Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield: what happened on This Morning as host leaves set after prank

Thursday’s (26 January) episode of This Morning proved to eventful, between Phillip Schofield giving co-host Holly Willoughby a huge fright, Willoughby just about swearing live on air, and an apparent reference to “Queue-gate”, there was plenty for fans to be entertained by during the ITV show.

This is everything you need to know.

What happened on This Morning?

Willoughby appeared to be caught off guard by an unexpected prank whilst on air from her This Morning co-host.

On Thursday’s episode, the two were discussing M Night Shyamalan’s new horror film, Knock at the Cabin. Whilst introducing the next segment of the show, which featured interviews with stars Rupert Grint (Harry Potter, Servant) and Ben Aldridge (The Long Call, Pennyworth), Schofield suddenly yelled out mid-sentence, giving Willoughby what looked like a sizable fright.

While Willoughby cannot be heard obviously swearing, she appeared to make a noise that sounded like the beginning of the F-Bomb before immediately covering her mouth with her hand.

As Willoughby looked around in shock, Schofield said: “I haven’t done that for a while. It’s perfect.”

She was then seen walking off the set of the ITV show before Schofield finished reading out his lines.

What did Philip Schofield say about queues?

Later that same episode, fans of This Morning believe that Schofield made a reference to the duo’s infamous queue-skipping scandal that occurred last year.

While talking about Knock at the Cabin, Schofield said that Willoughby would be “right at the front of the queue” to see the new movie.

On Twitter, one person wrote: “Holly will be straight at the front of the queue Phil? Of course! Dropped a clanger right there!”

Another tweeted: “Brave of Philip to save “Holly will be right at the front of the queue”!”

For those not aware, Schofield and Willoughby found themselves at the heart of controversy after they were criticised for seemingly jumping the queue to see the lying in state of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall on 17 September 2022.

A statement released by ITV at the time said: “This Morning had press accreditation and like other media, Phillip and Holly were escorted to work from the press gallery by government staff. They did not file past the Queen’s coffin.

“They were there alongside a host of other broadcasters and national press outlets for an item that will be broadcast on Tuesday’s show. Any allegations of improper behaviour are categorically untrue.”

A UK Parliament spokesperson also confirmed that the pair had been given media accreditation “for the purpose of reporting on the event for the millions of people in the UK and globally who haven’t been able to visit Westminster in person”.

At its peak, the queue reached wait times of over 25 hours, with the queue itself extending approximately 10 miles long. A number of celebrities were seen in the queue alongside the general public, including David Beckham who queued for 13 hours to see the Queen’s coffin. Other big names include Line of Duty actor Daniel Mays, former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne, Doctor Strange star Tilda Swinton, singer James Blunt and Strictly Come Dancing professional Neil Jones.

The backlash against Schofield and Willoughby was severe, with a petition getting launched to have This Morning “axed for good”, with the person who started the petition describing the duo as “toxic presenters”.