DCMS calls ITV CEO Carolyn McCall to give evidence over Phillip Schofield case

Carolyn McCall

ITV boss Carolyn McCall has been called by Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee to give evidence over the Phillip Schofield case.

McCall was a sent a letter published on June 1 which asked her to attend parliament to answer questions about the broadcaster’s approach to safeguarding and complaint handling, after reports of a relationship between long-running ITV presenter Phillip Schofield and a young employee on the This Morning programme.

The This Morning host stepped down from his role in May after admitting he engaged in an “unwise but not illegal” affair with the employee who was a runner on the show.

ITV recently announced it has launched an external review to establish the facts around the reports of a relationship between Schofield and the employee.

In the letter Caroline Dinenage, chair of the CMS Committee, said: “The Committee regards the media industry’s duty of care towards its staff a matter of the highest importance. Whilst the recent coverage focuses on the Schofield case, it also raises fundamental issues about safeguarding and complaint handling both at ITV and more widely across the media. These issues should, particularly in the case of Public Service Broadcasters, be open to scrutiny.”

“The public must have confidence in the robustness of Public Service Broadcasters’ safeguarding procedures,” she added.

The session will take place on June 14, with another separate session taking place the same week where the Committee will question ITV group director of strategy, policy and regulation Magnus Brooke, alongside executives from Channel 4 and Channel 5 as part of its scheduled pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Media Bill.