ITV boss Carolyn McCall to face questions over Phillip Schofield exit
By Ellie Iorizzo, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter
ITV boss Carolyn McCall will appear before a UK parliamentary committee 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 will face questions from British lawmakers on the This Morning row at a session of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Wednesday morning.
It comes after former presenter Schofield (61) resigned from the UK broadcaster and was dropped by his talent agency YMU after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague.
Ms McCall wrote a letter to culture secretary Lucy Frazer, DCMS Committee chair Caroline Dinenage and Ofcom’s chief executive Melanie Dawes, to confirm ITV had instructed barrister Jane Mulcahy KC of Blackstone Chambers, to carry out an external review of the facts following Schofield’s departure.
Schofield’s relationship took place while the TV star was still married to wife Stephanie Lowe and before he came out publicly as gay.
The letter said ITV records show that “when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate” both parties “denied” it and this was reiterated “as recently as this month”.
Since Schofield’s resignation, This Morning has been plagued with allegations of “toxicity”.
The show’s former resident doctor, Dr Ranj Singh, hit out at a “toxic” culture, 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.
In her letter, Ms McCall said that an external review conducted following a complaint made by Dr Ranj found “no evidence of bullying or discrimination”.
Meanwhile Eamonn Holmes, who presented This Morning on Fridays with wife Ruth Langsford until 2020, accused Schofield of “toxicity” in an interview with Dan Wootton on GB News.