ITV suspends Jeremy Kyle Show after death

The Jeremy Kyle Show has come in for criticism over how it treats guests

UK commercial broadcaster ITV has pulled its controversial daytime chatshow The Jeremy Kyle Show from schedules following the death of a participant.

An episode due to air this morning was pulled and replaced with a repeat of antiques series Dickinson’s Real Deal, pending a review of the series by channel bosses.

The unnamed participant died a week after appearing on an episode of the show which ITV has said it will not be airing.

In a statement, the channel said: “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.

“ITV will not screen the episode in which they featured. 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.”

Launched in 2005, the show has been a mainstay of ITV’s morning schedules ever since and is known for its heated arguments between guests, lie detector tests and audience heckling of participants.

It has often faced criticism for its treatment of vulnerable guests. UK media regulator Ofcom said the show had failed to prevent the distress and humiliation of a 17-year-old guest in 2014, while in 2017 a judge branded it a “human form of bear baiting” after a man was convicted of assaulting another participant on stage.