Sandra Harris Writes

  PHILLIP SCHOFIELD, THIS MORNING AND THAT WHOLE KETTLE OF FISH. BY SANDRA HARRIS. © Things are not exactly tickety-boo for former ITV presenter Phillip Schofield at the moment. In fact, May has really been the month from hell for the silver-haired sixty-one-year-old who has spent the last twenty years presenting ITV’s flagship television show, THIS MORNING. Firstly, his relationship with his THIS MORNING co-host Holly Willoughby was reported in the media as being ‘on the rocks,’ even though she’d supposedly been his Numero Uno support after he ‘came out’ as gay on the programme in 2020, after twenty-seven years of marriage.   Then, after weeks of intensifying rumours and speculation, Schofield steps down from his THIS MORNING presenting role, followed a few days later by his statement admitting to his affair with ‘a younger male colleague,’ as a result of which he’s stepping down from ITV permanently. He won’t present the upcoming British Soap Awards, and I presume th...

NOTES ON A EUROVISION. BY SANDRA HARRIS. © This year’s Eurovision, held in Liverpool, England, was the best craic ever. Hang on a minute. Why was it held in Liverpool? England didn’t win last year’s show, did they? Christ, no, they came second, with Sam Ryder’s song, SPACEMAN , an achievement which is amazing enough considering England haven’t won a sausage in this competition in donkeys’ years. Not since Brexit made them the most annoying country in the EU anyway. Yikes, I mean, not in the EU. No, see, what happened was, Ukraine actually won the entire shebang last year with the Kalush Orchestra and their mesmerising song Stefania, but Ukraine is heavily involved at the moment in a war with Russia (Russia started it!) and would have been unable to host the return show. Hence, England, as the runner-up, graciously stepped in. And if you think, by the way, that Ukraine only won last year’s shindig because they were being bullied big-time by Russia, well, you can think again. Nor...

CORONATION STREET . . . FINALLY! BY SANDRA HARRIS. © Oh wow. It’s done. The crown is on the head. Charles, formerly the Prince of Wales, has just been crowned the King of England. It’s a gig he’s waited for his whole life, but Mumsie, Queen Elizabeth the Second, was a bit of a throne hog and didn’t relinquish that coveted hot seat until she literally passed away in September 2022. I always thought she’d retire in good time, pass the crown onto her first-born and then keep a maternal eye on him for a year or two, see what kind of a fist he made of it, always ready with a golden nugget of maternal wisdom should his steps falter. But no, like I said, Mumsie hogged that throne with the grim determination of my kids elbowing their way into the best couch seats when the good telly starts of a Saturday night. I was watching one of those Sky News phone-in shows during the week, where common folks like you and me were invited on to air their views about Charles and the coronation in con...