Phillip Schofield: ITV boss Carolyn McCall says Schofield relationship 'deeply inappropriate' (2024)

Table of Contents
Live Reporting Thank you for joining uspublished at 13:18 British Summer Time 14 June 202313:18 BST 14 June 2023 What happens next?published at 13:16 British Summer Time 14 June 202313:16 BST 14 June 2023 Holmes says ITV review was not thoroughpublished at 13:12 British Summer Time 14 June 202313:12 BST 14 June 2023 What have we learnt?published at 13:07 British Summer Time 14 June 202313:07 BST 14 June 2023 WATCH BACK: Phillip Schofield's affair 'deeply inappropriate'published at 12:52 British Summer Time 14 June 202312:52 BST 14 June 2023 WATCH BACK: We would never turn a blind eye - McCallpublished at 12:49 British Summer Time 14 June 202312:49 BST 14 June 2023 We're taking this seriously - McCallpublished at 12:27 British Summer Time 14 June 202312:27 BST 14 June 2023 Questioning concludespublished at 12:25 British Summer Time 14 June 202312:25 BST 14 June 2023 Duty of care 'has moved on significantly'published at 12:23 British Summer Time 14 June 202312:23 BST 14 June 2023 Why has ITV's share price taken a hit?published at 12:16 British Summer Time 14 June 202312:16 BST 14 June 2023 Does ITV treat talent like commodities?published at 12:05 British Summer Time 14 June 202312:05 BST 14 June 2023 Person X received 'standard redundancy' settlementpublished at 12:03 British Summer Time 14 June 202312:03 BST 14 June 2023 'No alarm bells' when person X hiredpublished at 11:49 British Summer Time 14 June 202311:49 BST 14 June 2023 McCall: We are helping person Xpublished at 11:45 British Summer Time 14 June 202311:45 BST 14 June 2023 Nicolson reads anonymous messages from ITV stafferspublished at 11:42 British Summer Time 14 June 202311:42 BST 14 June 2023 Holly and Phil were paid the same salarypublished at 11:38 British Summer Time 14 June 202311:38 BST 14 June 2023 McCall asked about This Morning editor's 'aubergines' commentspublished at 11:33 British Summer Time 14 June 202311:33 BST 14 June 2023 Did Schofield play a role in helping person X get a job?published at 11:18 British Summer Time 14 June 202311:18 BST 14 June 2023 Bosses push back on Eamonn Holmes tweetspublished at 11:11 British Summer Time 14 June 202311:11 BST 14 June 2023 What if the relationship had been admitted?published at 11:06 British Summer Time 14 June 202311:06 BST 14 June 2023

Live Reporting

Edited by Nathan Williams

  1. Thank you for joining uspublished at 13:18 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    13:18 BST 14 June 2023

    Nathan Williams
    Live reporter

    Thanks for joining us as we followed ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall facequestions from MPs over Phillip Schofield's exit from This Morning and thebroadcaster's work culture.

    Today's live pagewas brought to you by Mattea Bubalo, Jack Burgess, entertainment reporterSteven McIntosh and myself.

  2. What happens next?published at 13:16 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    13:16 BST 14 June 2023

    Steven McIntosh
    Entertainment reporter

    Before today, we had already heard from Schofield and many of his former colleagues about his affair with a young male colleague. The only people we hadn't heard from were ITV bosses.

    Today, Kevin Lygo, Dame Carolyn McCall and Kyla Mullins have done as much as they can in their attempt to reassure MPs, viewers and advertisers that they had no knowledge of the affair when it was happening, and that their duty of care policies are robust.

    So what happens next?

    The story may have cooled in the last week or so, but it is not over. The independent investigation being carried out by Jane Mulcahy KC is ongoing and many will be reading its findings closely when they are published.

    There are also a few outstanding questions for This Morning - it still has not yet been announced who will replace Schofield as Willoughby's permanent co-host (Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary are the frontrunners).

    But for now, ITV bosses will be hoping that their answers during a two-hour grilling from MPs have done enough to reduce the intense pressure the broadcast network has faced in recent weeks.

  3. Holmes says ITV review was not thoroughpublished at 13:12 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    13:12 BST 14 June 2023

    Steven McIntosh
    Entertainment reporter

    Former This Morning presenter Eamonn Holmes commented earlier today on the review ITV did in 2019 following rumours of Schofield's affair, and called for a transcript to be published.

    Speaking on his GB News show, Holmes said: "They asked the young lad involved in all of this. They need a transcript of what actually took place that day, because that was not a thorough investigation."

    However - it's important to note that Dame Carolyn herself said that she would not characterise what ITV did as a formal investigation.

    In an exchange with MP John Nicolson, she said ITV had looked into rumours of the affair and spoken to those involved - but drew a distinction between that and an investigation, which she said suggested something more formal and official had taken place.

  4. What have we learnt?published at 13:07 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    13:07 BST 14 June 2023

    Phillip Schofield: ITV boss Carolyn McCall says Schofield relationship 'deeply inappropriate' (1)Image source, House of Commons/PA

    We'll be finishing our live coverage shortly following ITV bosses' grilling by a committee of MPs. But before we go, here's what we've learnt:

    • ITV's chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall has told MPs the "imbalance of power" made Schofield's relationship with a much younger colleague "deeply inappropriate" but says the affair was "repeatedly denied by both individuals"
    • The younger man - referred to as "person X" - was asked about rumours of the relationship 12 times during formal meetings with HR and also multiple informal meetings, the committee heard
    • Person X asked former This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield for work experience and was given the details of who to contact at ITV
    • ITV rejected any suggestion that person X was paid for his silence, stating that he received a "standard redundancy" settlement after his role became redundant following the Covid-19 pandemic
    • Committee member John Nicholson says he's received anonymous messages from current or ex-ITV staffers that describe a toxic working culture at the broadcaster
  5. WATCH BACK: Phillip Schofield's affair 'deeply inappropriate'published at 12:52 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    12:52 BST 14 June 2023

    As the committee began, Dame Carolyn said that the relationship between Schofield and a younger staff member was "deeply inappropriate" because of the "imbalance of power".

    If someone had come to ITV's management with tangible evidence that a relationship was happening, a formal investigation could have happened, she said.

  6. WATCH BACK: We would never turn a blind eye - McCallpublished at 12:49 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    12:49 BST 14 June 2023

    Now the committee hearing's come to a close, we're looking back at some of the key moments.

    Watch Dame Carolyn tell the committee that ITV repeatedly and continuously asked questions and were repeatedly told nothing was happening.

    "Our understanding and our information so far is that we could not have done this differently," she said.

    "Nobody here or on the management board would ever turn a blind eye to something as serious as this."

  7. We're taking this seriously - McCallpublished at 12:27 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    12:27 BST 14 June 2023

    "In every single thing that we've said, we've told you we're taking this seriously", Dame Carolyn replies.

    "We will take every allegation about our culture seriously, but I think it would be very wrong to depict ITV as having an issue on that."

    ITV will listen and act, and won't wait for the KC's finding to improve.

    She then thanks the committee for giving ITV the opportunity to put "some facts straight".

  8. Questioning concludespublished at 12:25 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    12:25 BST 14 June 2023

    As the questioning concludes, the committee chair says anyone watching this will go away with the strong message that today has not just been about Phillip Schofield or person X, it's been about ITV as an employer and institution.

    She hopes that the questions the bosses have answered will reassure people working for ITV, and those that have left through no fault of their own.

    There's clearly work for ITV to do to rebuilt trust.

    "We want to be confident that where mistakes have been made, ITV will be making changes, rather than making jokes about aubergines," the chair says.

  9. Duty of care 'has moved on significantly'published at 12:23 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    12:23 BST 14 June 2023

    Steven McIntosh
    Entertainment reporter

    Although Schofield has been the focus of today’s committee,it was also interesting to hear the ITV bosses’ stance on the allegations madeagainst the X Factor.

    Rebecca Ferguson and Katie Waissel, who were X Factor finalists in 2010, havesaid they had a traumatic experience on the show, and raised further questionsabout duty of care and the restrictive contracts they said they had to sign.

    This is complicated because ITV did not produce the X Factordirectly, it was made by production company Freemantle. Dame Carolyn said ITV raisedthe issue with Freemantle when Ferguson approached them in 2021.

    "We asked the producer to deal with it… we are thebroadcaster," she said. "In 2010 or 2011, Freemantle would have been dealingwith that day to day."

    Mullins added Freemantle had told ITV that "things havemoved on, and moved on quite significantly" since 2010 with regards to duty of care and said "there was nothing reallyfor us as the broadcaster to investigate".

    Dame Carolyn added that duty of care requirements of thirdparty producers "have increased significantly since 2019".

    The year is significant – 2019 was the year that two formerLove Island contestants, Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis – took their own lives,prompting ITV to review and strengthen its duty of care policies.

  10. Why has ITV's share price taken a hit?published at 12:16 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    12:16 BST 14 June 2023

    The committee's chair asked Dame Carolyn McCall why she thinks ITV's share price has gone down by 60% since she started as the broadcaster's chief executive in January 2018.

    McCall says she thinks it's "because we've had Covid", which meant advertising halved and no productions were taking place.

    She says ITV "recovered from that" and invested £200 million into streaming service ITVX.

    McCall says the share price was also affected by the invasion of Ukraine and says the share companies of many of ITV's competitors have similarly gone down over the same period.

    She says the cost of living crisis is also causing an "advertising recession".

  11. Does ITV treat talent like commodities?published at 12:05 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    12:05 BST 14 June 2023

    Dame Carolyn is asked what would she would say to family of Caroline Flack, who said ITV used talent like commodities.

    She says she feels "deeply sad" over what happened to Caroline Flack, and has spoken to many people at the company who loved working with her.

    The family are grieving, she says, and she "never feels" anyone working at ITV would be treated like a commodity.

  12. Person X received 'standard redundancy' settlementpublished at 12:03 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    12:03 BST 14 June 2023

    Steven McIntosh
    Entertainment reporter

    One of the big things we’ve been listening out for thismorning was any mention of a financial settlement ITV allegedly made with theman Schofield had an affair with.

    ITV previously did not comment to the Daily Mail when thenewspaper reported that the broadcaster had reached a settlement with the man.

    But today, Kyla Mullins has confirmed that the young man didreceive a payout, but clarified that this was a standard payment as his rolehad been made redundant following the Covid-19 pandemic.

    "He’d been on fixed-term contracts," she said. “It’sabsolutely standard process.

    "His settlement that he entered into was completely standard,formulaic, it was a redundancy."

    This is important – it means ITV are rejecting any suggestion thatthe young man was paid for his silence over his affair with Schofield.

  13. 'No alarm bells' when person X hiredpublished at 11:49 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    11:49 BST 14 June 2023

    John Nicolson asks if anyone looked into person X's history withPhillip Schofield when he was hired by ITV.

    "No-one was looking into the detail at the time," KylaMullins replies, as he was part of some 50 individuals doing work placements ondaytime.

    "There were no alarm bells," she says. There were manysimilar applications for work experience where someone lists family friendsacross ITV.

    ITV wouldn't look into background normally when hiring someone,Dame Carolyn adds.

    "He was 19 and fully supervised during his time there,"Kyla Mullins says.

  14. McCall: We are helping person Xpublished at 11:45 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    11:45 BST 14 June 2023

    Committee member John Nicolson says he's "spoken to someone who's friendly" with person X, who says that he felt "the review made it quite difficult" for him to talk.

    Nicolson says he's been told in one particular conversation with a manager, person X was asked "is everything OK between you and Phillip?".

    The committee member also says he's been told that person X didn't feel he could answer the question properly. He also says person X "left the programme [This Morning]" but didn't want to.

    He asks if ITV's bosses can confirm that person X's move to Loose Women was "a promotion" and that he'd applied for the job.

    Dame Carolyn McCall responds by saying ITV's bosses would need to understand the details, because whenever person X has spoken to the head of production he's "felt less pressure".

    She says "ITV were not putting him under pressure" but adds she doesn't know if Phillip Schofield had.

    McCall says person X was approaching ITV bosses for counselling and "we were helping him".

    In relation to his job on Loose Women, McCall says person X applied for the position and got accepted for the promotion as a researcher.

  15. Nicolson reads anonymous messages from ITV stafferspublished at 11:42 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    11:42 BST 14 June 2023

    Phillip Schofield: ITV boss Carolyn McCall says Schofield relationship 'deeply inappropriate' (2)Image source, .

    John Nicolson, a politician and ex-ITV news anchor, is readingout anonymous messaged he's received from current or ex-ITV staffers.

    One message talks about a boss who used to "shout andbelittle staff", and it went on for years without anyone doing anythingabout it. "It was a toxic environment".

    Another message calls ITV a "terrible place to work".

    Nicolson reads a claim that says if an employee complains aboutbullying or sexual impropriety ITV only pretends to investigate, and then will decidethere was no bullying.

    Dame Carolyn says this is "disappointing" and"deeply distressing to hear." She asks Nicolson to pass on themessages to her, adding that this is not something she recognises in ITV'sculture.

    ITV daytime has had five complaints in five years, and only twohave been about bullying and any kind of discrimination, she adds.

    Nicolson is concerned that passing on the messages will identifyhis sources, but Dame Carolyn asks him for a confidential way for them to getin touch with ITV.

