV talent, such as Piers Morgan and James Corden, who have claimed that “everyone knew” about Schofield’s affair, McCall says that they would have just heard rumours and no formal complaints were ever made.

McCall says she and Kevin Lygo first heard of the rumours and began investigating in September 2019, which ramped up as social media attention grew in February 2020 when Schofield came out.

However, she says that she “doesn’t accept” that the “vast majority” of people at ITV knew about the affair.

Committee says they have been ‘inundated’ by stories about media treatment

10:05 , Isobel Lewis

Opening the meeting, the committee said that they have been “inundated” with stories from the public about the media. These stories will lead the questions today.

Everything we know about Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield’s ‘fall-out’

09:58 , Isobel Lewis

Following Phillip Schofield’s departure from This Morning last month, Jacob Stolworthy has compiled a timeline of the alleged fall-out between the presenter and his former co-host Holly Willoughby.

Everything we know about the Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby ‘fall-out’

When is Dame Carolyn McCall’s committee meeting?

09:41 , Isobel Lewis

ITV boss Carolyn McCall is scheduled to meet with the Culture, Media and Sport committee at 10am this morning, the same time ITV show This Morning kicks off.

‘One big, happy family’: How we all got sick of workplace platitudes

09:31 , Isobel Lewis

In the wake of accusations of “toxicity” on the set of This Morning, Katie Rosseinsky has unpacked the idea that a workplace should be a “family”, as ITV bosses are still insisting the daytime show is.

How ‘the workplace family’ became toxic

What questions will MPs ask Carolyn McCall?

09:16 , Isobel Lewis

Ahead of her appearance before the Culture, Media and Sport committee, we’ve considered the line of questions MPs will ask Carolyn McCall today.

Isobel Lewis reports:

ITV boss Carolyn McCall to face MPs’ questions today over Phillip Schofield exit

This Morning editor’s aubergine rant was ‘extremely ill-judged’, ITV boss says

08:21 , Peony Hirwani

ICYMI: An ITV boss has said that comments by Martin Frizell were “extremely ill-judged”, after the This Morning editor referred to aubergines when asked about allegations of a “toxic” work environment on the programme.

At a Culture, Media and Sport Committee hearing on 6 June to talk about the draft Media Bill, Magnus Brooke, group director of strategy, policy and regulation at ITV, was questioned about the show by MP John Nicolson.

Mr Nicolson called Mr Frizell’s remarks to a journalist “outrageously dismissive and flippant on camera about an immensely serious issue”.

Read more:

This Morning editor’s aubergine rant was ‘extremely ill-judged’, ITV boss says

Watch: Phillip Schofield reveals why he made affair public

07:50 , Peony Hirwani

ITV orders review into Phillip Schofield’s departure from This Morning

07:10 , Peony Hirwani

ICYMI: ITV has ordered an external legal review into Phillip Schofield’s acrimonious departure from This Morning, saying: “We feel badly let down.”

Chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall said a barrister will carry out a review of the facts after the 61-year-old resigned and was dropped by his talent agency admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague.

In a letter to culture secretary Lucy Frazer, she also referred to wider stories about This Morning, including allegations of a “toxic culture” by former presenter Dr Ranj Singh.

Read more:

ITV orders review into Phillip Schofield’s departure from This Morning

Watch: A timeline of the Phillip Schofield controversy

06:50 , Peony Hirwani

Phillip Schofield addresses This Morning affair scandal in emotional BBC interview

06:30 , Peony Hirwani

ICYMI: Phillip Schofield has denied “grooming” the ITV colleague with whom he had an affair while working together on This Morning, in his first sit-down interview to address the scandal.

In the interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan, Schofield appeared distraught and exhausted as he reflected on the fallout from the revelations of the past month, comparing the backlash to the one received by late Love Island presenter Caroline Flack, and asked: “How much are you supposed to take?”Read more:

Read more:

Phillip Schofield addresses This Morning affair scandal in emotional BBC interview

Technicolour nightmare: The inside story of Phillip Schofield’s shocking downfall

06:10 , Peony Hirwani

For more than four decades, the former This Morning presenter was synonymous with bulletproof affability, writes Ed Power. It’s only made his cataclysmic fall from grace that much more surprising.

Technicolour nightmare: the inside story of Phillip Schofield’s shocking downfall

ICYMI

05:50 , Peony Hirwani

Holly Willoughby was “shaken” and “troubled” by her former co-host Phillip Schofield’s admission that he lied about an affair with a This Morning employee, the TV presenter has said.

The 42-year-old made her return to the popular ITV daytime show on Monday 5 June, two weeks after Schofield, 61, resigned from the programme.

Schofield stepping down was initially believed to be the result of a growing feud with Willoughby, with whom he had presented This Morning for the past 14 years.

However, days after he quit the programme, he sensationally admitted to lying about having an affair with a much younger male employee. He was subsequently dropped by his agent, YMU, and resigned from ITV altogether.

Willoughby has not been seen on the ITV programme since Thursday 18 May, two days before Schofield’s departure from the show was announced, as she was on a scheduled holiday for half term.

Read more:

Holly Willoughby’s This Morning statement addressing Schofield scandal in full

This Morning posts job ad for new producer who ‘thrives on the buzz’ of live TV

05:30 , Peony Hirwani

This Morning is looking for a new producer to join the programme.

The role is unrelated to former presenter Phillip Schofield who dramatically parted ways with ITV earlier this month and then admitted to lying about an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a much younger colleague.

He was subsequently dropped by his agent and also resigned from ITV, whose bosses said they were “badly let down” by the presenter.

According to Variety, the job pays £40,000 to £50,000 per year. A source told the publication that they are seeking someone to “replace someone who was promoted”, adding that the advertisement “has been live for some weeks”.

According to the LinkedIn job description that the publication cites, ITV is looking for a producer who “thrives on the buzz” of live television and has an “abundance of ideas” to support anchor Holly Willoughby.

Read more:

This Morning posts job ad for new producer who ‘thrives on the buzz’ of live TV