THE JEREMY KYLE DOCU
The talk show has hit the headlines again
It’s been three years since The Jeremy Kyle Show was taken off air following the death of one of the programme’s guests. But controversy over its legacy has flared up again after a new Channel 4 documentary made more shocking allegations.
Stephen Dymond is thought to have died by suicide in May 2019, a week after he had appeared on an episode of the daytime series, where he was accused of being unfaithful to his partner. In the new two-part documentary Death On Daytime, former employees of the show spoke out about what went on behind the scenes – and their claims were jaw-dropping.
1 ‘EXPLOITING GUESTS’
As well as down-playing mental-health concerns when booking guests, the documentary alleges addicts would be told they were in competition with others for a space at a rehabilitation centre, even though there was room for them all.
2 ‘JEREMY WAS NASTY’
Former staff said the firebrand host was “nasty” and “really just demeaning”, with one claiming, “He would make comments to us about the guests, insinuating that they were thick or that they were scruffs… you just get the sense that he didn’t care about these people and if you don’t care about them, you shouldn’t be doing that job.”
3 ‘RATS IN A CAGE’
One former production crew member spoke about the workplace culture. “We were literally like rats in a lab,” they claimed. “Each in our little cages in there. You never left your desk – sometimes, 14, 15 hours at that desk.”
4 ‘MADE-UP TESTS’
Employees alleged results from the lie-detector test taken by Stephen Dymond were “made up”, and that the test wasn’t anywhere near as accurate as they claimed on the show. One ex-employee said, “I felt like I had blood on my hands. We felt like we had killed someone.”
5 ‘ITV BOSSES GUILTY?’
Senior MP Damian Collins believes ITV executives would have been aware of everything. “People at the top of the company should have asked more questions,” he said. “It’s impossible to believe that no one within the company raised concerns about this.” ■ In response, ITV released a statement saying, “More than 20,000 people took part in the show seeking help to resolve relationship issues, or to address drug or alcohol-related problems… and the show achieved many positive outcomes. The show had a dedicated guest welfare team of mental healthcare professionals. Guests were supported prior to filming, throughout filming and after filming. ITV does not accept the central allegation of this programme of a ‘bad culture’ within the production team. ITV would never condone any of its production staff misleading or lying to guests.”