Emotional Holly Willoughby ’employs Meghan Markle tactic to power through scandal’ – expert
The Mirror
Mark Borkowski, PR guru of Borkowski agency, gives credit to the ‘nervous’ 42-year-old for addressing the upset ‘head-on’ and likens her soft ‘theatrical’ approach to that of Meghan Markle.
…
Mark told the Mirror: “Questions remain about just how Holly could have remained unaware of a liaison that was almost common knowledge in ITV circles and happening under her nose.
“Of course, she was never going to answer that question directly on her return to This Morning – that would be a zero-sum game – but she did address the scandal head-on, signalling her confession in advance of the show’s airing in order to cushion the landing.
“Seeming genuinely nervous, Holly rattled off her key messages in a theatrical, Meghan Markle-esque semi-whisper: she’s been shocked by the scandal, Phillip let her down, but she hopes he’s okay, ‘now let’s get on with the show and never speak of this again’.
“It was performative but effective, and, though it won’t put this issue to bed completely, it may just signal that Holly has the strength and self-assurance to power through this scandal… assuming no further damaging revelations come to light.”
What’s next for Phillip Schofield? Life beyond This Morning as Holly Willoughby returns without co-star
i News
Mark Borkowski, a PR strategist representing celebrities and corporate heavyweights, tells i that there is likely some scope for Schofield’s return one day to a TV channel- if not ITV or BBC, as we have seen in other examples.
“It was said that Jonathan Ross was finished over Sachs-gate [Ross was hauled off the BBC after he and Russell Brand left lewd ‘prank’ messages on actor Andrew Sachs’s phone about sex with his granddaughter],” he says, “but there he is on primetime ITV as one of the panelists on the biggest entertainment show of the moment, The Masked Singer.
“People thought Jeremy Clarkson was finished after being dropped from Top Gear [After what the BBC called an “unprovoked physical and verbal attack” that left a colleague bleeding and seeking hospital treatment] but he went to present his show on Amazon, and the rest is history.
“Andy Gray and Richard Keys were sacked by Sky Sports for a host of on-air sexism, and while they’ve not been on British TV since, they’re probably now earning triple what they were getting on Sky by doing Al Jazeera. So there’s always a route back for the ego.”
Borkowski says that the BBC won’t take Schofield back, and neither will ITV, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have a career at all. “He’s a consummate broadcaster. He’s obviously failed in his professionalism and his personal life, but he’s one of the rare talents who can still present live. While not immediately, I could see him returning to TV.”
For now, though, Borkowski advises that Schofield disappear from the limelight for a while. “He should go and deal with this quietly away from cameras, with his family. This has evidently had a profound effect on his health and he has to focus on that.
“But in the end, whether someone can find a way back to a career depends on the value they bring, and he has value in an age where media outlets and TV channels are looking for eyeballs, for clicks, for engagement. People know he’d give you that.
“What’s more is that he’ll still have fans after this. Yes there are pile-ons on Twitter about him, but in general, the public for the most part are likely to be fairly forgiving. That’s why he’s playing the empathy card and talking about his family sticking by him.
“I think that in the future, someone looking for eyeballs could bring Schofield back at some point as a conversation starter.”
Inside Britain’s Got Talent winner Viggo Venn’s colourful life with stunning girlfriend… & cheeky link to Erling Haaland
The Sun
PR experts are hailing the clown a genius with a bright career ahead of him, and reckon he’ll find a fan in King Charles.
PR guru Mark Borkowski tells The Sun: “The mood of the nation wants to be cheered up. His performances are frivolous and full of stupidity.
“He wants to make you laugh, and you could see the reaction of the room.
“I think he touched thousands. If I was Disney or a big children’s entertainment network, I’d be snapping him up.”
Mark adds that the reaction to his win – both positive and negative – demonstrate how big a show BGT still is, as it gets the nation talking.
“I’m not surprised Twitter hates him, angry people vent their frustrations on there, not the people who are happy with the result,” he says.
“Viggo’s up there with the best clowns in the world. He will make millions”.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/22579474/viggo-venn-britains-got-talent-girlfriend/
Why the Succession ending worked – according to the experts
Daily Telegraph
Mark Borkowski, PR guru and author of The Fame Formula
Whilst Succession’s finale was beautifully unexpected and wonderfully over the top in its drama, it wasn’t that far from the truth at any point. In the real world, Logan would have destroyed them all, and that’s really what happened. It’s very difficult for generations to follow the template of the person who created that success. Those driven founders have given so much of their lives to that success they have not invested in their family.
