Phillip Schofield – live: ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall says Schofield’s lover denied affair 12 times
Former presenter Schofield resigned from ITV after admitting to an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a younger male colleague
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Your support makes all the difference.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.
Committee says they have been ‘inundated’ by stories about media treatment
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’
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’
Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby news
When is Dame Carolyn McCall’s committee meeting?
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
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
Despite many of their current and former presenters waging all-out war against one another in recent weeks, ‘This Morning’ is still referring to their cast and crew as ‘a family’. It’s the kind of management speak that many have grown suspicious of, writes Katie Rosseinsky
What questions will MPs ask Carolyn McCall?
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
ITV boss will appear before Culture, Media and Sport committee on Wednesday
This Morning editor’s aubergine rant was ‘extremely ill-judged’, ITV boss says
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
Martin Frizell’s response to allegations of a ‘toxic’ work environment on the programme was ‘dismissive and flippant’, Magnus Brooke told MPs
Watch: Phillip Schofield reveals why he made affair public
ITV orders review into Phillip Schofield’s departure from This Morning
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
Barrister will carry out review of facts around ‘This Morning’ star’s departure from programme
Watch: A timeline of the Phillip Schofield controversy
Phillip Schofield addresses This Morning affair scandal in emotional BBC interview
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
Disgraced ITV presenter addressed the fallout from his admission to an ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a younger colleague on ‘This Morning’ in a lengthy interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan