This week, Jacki and Lyle discuss Phillip Schofield's return to our TV screens in Cast Away - a Channel 5 programme that sends celebrities out into the relative wilderness in the form of an island off the coast of Madagascar - and discuss the possible reasons why he and his team chose to use this show as a vehicle for his return to the public eye. Jacki mentions that when she initially heard Schofield would be making a return she felt excited and intrigued, but that the choice of programme itself ultimately felt a little too self-serving. Lyle goes a step further in assessing whether it is possible to scrutinise yourself effectively on a TV show like this as opposed to the likes of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! (which Schofield mentions on the first episode of Cast Away, discussing how it is hosted by his 'mates' Ant & Dec but how there are some organisations, referring to ITV, that you never go back to despite receiving an offer to appear). Lyle describes feeling unengaged throughout the first episode of Cast Away, particularly in the moments when Schofield attempts to address the affair that led to his sacking from ITV, with Jacki agreeing that the most dynamic parts of the episode were when we saw Schofield put his survivalist skills to the test! Lyle even goes as far as to say he felt more compelled by Schofield's interview with the BBC's Amol Rajan, and that a lot of the good will earned by that interview may well have evaporated as a result of this venture. There is an excellent analysis of the PR workings behind decisions like this one made my Schofield and his daughter, Molly, who has since become his agent, with Jacki and Lyle agreeing that you should always assess what you want out of choices such as this one. Lyle opines that Schofield might have chosen this route simply as a means of getting back on TV on his terms, whilst Jacki agrees that this choice may ultimately have backfired.

Artwork & music by Lyle Fulton

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