This Morning’s Phillip Schofield reunites with Gordon the Gopher for BBC Centenary celebrations

Virgin Radio

26 Oct 2022, 15:06

After almost 40 years since their very first telly stint, Phillip Schofield reunited with beloved puppet Gordon the Gopher to help celebrate 100 years of the BBC. 

The This Morning host first appeared as a continuity presenter in the CBBC studio with Gordon in 1985, which was affectionately known as The Broom Cupboard.

Not only did Phil get his big break on CBBC alongside Gordon, but the likes of Andi Peters, Andy Crane and Zoe Ball also partnered up with the adorable gopher. 

Both Andi and Andy were on the sofa of This Morning on Wednesday (26th October) to celebrate the BBC’s Centenary, and it wouldn't be right to celebrate some of the golden moments of children's TV without the gopher himself.

Turning around to face Gordon, who was waiting patiently behind the sofa, Phil told the squeaky puppet: “There is a real treat.”

Indulging in a conversation with his old friend, the presenter added: “Have you been busy? No, so so.

“The cactus juice farm going well? Family good? Yeah, that’s good.”

Phillip’s time as a CBBC continuity presenter with Gordon ran for two years before he was replaced by Crane. Gordon was also given the boot in favour of Edd the Duck. 

It’s been 12 years since Gordon and Phil shared the screen on This Morning, with their last reunion taking place to celebrate the host’s 25th anniversary of his debut CBBC appearance.

After their CBBC stint, Phillip and Gordon hosted Going Live! with Sarah Greene, and after going their separate ways, Gordon landed his own series in 1981. 

While on This Morning, Phillip also opened up about getting into some serious trouble when in charge of the children’s channel continuity. 

He explained: “The first time I realised how much trouble you could get in by saying something I thought was quite innocent was when someone wrote in and said, 'I’m going to the dentist,' and I said, 'Ooh, I hate the dentist.'

“I got thousands of letters from mums saying, ‘Do you have any idea how much power you have and you have just said that to my child?’”

This Morning airs weekdays on ITV from 10am.