BBC forced to respond to flurry of complaints over Phillip Schofield coverage

Phillip Schofield, 62, has been making headlines for weeks after making a swift exit from This Morning and later admitting to an affair with a younger male colleague.

Ever since, fans have speculated over the bombshell claims as well as Phillip’s apparent feud with former close co-star, Holly Willoughby.

Phillip spoke out publicly for the first time recently as he gave a tell-all interview to BBC’s Amol Rajan, 39.

However, the broadcaster has been struck with floods of complaints over the coverage surrounding the presenter’s fall from grace.

The corporation has now responded to the criticism, stating the coverage was highlighting “safeguarding procedures”.

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The BBC has responded to complaints on its official site, with the Metro quoting more than 100 complaints had been made.

After some argued the Phillip coverage has overwhelmed other stories, the BBC explained its decision to focus heavily on the story.

In a statement, the company said: “Our coverage of the circumstances surrounding Phillip Schofield’s resignation from ITV focused on the serious implications of this story, with allegations that abuse of power and bullying took place at Britain’s biggest commercial broadcaster.

“Phillip Schofield has been a fixture on British television for nearly four decades, however, this is not a story about celebrity, but about safeguarding procedures, professional conduct and workplace culture.

“The questions raised over what ITV management had known about these issues at the time have led to the network commissioning an external independent KC led review.”

The announcement continued: “ITV’s chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall has also been asked to attend Parliament to answer questions from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on this matter.

“Given the significance of the claims being made about Mr Schofield, it was fair to give him a right of reply.

“We made clear this was his account of events. Amol Rajan used his interview with Mr Schofield to scrutinise the allegations about his conduct, while maintaining the duty of care that we have to all our interviewees.

“The write-up of the interview has been one of the most read pieces on the BBC News website in the past month, with more than five million page views.

“We believe our reporting of this story has been proportionate, reflecting the gravity of the issues at hand.

“However, we realise not everyone will agree with the stories we decide to cover or the prominence we give them.”

During his candid interview, Phillip explained his mental health has been suffering since the scandal hit the press as he reflected how his daughters haven’t left his side.