Phillip Schofield has hit out at ex-This Morning colleague Dr Ranj after he ‘stabbed’ him in an outburst accusing the show of having a ‘toxic culture’.
The TV doctor, 43, who left the show last year, claimed he was ‘managed out’ after taking his concerns to ‘the top’ of ITV.
He spoke out last week in the wake of the ongoing scandal into Schofield’s ‘unwise’ affair with a younger male colleague and said he felt he had to ‘clarify’ a few things in light of the recent events.
But in an interview with The Sun, Schofield revealed that he has no idea where Dr Ranj’s claims have come from.
He added that he only saw his former colleague a few months ago before his affair scandal broke, where he was ‘really lovely’ to him.
In an interview with The Sun, Schofield revealed that he has no idea where Dr Ranj’s claims of toxicity have come from
Dr Ranj, 43, who left the show last year, claimed he was ‘managed out’ after taking his concerns to ‘the top’ of ITV
Schofield said that he only saw his former colleague a few months ago before his affair scandal broke, where he was ‘really lovely’ to him.
Schofield said there is ‘categorically’ no toxicity at This Morning and added that the only people who create a toxic culture are those who are toxic themselves.
He said: ‘I don’t know what is the reason to stab something that has been really good to you’,
‘Maybe he wasn’t asked back on. I don’t know I don’t book the guests. Neither of us have any say in who comes on or what.’
Dr Ranj – who is now the resident doctor on the BBC’s Morning Live – said he thought ‘long and hard’ before weighing in on the scandal currently engulfing ITV but decided to speak out ‘in light of recent events’.
He had worked on This Morning as a resident doctor since 2016 and had even hosted with Vanessa Feltz in July 2018.
He left the programme a year ago, it is understood, after putting in a complaint about an on-set bully.
In a lengthy social media post, Dr Ranj wrote: ‘I was on the show for 10 years and I genuinely loved and valued working there. However, over time, I grew increasingly worried about how things were behind-the-scenes and how people, including myself, were being treated.
‘I didn’t know the truth about what was going on with Phillip, but I do know the issues with TM (This Morning) go far beyond him.
‘It takes more than one person to create a culture.’
Old times: Phillip and Holly Willoughby with Dr Ranj on This Morning in 2019. The TV doctor said he felt he had to speak up
Familiar face: Singh worked on the show as a resident medical expert alongside Schofield and his co-host Holly Willoughby for six years before stepping down in 2022
Speaking out: The television medic previously confirmed that he had taken concerns about the behaviour of editors and senior producers to ITV and had then seen his screentime drop
The doctor said he raised his concerns with senior executives at ITV as he had been heavily involved in ‘diversity, anti-bullying and mental health projects’ across the channel.
‘I then found myself being used less and less,’ he continued. ‘I even took my concerns directly to the top of ITV: the culture at This Morning had become toxic, no longer aligned with ITV values, and I felt like because I whistle-blew I was managed out.
‘But as history and experience have taught us, things like bullying and discrimination are very hard to prove, particularly in hindsight and when the “people in power” control the narrative.
‘As we’ve seen, no review or investigation is foolproof.’
The doctor said he was assured that things would be addressed and changes made but he has not worked on the show since – adding it ‘still hurts’ two years on from lodging complaints.
An ITV spokesman said at the time: ‘We are sorry to read Dr Ranj’s post today. At ITV we are fully committed to providing every opportunity for anyone who works with us to raise any concern or comments they may have.
‘Following a complaint made by Dr Ranj, we appointed an external and independent adviser to carry out a review. This external review found no evidence of bullying or discrimination.’
