Television channel ITV has suspended “The Jeremy Kyle Show” indefinitely after a guest died shortly after appearing in an episode.
British broadcaster ITV said it would not screen the episode in which the person took part.
“Everyone at ITV and The Jeremy Kyle Show is shocked and saddened at the news of the death of a participant in the show a week after the recording of the episode they featured in and our thoughts are with their family and friends,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The Jeremy Kyle Show taken off air and suspended indefinitely after death of guest who appeared on the show https://t.co/hofO0LFNuM pic.twitter.com/raaAC3r5uX
— ITV News (@itvnews) May 13, 2019
“ITV will not screen the episode in which they featured,” the spokesperson added.
“Given the seriousness of this event, ITV has also decided to suspend both filming and broadcasting of The Jeremy Kyle Show with immediate effect in order to give it time to conduct a review of this episode of the show,” the spokesperson said in the statement.
The participant died a week after recording the episode.
The show has aired on ITV since 2005 and is known for its heated discussions between guests who often insult each other about personal and family conflicts in front of studio audiences.
“What this show does is to give you perspective on your own life,” Kyle said, according to “The Jeremy Kyle Show” official site. “I often tell myself that I must never complain again about not getting enough kip, or something minor going wrong. Many of the people I meet face terror and tragedy in their lives—and they keep going. I really admire them.”
However, several people have criticized the way the show is run.
Details of the death of a participant on The Jeremy Kyle Show still unclear. In 2007, a judge called the programme “a human form of bear baiting” after a guest assaulted another man during a row on the ITV show’s set
— Julian Druker (@Julian5News) May 13, 2019
In 2007, a judge condemned “The Jeremy Kyle Show” as a “human form of bear baiting” following a guest on the show being convicted of assault. It was the first instance of a person being convicted of assault while on a British talk show, according to The Guardian.
“It seems to me that the whole purpose of ‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’ is to effect a morbid and depressing display of dysfunctional people who are in some kind of turmoil,” Manchester district judge Alan Berg said, The Guardian reported.
“It is for no more and no less than titillating members of the public who have nothing better to do with their mornings than sit and watch this show which is a human form of bear baiting which goes under the guise of entertainment,” he added.
“the whole purpose of the Jeremy Kyle show is to effect a morbid and depressing display of dysfunctional people who are in some kind of turmoil,”
“human form of bear-baiting which goes under the guise of entertainment”https://t.co/oCeRbYrhgj
— Mike Marshall #FBPE (@MikeMar82888097) May 13, 2019
Following the news of the show being taken off air, several people took to social media to express surprise that it took that long for the show to be suspended.
The Guardian and Observer writer Carole Cadwalladr wrote on Twitter: “I went undercover on Jeremy Kyle show in 2008 & found a vulnerable mentally ill young man being bullied & abused. Now someone’s dead. Amazed it took this long.”
I went undercover on Jeremy Kyle show in 2008 & found a vulnerable mentally ill young man being bullied & abused. Now someone’s dead. Amazed it took this long https://t.co/aKS4o2ndyR
— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) May 13, 2019
Another person responded and wrote, “I couldn’t agree more,” adding, “I cannot see the positives in exploiting and/or humiliating people for viewing figures but Kyle got rich on it.”
I couldn’t agree more. The programme made me so angry; my ex used to love it and insist on watching it and I’d put headphones on and listen to music to drown it out. I cannot see the positives in exploiting and/or humiliating people for viewing figures but Kyle got rich on it.
— Sarah Clark (@positivesarah) May 13, 2019
According to the BBC, “The Jeremy Kyle Show” is “the most popular show on ITV’s daytime schedule, with an average of one million viewers and a 22 percent audience share.”
Another person wrote on Twitter: “I worked on Jeremy Kyle for 6 months. Can assure you, story is the tip of the iceberg. Exploiting people with serious mental health/addiction problems. Promise ‘aftercare’ after [expletive] people’s lives up. Can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for this [expletive] to be investigated.”
