Holly & Phil’s sofa secrets
This Morning stars on tears, tantrums and unknowns who became TV legends
THIS is the show where some bloke called Simon Cowell had his first TV appearance. And it was nearly his last. It also brought a certain Jamie Oliver into the spotlight, and he’s pretty much been there ever since.
Many more now-famous faces were introduced to viewers from the cosy This Morning sofa, which has seen more than its fair share of laughter, tears and tantrums.
And now, as ITV’s longestrunning daytime show celebrates its 30th anniversary this week, hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield recall their most memorable moments – and argue about which of them is the biggest sex symbol.
“Obviously he’s the silver fox so it does happen quite frequently,” Holly laughs. “People come in and go, ‘I had a photo with you when you were in Joseph.’ I mean, that happens almost daily, doesn’t it?”
Phillip, now 56, was a huge West End hit when he took over the title role in the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat from former Neighbours star Jason Donovan in 1991.
And Holly, 37, seems to enjoy teasing him about it. “It’s quite incredible the amount of people that pass through those doors who saw you in a loincloth,” she tells him.
But Phillip tells a different story of fan adulation, which he insists is really all about Holly – at least as far as many of their younger male guests are concerned.
“I say to them, ‘Why don’t I step out and you have a picture with Holly?’ And I tell you what – I’ve never seen so much gratitude in their eyes,” he laughs.
He admits he has a big following from his days on Children’s BBC, when he introduced shows from the Broom Cupboard with his puppet sidekick Gordon the Gopher.
“You find out now that people who used to watch the afternoon kids’ stuff are now captains of industry,” Phil says. “I get very used to guys that come in and say that.” Holly and Phil will be in party mode tonight as the show accepts a prestigious BAFTA gong at a special tribute evening.
And we all know how this pair love to party.
They famously presented the show after staying out all night following
It’s quite incredible how many have seen Phil in a loincloth HOLLY WILLOUGHBY OF HER CO-HOSTS CAREEER
their win at the National Television Awards in 2016.
“The BAFTA event is going to be a pretty special night,” Phil says.
“We’ve all been custodians of This Morning for however many years and it will be a lovely celebration of This Morning. We’ll see some old faces, new faces, talking about memories.”
And what memories they are.
Adocumentary called This Morning – 30 Unforgettable Years, celebrates the best show’s top moments tomorrow evening.
It features many celebrities making their first ever TV appearance on the daytime show – including Jamie Oliver, John Torode, Kym Marsh and a very fresh-faced Simon Cowell.
Simon tells the documentary: “This was my first time on TV. Based on that I decided it would be my last appearance on TV. I didn’t like doing it at all. I don’t know why I did the show and I’ve deleted it from my memory.”
Well you haven’t deleted it from the archives, Simon...
This Morning launched at 10.40am on October 3, 1988, from Albert Dock in Liverpool with husband-and-wife team Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.
As well as winning multiple awards, the show has broken several boundaries for British television. When couples were invited on to the show in 1998 to test Viagra, Judy said with a wink: “Let’s see what comes up.”
In 2001, Richard and Judy provoked more controversy by sending three couples to a hotel to test sexual stimulants for women.
But there were more serious health items too. Dr Chris Steele conducted the first live testicle examination in 2014, giving potentially life-saving advice as he demonstrated on a model how to self-check.
And there were concerns for Kerry Katona in 2008 after her slurred interview, which she blamed on her medication.
It prompted Phillip to ask if she was OK and led to hundreds of worried calls to the This Morning studio. Phillip, who interviewed
I didn’t like doing it at all – I don’t know why I did the show at all SIMON COWELL ON HIS FIRST APPEARANCE
the former Atomic Kitten star with his then co-host Fern Britton, said afterwards that Katona had stormed off set as soon as they went off-air. On a lighter note, who can forget Richard Madeley impersonating Ali G in 2000 in a yellow tracksuit as he was interviewed by a baffled-looking Judy? Or the time in 2011 when chef Gino D’Acampo cooked naked on the show after vowing to do so if This Morning won a National TV Award? There have been plenty of tears, too. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place during an emotional tribute to agony aunt Denise Robertson, who died aged 83 in March 2016 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.
Holly and Phil called in to pay their emotional tributes. Holly told Friday hosts Eammon Holmes and Ruth Langsford she had heard the sad news the day before but “hearing you guys talking makes it sound so real”.
Phillip added: “This is absolutely heartbreaking. Everybody wanted her to make it back to the sofa but deep down, we knew that she wouldn’t.”
Holly was in tears again that year when she recounted telling her young children that their beloved cat Roxy had died unexpectedly, saying: “She was a big part of the family. As soon as I found out I thought, ‘How am I going to tell the kids?’”
And in February she wept as Sky Sports host Simon Thomas, 45, told how he had to tell his son his mum Gemma had died, aged 40, three days after she was diagnosed with cancer.
In the documentary, Fern tells of the moment she heard her former co-host John Leslie would no longer be on the show amid a storm over his personal life. Phillip was brought in in 2002 – and is still going strong, 16 years on.
When Fern left the show, Phillip was joined in 2009 by Holly, who he had worked with on Dancing on Ice.
Now after nine years together on the famous sofa, they have influenced each other like any long-term couple.
Phil credits Holly with helping curb his more impulsive instincts.
“Holly is more diplomatic than I am,” he says. “I am possibly slightly fierier and she calms me down a bit. Holly taught me a very early lesson – which was do not respond to everyone who annoys you on Twitter.”
As for his influence on her, Holly says simply: “I just learnt so much from him and continue to do so.”
This Morning – 30 Unforgettable Years, tomorrow on ITV1 at 7.30pm.