Viewers spot Phillip Schofield’s ‘cheeky dig’ at Holly Willoughby in Cast Away documentary

‘Are you ok?’ asked Schofield at the beginning of the controversial show

Viewers of Phillip Schofield’s big return to British television appeared to include a dig at his former This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby and a now infamous quote associated with her.

Schofield is spending 10 days on a remote island off the coast of Madagascar where he will attempt to tell his side of the story on a Channel 5 show called Cast Away.

The former presenter, 62, left ITV last year after admitting he had lied about having a consensual relationship with a younger man, who worked as a runner on This Morning.

Although the show is a remorseful attempt for Schofield to communicate the scandal which rocked his career and the television industry, viewers noticed what appeared to be a subtle dig at Willoughby.

Speaking directly down the camera at the start of the documentary, the 62-year-old asked “are you ok?”

When Willoughby returned to This Morning in June 2023, she opened with a monologue where she said: “Right, deep breath. Firstly, are you OK? I hope so.”

Willoughby was widely mocked and criticised for the emotional delivery which quickly went on to become a viral joke.

Schofield’s apparent nod to the moment didn’t go amiss, with many viewers pointing it out immediately. One person wrote: “THAT HOLLY DIG!!!”

“Oooh was that a cheeky dig at Holly Willoughby there Phillip?” said another.

A third added: “The Holly shade plz.”

Schofield’s controversial return to television has been met with pushback, with some branding it “disgraceful”.

Vanessa Feltz, a colleague and friend of Schofield, warned that there could be a “risk” with his reality TV stint, but she will be supporting him along the way.

“Any reality TV show anyone does is a risk, that’s the whole point, you could come out brilliantly and everyone could fall in love with you and you could impress them to the max,” she told Metro.co.uk.

The presenter wished Schofield “all the luck in the world” and said he should be allowed to do whatever he wants “to make him feel better” in the aftermath of the scandal.

Schofield has received some notable support, namely from Joanna Lumley with the Absolutely Fabulous actor sending the TV presenter a message of “love” as he embarked on his journey to Madagascar.

Phillip Schofield has blamed his brother for his ITV exit (Channel 5/PA) (PA Media)

Phillip Schofield: Cast Away begins at 9pm on Monday on Channel 5, and will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday at the same time.