  16. Holly and Phil were paid the same salarypublished at 11:38 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    11:38 BST 14 June 2023

    Steven McIntosh
    Entertainment reporter

    Unlike the BBC, which has to publish how much it pays its top presenters as part of its annual report every July, ITV does not disclose its star salaries.

    But Kevin Lygo has confirmed that Schofield and his co-presenter Holly Willoughby were paid the same as each other for hosting This Morning, adding that equal pay is now standard policy at the broadcaster.

    "Phillip and Holly were on the same wage because they weredoing the same job," Lygo said. "But [they were] probably not when they started, because she would havebeen junior and he was already well established.

    "But we’ve made it a policy nowthat when people are clearly doing the same job, like panellists on a show orsomething, they should be paid equally."

    Before Willoughby joined This Morning in 2009, Schofield co-presented This Morning with Fern Britton. She reportedly left after finding out that she was paid significantly less than Schofield.

    But Lygo and Dame Carolyn both noted that that was "15 years ago" and added that "a lot has changed" since then with regard to equal pay in the entertainment industry.

  17. McCall asked about This Morning editor's 'aubergines' commentspublished at 11:33 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    11:33 BST 14 June 2023

    McCall's asked directly what she felt when "after weeks of bullying headlines" she saw the editor of This Morning tell a reporter, when he was asked about the issue, that "he didn't like aubergines".

    She says she thinks it was an "ill advised" response and thinks the editor - Martin Frizell - "made a mistake".

    McCall says, "I don't think he intended to say that", but is interrupted by the questioner John Nicolson, who says he knew there was a crew outside and looked "as if he thought he was coming out with a clever line".

    She continues by saying his reply was "in the heat of the moment" and doesn't reflect ITV's culture.

    John Nicolson responds to her by saying his "mocking and dismissive attitude" says a lot about the culture on the programme.

    McCall says she thinks Nicolson is reading a lot into a "foolish" comment from one person, who was under pressure.

    Nicolson concludes by saying he has had so many messages from people at ITV "who talk about the bullying culture at ITV".

  18. Did Schofield play a role in helping person X get a job?published at 11:18 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    11:18 BST 14 June 2023

    Next question from the committee: "Did Phillip Schofield have any role in helping the young man secure employment at ITV in the first place?"

    KylaMullins replies by saying "person X asked for work experience" and Schofield passed on the details of who to contact at ITV.

    The individual put down that he was a "family friend" of Phillip Schofield on an application form, which no-one thought anything of.

    He did his work experience age 19 for roughly two weeks and "impressed people".

    As a result, he was "put on the runner pool" - a rota for vacancies, which is not managed by talent.

    Mullins says "he was offered a short contract" when he was 20, in 2016, which became a "longer-term fixed contract".

  19. Bosses push back on Eamonn Holmes tweetspublished at 11:11 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    11:11 BST 14 June 2023

    Steven McIntosh
    Entertainment reporter

    Eamonn Holmes’ tweets have prompted the sparkiest exchange at thecommittee so far.

    The GB News presenter, who used to host the Friday editionsof This Morning opposite his wife Ruth Langsford, made his feelings about ITV bossesclear on Twitter last month after Schofield admitted to his affair.

    Holmes tweeted at the time: “Four high members of ITV managementknew what sort of man he [Schofield] was and NEVER once took action to preventhim controlling or taking advantage of his position over young people."

    Kevin Lygo and Dame Carolyn McCall pushed back on thisstrongly. “It’s actually defamatory, never mind anything else," Dame Carolynsaid.

    Lygo suggested that such allegations often comefrom disgruntled former presenters who were upset about losing their previousITV jobs.

    “A lot of these people worked as presenters on ITV for a verylong time, and there was never any complaint from them whilst theywere there. If anything they wanted ‘more work please, we love it here, can wedo more’,” he noted.

    Lygo acknowledged it can sometimes be tough for presenters when they are moved on. "It’s not surprising that when they go, they’resuddenly like ‘Oh I hate ITV, it’s awful’, when for decade or more, they werethere reaping the rewards and enjoying the job."

  20. What if the relationship had been admitted?published at 11:06 British Summer Time 14 June 2023

    11:06 BST 14 June 2023

    The committee next ask the ITV bosses what "an appropriate reaction" from the broadcaster would have been if the affair had been admitted.

    Dame Carolyn McCall says it depends on the circumstances but adds "we would say this is a deeply inappropriate workplace relationship given the power imbalance".

    She continues by saying if ITV had know the facts at the time, the broadcaster would have "acted very swiftly".

Phillip Schofield: ITV boss Carolyn McCall says Schofield relationship 'deeply inappropriate' (2024)
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