LIFE &TIMES: Phillip Schofield

As the This Morning host continues his South African Adventure (8pm, ITV), we look at how the easy-going presenter became one of the biggest names on television…

Early ambition Born in Oldham in 1962, Phillip was just ten years old when he decided that he wanted to pursue a career in broadcasting, and began writing to the BBC. Nonetheless, he had to wait until he was 17 before the corporation gave him a job, working as a bookings clerk for Radio Outside Broadcasts.

Man down under At 19, Phillip and his family emigrated to New Zealand, and he soon landed a job as the presenter of national broadcaster TVNZ’s pop show Shazam!, as well as a regular Sunday-morning programme on Auckland station Radio Hauraki.

Back to Blighty In 1985, after nearly four years in New Zealand,

Phillip returned home, and was soon offered the job of fronting Children’s BBC from The Broom Cupboard, with Gordon the Gopher. He stayed for two years before going on to present popular Saturday-morning show Going Live!, with Sarah Greene, for six series. Changing channels By the middle of the 1990s, Phillip had made the switch from the BBC to ITV, and presented a number of shows including Schofield’s Quest (left), Tenball and Talking Telephone Numbers.

King of daytime TV Phillip signed up to co-host flagship ITV show This Morning, with Fern Britton, in 2002; today, he’s still going strong, with co-host Holly Willoughby. In January, the show won its seventh consecutive National Television Award.