There’s a moment when the siblings head back to divvy up the spoils of Logan’s flat when you see a video of Logan surrounded by his friends singing songs, being his truest self. Only Connor was there, the others had never seen him like that. Whatever he said to them, they didn’t know him, and he didn’t know them. He clearly told them each what they wanted to hear.
I have worked with one high net worth family where the father couldn’t control the son that way and he went off to found a business that became more successful than his father’s. The father then started spending money to work against the son, trying to destroy him with an expensive media campaign. Roman summed it up – “we’re all s—”. There was no succession plan. Those sorts of men should never be fathers. It is the story of a damaged family where there is no heart.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/succession-ending-why-it-worked/
Can brand Holly Willoughby survive Phillip Schofield fallout?
Daily Mail
Mark Borkowski, told MailOnline that he believes Willoughby should stay with This Morning but also work out how she can progress with ITV.
He said today: ‘I think that ITV should in some ways see her as an asset. Depending on where this whole story goes and whether it’s finished or not, there could be a recovery period.
‘If you’ve got talent and you are pretty adept at social media, which she is, I think this is a massive learning curve for her but it now depends on playing the correct game to regain what possible is damaged, which is trust in her, in terms of what is now unveiling as a story that we still haven’t got to the truth of yet.
‘You can’t make career decisions on rumours and innuendo but if things flatten out, she’s a commodity, there’s a talent there and it’s whether or not This Morning goes back to personalities and has a more collegiate approach with groups of people rather than pinpointing figurehead stars who come with a lot of baggage if things go wrong.
‘I wouldn’t be writing any obituaries at the moment, but this story keeps on pivoting and developing every day – and what I say and feel today might change.’
Insisting that she should stay with ITV and not quit This Morning at this stage, Mr Borkowski added: ‘I would think it’s important for her to work with ITV.
‘ITV are a massive commercial organisation – they obviously have a lot of time for her. So she should be sitting down asking what plans she has. She certainly has to go beyond This Moirning if she’s going to progress.
‘I think that she’s got to do something more than just This Morning, and some of the bits and pieces she does round the edges.
‘I think she’d be looking for a significant move when this settles down, if she decides to leave.’
What could happen to This Morning as ITV is plunged into crisis following Phillip Schofield’s bombshell confession?
Metro.co.uk
Publicist Mark Borkowski told Metro.co.uk that This Morning is a ‘very important format for ITV’, adding: ‘Every iconic TV format has the opportunity to restore.
‘I suspect in time it will look very different with perhaps high end celebrities no longer fronting the programme.’
On the future of ITV, he continued: ‘The general criticism at the moment is being driven by those with an agenda.
‘No one truly knows the facts, I believe in time ITV will start to give us an insight on what the real story is rather than the speculative nature of social media.’
‘They operated as a unit’ – can Holly survive Phil’s fall from grace?
Daily Telegraph
Willoughby herself, it should be said, is accused of nothing. “She is a great commercial commodity for ITV,” says celebrity publicist Mark Borkowski. “Holly would struggle on the BBC because of the level of commercial deals she has.”
He remains unconvinced that ITV will want to lose her. “Finding somebody of that quality: a woman, the girl next door, not particularly threatening, ITV are doing everything they can to try and mitigate the circumstances beyond this.
“The programme was going to respawn in some way and she is still the great hope for ITV at the moment. They will be throwing out there all sorts of focus groups, market research, talking to advertisers and making a careful decision.”
…
Some predict she will take a leave of absence until things die down. “I would be playing the ‘this has been a very difficult time’ and ‘the stresses and strains on the family’,” says Borkowski. “I would be preserving the situation and waiting to see where this story travels. Because it doesn’t seem to be over.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/30/holly-willoughby-phillip-schofield-this-morning-scandal/
Inside the incredible transformation of Kylie Minogue that saw her turn from indie queen, to pop princess and disco diva
The Sun
PR guru Mark Borkowski says: “She has not been a follower of fashion, she has been a creator of fashion.”
…
“She never felt desperate and doesn’t seem to need fame.”
…
“She has an excellent team who manage her so that we never get bored of Kylie.”
Holly Willoughby’s lawyers ‘have to come up with the goods’ as future hangs in the balance
Daily Express
PR and branding guru, Mark Borkowski discussed Holly Willoughby’s future at This Morning during Sunday’s GB News.
Mark told hosts Stephen Dixon and Dawn Neesom Holly’s “lawyers will have to come up with the goods” after news of Phillip Schofield’s affair surfaced.
