Next James Bond frontrunner now huge favourite to play Phillip Schofield in This Morning scandal TV series
Phillip Schofield's This Morning exit is set to be made into a TV series, according to sources
PA
The actor who's most likely to take on the role of Phillip Schofield in a TV adaptation of the scandal surrounding his ITV exit has been identified by bookmakers.
Schofield quit This Morning and ITV back in May after admitting he lied to bosses about an "unwise but not illegal" relationship with a male runner on the show.
His former co-star Holly Willoughby remains a presenter on ITV's This Morning alongside a rotating roster of regular hosts.
Schofield, 61, however, has decided to step back from the spotlight after he conducted interviews with The Sun and the BBC after he decided to quit the network.
ITV launched an inquiry into Schofield's time on This Morning as a result after claims of a "toxic" environment were levelled at the channel following his exit.
The scandal is now reportedly at the centre of a potential TV series that will explore the incidents which led to Schofield's departure, titled The Runner.
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A source told The Sun: "A production company’s started work and they think the series would be a perfect fit for Channel 4.
"The storyline will reflect what went on," they added. "People have seen it from the outside but the drama will give a perspective on what may have occurred behind-closed-doors.
"It could make for uncomfortable viewing for Phil and ITV," the source continued, although Channel 4 is yet to publicly announce if such a show will air on the channel.
The reports have led bookmakers everywhere to predict who could play the presenter and none other than Happy Valley star and James Bond frontrunner James Norton has emerged as a likely candidate.
James Norton (left) has long been tipped as a frontrunner in the race to play Bond after Daniel Craig
PAAccording to Boylesports [via Metro], Norton is priced at just 4/1 to take on the role of Schofield should The Runner get off the ground.
He's joined in the running by a long list of other big names, including Michael Sheen whose chances stand at 6/1.
Meanwhile, the bookmakers are also offering prices of 7/1 on Steve Pemberton, 8/1 on David Tennant, and 9/1 on Line of Duty's Martin Compston to take on the part.
Spokesperson for Boylesports, Lawrence Lyons, said of the market: "The make-up department would have to add a few years to James Norton, but we reckon he could turn his hand to anything and we’d expect a blockbuster name to be the star of the show."
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Daniel Craig said goodbye to the role of James Bond for good back in 2019
PANorton shot to global fame for his role in the BBC's Happy Valley and has long been tipped as one of the frontrunners to take over from Daniel Craig in the role of James Bond.
The identity of the next man to play 007 is still shrouded in mystery but Norton - alongside the likes of Aaron Taylor Johnson, Henry Cavill, Rege-Jean Page and Damson Idris - has long been tipped for the part.
The latest odds, via Oddschecker, has Norton at 9/2 to take on the role of Bond while Taylor-Johnson and Idris are priced at 3/1 each, and Cavill is narrowly ahead of the Happy Valley star at 4/1.
As well as its own inquiry, ITV has also instructed a barrister to conduct an external review of the circumstances surrounding Schofield's exit.
At the time of writing, the findings of the investigation have not been made available to the public as it continues.