Philip Schofield interview on BBC News/iplayer now.

[JeandeServiette]

Anyone else watching?

I wasn't supposed to be up this early but what the heck.

He just did an interview today though, he chose to do that. That's why people are discussing it.

'PS has been throwing his ego around for decades. Humiliating and exploiting guests for his and HW entertainment. Now the tables have turned he's sat there vaping for pity. Do you think he would have allowed his guests the same privilege of a stress crutch? No, he would watch them squirm with a grin on his face following his faux furrowed brow looks for the camera.'

Exactly.

The whole sorry tale has been blown out of all proportion - just look at the newspapers front pages. All the while we still have war in Europe, an invasion of young men of our shores, that's just for starters.

Child grooming blown out of proportion? That’s not possible. Grooming and abuse of children is one of the worst things someone can do. Huge corporations covering up has caused a lot of damage in the past, no wonder it’s big news now.

Can you not cope with having multiple things reported in the news at once? Most people can. Things have their time on the front pages and then something else comes along to take its place. That’s how it works.

Has there been an investigation into child grooming, can you link to it

I don't see how the grooming accusations can stand up if he didn't physically see MM between 15-19 (do I have that right?) and didn't start the affair til 20. Age of consent is 16. What kind of grooming doesn't result in sex until 20?!

There's a case to made about the lad being an adult and it being blown out of proportion.

But that's only if you accept P's version of events. He's already lied and he has every reason to.

That's why the investigation is necessary. He could well have been having inappropriate chats or have been involved with the lad prior to him being 20 years old. It could have been anywhere from age 15-20.

If nothing else, it's totally inappropriate in the workplace. Like others have said, he's sat and watched other people be taken down for similar yet thought nobody would find out. He's there on the couch grilling guests and now he is in the spotlight.

Of course it's news. It's fairly shocking, albeit he is just a daytime TV host but he's a household name so🤷‍♀️

It's only been like a week, it will die down soon. You can't say it's been blown out when the news has BT's dropped and we've got everyone taking the mic and spilling the tea including P

I agree. Alison's blubbing is damage limitation for herself. She's hopped on to the bekind bandwagon. Obviously I don't want any harm to come to PS even though he is odious.
I'm probably one of the few who watches this benighted programme. Dermot and Alison are hopeless as a pairing on it. Get Jane MdDonald on it

I don't like PS but I do think that this story is being blown out of all proportion if the facts are as PS says (and we don't know for sure there is anything more to it). I think the vitriol against him also has some disturbing homophobic undercurrents. He might be an unpleasant person, he may have done something morally wrong but so far there is no evidence that he's done anything illegal.

I had to turn it over it was horrific. I wonder how Alison would feel if it was her son !

He's admitted he chatted to him online at least, during the time he met him at 15 until he started working for him. That's new today. So that itself is problematic and to me is evidence of grooming.

Those asking, what kind of grooming doesn't result in sex until aged 20 are ignorant to what grooming is. Woody Allen didn't have sex with his stepdaughter until she was 19, meeting her at 8. That's grooming too.

Adults should not have relationships with children that turn sexual when they reach maturity. End of.

FYI The person started working for him at 19. Still a teenager.

The age of consent is 18 if the other person is 18+ isn't it?

@Cloudhopping I think the vitriol against him also has some disturbing homophobic undercurrent

Can you explain what you mean? Why do you think this?

I would suggest posters actually go do some reading on what grooming is.

Okay so this is why I think grooming is so prolific, people actually think that someone groomed as a child is going to be both aware what is happening or happened to them, and that they are capable or even responsible for identifying and reporting it. It is not how it works. Its actually up to the adults around them to identify the behaviour and call it out. Only when people did that here, they were silenced. If an adult strikes up a 'friendship' with a child, that right there is your first red flag. I do not have 15 year old friends, my husband doesn't, nobody I know our age does or thinks it is appropriate. My training has taught me that adults who do, either do not understand safeguarding or are predatory. Adults chatting to children online is another ed flag, and that happened here too.

If that friendship turns sexual when the child reaches maturity, that is evidence of grooming.

I am always shocked that parents do not see what is right in front of them. Our children suffer because of your inability to admit what you can see. Grooming is sinister because it looks like friendly behaviour, but if we all put ourselves in the position of the adult in question, and honestly ask yourselves, is this something

Excellent post @Iwantcakeeveryday

Terrifying that this isn't appreciated by everyone.

Yes, but ITV did ask them and they denied it. ITV said he moved to Loose Women. So was removed from the situation.

Its actually up to the adults around them to identify the behaviour and call it out.

I did this, stopped it in it's tracks. I was gaslighted and abused for it to the extent that it left me totally traumatized for a long time. However, I am nothing but glad that I had the chance. I had been briefly preyed on myself as a teenager. I don't even know if I would have spotted it if I had not had that experience. It was so subtle, many would easily miss it and be forgiven for missing it.

what's the deal with the vape? He managed to present a long, live daytime TV show without needing to hold a vape. Sympathy prop?

I would suggest posters actually go do some reading on what grooming is.

This.

I just hope these posters are bots/part of the ITV PR machine. Because if these are real people, with their own young children or other young people in their lives, it’s actually frightening that they don’t understand what is and isn’t appropriate behaviour.

www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/grooming/#what

The whatsap screenshots between PS and HW are 'interesting'. Proof she had no idea about any of this, to paraphrase: 'I am so sorry and I know you had no idea at all' (PW) HW airs him as the kids would say...No reply.

Then again PS 'I know I have ruined our close friendship and you and others on the show knew nothing at all'...

How can anyone watch this and not think - this is well dodgy - 20 yr old, few months at tv then 40 odd yr old man has sex with him in the dressing room - 4 or 5 times?

And how must it be for young man to hear how much PS thinks it was a mistake and they were never in a relationship?

Classic body language giveaway around 17.30 when he is shaking his head while making statements he wants us to accept. Liar.

He was also quick to sidestep the question about all of his other liaisons because it would blow apart his coming out charade. If only the walls of his flat could speak.

Mmm as I see it too

And so the ugly thread continues. Some people really don’t grasp that social media is the equivalent of talking direct to a person. The very thing you are accusing PS of doing to a person who was signed up to social media as a mechanism to talk to a famous person he obviously admired. The ‘victim’ could do that from age 13/14 according to social media companies. Perhaps those of you accusing others of not understanding grooming, don’t have a grasp of what children and young adults are ‘allowed’ to do. Ask yourself if anyone under the age of consent IRL should be allowed to talk to adults on social media?

Did PS do anything illegal by talking to him on there? The grooming label you are freely and easily attaching to someone without hearing any evidence is concerning. Why not use your energy to call out the sm platforms who manipulate our children and young people every day?