Stephen began: “It’s very difficult one would imagine to actually go back on air anytime soon.”
“Look, she is a commodity for ITV,” Mark replied. “They’ve invested in her.
“Let’s think about it… the controversy when Fern Britton was ousted from the programme.”
“Phillip wanted Holly to be there. She was a bright young thing.”
He continued: “This fall out, this rift that was reported, that heralded this sort of chain of events.
“Did they all know that something was coming down the pipe…did they know that it was going to break?
“None of these things just explode simultaneously like a combustion engine.
“I mean, there was more to it, and that’s the point, we’re speculating and there’s no clarity.”
Discussing Holly’s future, Mark added: “And you’re absolutely right, what she does next and her PR advice or agents or lawyers and everything, better come up with the goods.
“They had better come up with the goods because so far the way this has been handled by the publicists involved… this is like looking for a gas leak with a match.”
https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1775221/Holly-Willoughby-lawyers-This-Morning-future
Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary ‘feel let down and upset’ by Phillip Schofield’s ‘extraordinary’ statement
Daily Mail
Holly, who is officially due to be back on the show on Monday June 5 after a two-week family holiday, could extend her time off in a desperate attempt to avoid being dragged further into controversy, PR guru Mark Borkowski has said.
The team behind ITV’s golden girl, including her advisers, agents and lawyers, will now need to ‘come up with the goods’ to guarantee her future, he claimed.
Mr Borkowski told MailOnline: ‘For Holly it’s a case of staying out of the headlines, taking time out. Disappearing from public view.
‘Clearly she won’t do TV at the moment, she might possibly extend that. She’s the girl next door. She has huge commercial deals, clearly a talent, clearly liked.’
He added that Holly now must demonstrate she can be trusted by viewers – as many are questioning who at the channel knew about Schofield’s relationship with his colleague.
On Holly he said: ‘Just because you’re a celebrity you are held to a higher degree of scrutiny [but] every human fails, there is drama in everyone’s lives.
‘My view is that we are yet to know and it’s for her to rebuild trust of her audience and get her representatives to work extremely hard in regaining some of the ground that might have been lost,’ Mr Borkowski said.
After quitting This Morning last weekend, Phillip had still been set to host the British Soap Awards for a 13th successive year, but he will no longer be doing so after quitting ITV altogether.
Can Phillip Schofield’s reputation recover?
The Times
The PR expert Mark Borkowski adds: “Many felt let down by his failure to be more authentic about who he really was, in his private life. So yes, there were questions about who the real Schofield [is]. That’s a task for clever PR, which never was applied.”
…
Can he reinvent himself? Borkowski thinks it is possible, though he should have done it sooner.
“Phil has stayed loyal to the [This Morning] format, which required a refresh. An intelligent move should have been to move away from the format some time ago. He is a rare soul who can helm live TV . . . [and] his divorce from the programme and Holly will be a long-term blessing.
“Schofield should lick his wounds, play the elegant ‘disappear from view’ card, and then see if the channel’s loyalty is more than just words cast at the height of the crisis,” he says.
Can the curtain rise on a new act in the Phillip Schofield story?
Who’s supporting who in Team Willoughby v Team Schofield?
Daily Mail
PR guru Mark Borkowski told MailOnline that Schofield’s abrupt exit shows ITV has backed Holly Willoughby – but he understands they will have made promises to Phillip Schofield that his career there is not over.
Phillip Schofield: The TV host will reappear somewhere, says Mark Borkowski
BBC News
Phillip Schofield’s career is not finished, according to a PR expert, after the TV host agreed to step down from ITV’s This Morning “with immediate effect” after more than 20 years.
His departure comes after reports claimed relations between him and co-host Holly Willoughby had come under strain in recent weeks.
In a statement, he said: “I understand ITV has decided the current situation can’t go on.”
Public relations expert Mark Borkowski said that Phillip Schofield will “reappear somewhere” after a period outside the limelight.
‘She’s right at the top’: Meghan being lined up for new chat show
Daily Express
PR guru Mark Borkowski added that, with Princess Kate also image-building back in Britain, the “savvy” duchess is fighting back with a fresh public profile after negative publicity over Harry’s explosive memoir Spare and their Netflix series.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1772634/meghan-markle-new-chat-show
This Morning is thrown into chaos as Kelsey Grammer is CUT OFF mid-sentence by Alison Hammond as the show ‘goes to break’ in awkward gaffe
Daily Mail
PR expert Mark Borkowski played down the chance of any imminent personnel moves, saying ITV would seek to ‘ride out the cyclone’.
