The Phillip Schofield Scandal Explained, From Daytime TV to Parliament
nytimes.comIt’s not every day that Britain’s Parliament discusses daytime television. But the resignation of the anchor Phillip Schofield, after admitting to a relationship with a much younger man employed by the same show, has dominated British news coverage for weeks, fueling tabloid headlines but also raising questions about workplace ethics.
On Wednesday, executives from ITV, Britain’s largest ad-supported network, insisted in front of a parliamentary committee that they had done all they could to investigate persistent rumors about a star who repeatedly denied inappropriate behavior. “Nobody here, or on the management board, would ever turn a blind eye to something as serious as this,” Carolyn McCall, the network’s chief executive, told the House of Commons culture, media and sport select committee.
Inquiries among other employees failed to produce proof, she said, adding: “With evidence we would have been able to launch a formal investigation because the imbalance of power, the imbalance of dynamics in that relationship makes it deeply inappropriate.” Here’s a guide to the furor around Mr.
Schofield, and why it has attracted so much attention. Who is Phillip Schofield? Until recently, one of Britain’s most prominent television personalities.
