Viewers say Phillip Schofield 'not as remorseful as he claims' after Holly Willoughby 'dig' in TV comeback

Phillip Schofield's long-awaited return to the screen aired on Monday night, as the first episode of Cast Away dropped.

However, one line in the TV show stood out more than any other, as the former This Morning host seemed to take a dig at former co-host Holly Willoughby, who he shared the screen with for 14 years.

Last week, it was first announced that Schofield would be featuring in a three-part series on Channel 5, where he would be left to fend for himself on an island just off the coast of Madagascar for 10 days.

No camera crews or production teams, just the presenter with a camera.

Described by the channel as a 'celebrity marooned on an inhabited tropical island off the coast of Madagascar for 10 days', it would give the disgraced TV personality a chance to tell his side of the story in an 'unedited and honest way'.

Explaining that he wanted to take the challenge on despite thinking 'an awful lot of people' would 'hope I never come back', the 62-year-old said he has been 'lucky' to have the career he's had.

Noting that he knows 'what it feels to be cancelled' after his abrupt departure from ITV, he described it as 'the biggest grenade' going off in his life, acknowledging that he 'let people down', adding: "It was unwise and [an] unprofessional thing to do, I will be forever sorry, I screwed up, I made a mistake, and I hurt the people around me."

Fans have criticised Schofield for his comments (Channel 5)

Schofield chose to leave the network after admitting to an 'unwise but not illegal' affair with a younger male colleague, while being married to Stephanie Lowe, and lying about it at first.

The presenter still admits he made a terrible mistake, but it was one other moments in Cast Away that got social media users talking, and it happened just minutes into the episode.

Users realised that the disgraced presenter appeared to have aimed a dig at former This Morning co-host and 'on-screen wife' Willoughby, during a dinner with his family.

In the first episode of This Morning following Schofield's departure, Willoughby opened by saying: "Hello, Firstly, are you OK? I hope so. It feels very strange sat here without Phil."

She told viewers she was 'shaken, let down and worried' after the events, but her opening line has seemingly been referenced by Schofield, as he says to his family: "If you're OK then we're OK and I'm OK.

"Are you OK?"

It's safe to say that fans have not been impressed with his 'dig' at his former best friend, taking to social media to share their take on his return to TV.

Schofield's 'joke' has not gone down well with the public (Channel 5)

One user described Cast Away as an 'ego trip', pointing out that the comments show that he's 'not as remorseful as he claims.'

Another said: "THAT HOLLY DIG!"

A third shared: "Ooooh was that a cheeky dig at Holly Willoughby there Phillip?"

A different user joked: "Schofe's about to draw a smiley face on a volleyball and call it 'Willoughby'," in a reference to Tom Hanks' classic film Cast Away.

However, this is not the only time that he takes a jab at his former colleagues on his new show, as while eating a fruit, he says: "It's going through an angry bitter stage... like some television presenters haha."

LADbible has reached out to Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby's representatives for comment.