He told MailOnline: ‘I think ITV and programme bosses will indeed take a long hard look at the presenters.
‘Perhaps it’s a time to change and regenerate with two fresh faces. But don’t write any obits just yet.
‘Viewing figures fluctuate and I’m sure bosses will be looking at a long term aggregates. The issue is to look at all the options and no bow to social media surges.’
Senior figures at ITV called a crisis meeting following a wave of negative social media feedback about Monday’s show.
Queuegate and mocked at PMQs: what’s gone wrong for Phil and Holly?
The Guardian
Mark Borkowski, the PR agent who represented Noel Edmonds at the point at which his hit show Noel’s House Party was in a death spiral, said he sensed that a “storm in the teacup” was being further stirred by those acting in the interests of those who might wish to replace them – and that this might well be how it ends. “I think ITV will be protecting the format, they will be very frustrated by it,” Borkowski said. “Every crisis is an opportunity for a TV company to rethink and there will be plenty of people who might step into their shoes.”
Phillip Schofield is branded the ‘monster of daytime TV’ by This Morning relationship expert and says ‘it’s time he got the boot’ amid Holly Willoughby feud
Daily Mail
Brand expert Mark Borkowski, who was also on GB News, said it was time for ITV to revamp This Morning.
He said: ‘This pairing does not feel authentic. Perhaps it is time for a reboot for This Morning.
‘There are a whole host of people who could take up the reins on this show.’
Louise, who appeared on Real Housewives of Cheshire last month giving sex and relationship tips to the stars, said she would be boycotting the show while Schofield remained as a presenter.
‘I am one of the thickest skinned people on the planet but the fact is, he is rude and arrogant and smarmy and so disrespectful,’ she said.
‘Everyone should be boycotting that show as far as I am concerned.
‘Holly should step away from him. It’s really bad for her brand.’
Get ready for Meghan 2.0
Mail Online
PR guru and king of the publicity stunt Mark Borkowski, said the ‘savvy’ Duchess of Sussex is fighting back, with Kate also on manoeuvres. He predicted that Meghan will be seen with more celeb friends and calling on their help for her ‘glam’ relaunch after the negative press caused by Spare and the Sussexes’ Netflix series.
It came as the Sussexes’ friends Amal and George Clooney arrived at a Prince’s Trust event in London today. The organisation was set up by King Charles when he was heir to the throne and has helped one million young people develop skills and find jobs.
…
Referring to Kate’s Eurovision cameo on Saturday, when she was shown playing the piano, Mr Borkowski said: ‘Meghan will need the support of her super influencer friends. Kate has been basking in the Coronation glow especially with the Eurovision stunt – but Meghan is sitting in the heart of showbiz so expect lots of glam photo ops. I expect well placed moments not boring ubiquity’.
Experts had already predicted her relaunch would come in the days after the Coronation, culminating in an appearance in New York tonight as a guest of honour at the annual ‘Women of Vision Awards’.
…
Mr Borkowski said that Meghan has difficult decisions to make as their popularity in the US has tumbled.
He added: ‘There will definitely be a relaunch by Meghan. It is impossible for them to stay quiet. They need the royal pomp and ceremony. They could end up becoming an entity like Edward and Mrs Simpson. Forlorn royals with no connection to the family being in exile. There are parallels there.
‘They will be very quick to regenerate interest. But it is going to be more and more and difficult. For many Spare was a set of stories that went too far’.
So what’s next for Phillip Schofield?
Mail on Sunday
PR master Mark Borkowski told MailOnline that ITV are certain to be considering whether to axe Phil as his brand turns ‘toxic’.
He told MailOnline: ‘He’s an ageing talent. These are rocky times for him and there is a rift with his TV partner. And Holly Willoughby can do no wrong.
‘He’s been dogged by so many negative stories – and actually it doesn’t help him that so little is said by his friend Holly. She’s staying quiet and allowing it to percolate.
‘Every celebrity publicist knows that there is a date stamp, a best before date, tattooed on the rump of their clients. There have been rumours in the industry for some time about whether or not Phil can continue.
Mr Borkowski said that Holly and Phillip are in a PR battle. He believes it is telling that Ms Willoughby has remained silent after her co-host’s brother was convicted of child sex offences, and his statement about their friendship last night.
‘After the conviction of his brother, ITV will now be looking at his value and seeing so many negatives. They have even been trying people on screen who want to step into his shoes.’.
Mr Borkowski said that Holly is in a tricky position and can’t risk being dragged down with Schofield with ‘queuegate’ also hanging over her.