Former 'Jeremy Kyle Show' viewers say they're ashamed after Channel 4 documentary exposé

A Channel 4 documentary exposing how Jeremy Kyle and his production team treated guests on the show has proved an uncomfortable watch for many former fans, who admitted to feeling ashamed.

Jeremy Kyle Show: Death on Daytime aired its first part on Sunday night where former guests, their families and ex-production staff on ITV's now-axed The Jeremy Kyle Show spoke out about their harrowing experiences, saying people were baited and manipulated into fighting on the show.

Read more: Why was The Jeremy Kyle Show cancelled?

Kyle's chat show, notorious for fights and the TV host shouting at his guests, was cancelled in May 2019 after the death of Steve Dymond by suicide just a week after he apparently failed a lie detector test on the programme.

But in the documentary, which continues tonight, those involved with the show told of a culture of bullying that was central to it, leaving former viewers of The Jeremy Kyle Show feeling shame at having once enjoyed it.

One viewer tweeted: "When you look back now, you see it as what it was. A jumped up bully born with a silver spoon in his mouth, picking on vulnerable people born into a broken society. I’m ashamed I used to spend any time watching that drivel."

Someone else added: "I never realised how bad the Jeremy Kyle show actually was! I feel bad for watching it now after watching this documentary and hearing from guests and staff who worked on the show. Glad it was axed!"

Read more: Jeremy Kyle producer took her own life after struggling for work when show was axed

Another shocked viewer wrote: "I feel sick to think I ever watched a single second of #JeremyKyle and thought that anything about it was entertaining. Classist, exploitative, bear baiting, so deeply damaging. In hindsight I’m mortified that it went on for as long as it did. Horrifying."

Someone else tweeted: "A show that exploited people and most of us enjoyed and laughed at, at some point. It’s only when you look back you see how toxic and unfair it was."

Watch: Jeremy Kyle breaks silence on losing ITV show

Other viewers of the Channel 4 documentary expressed anger at the production staff, who told their stories of working for Kyle through actors to protect their identities, while many asked what had happened to the show's resident psychologist Graham who guests were often sent backstage with after their appearance.

A viewer tweeted: "If there was no "after care team", what was the point of Graham? Where is Graham? Is he actually a psychologist? Would love to hear his perspective on things, but I'm guessing he has also gone into hiding."

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Someone else added: "Would love to hear what Graham, the Jeremy Kyle Show's in-house psychologist and mental health professional has to say about all this."

Another person wrote: "The people who worked on #JeremyKyle are annoying me on here. They knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew they were deliberately goading and provoking people, yet they carried on. Absolutely no morals whatsoever."

Kyle has since landed a job presenting a show on talkRADIO and last year opened his first broadcast by promising to talk about his TV cancellation once he was legally allowed to.

ITV offered a lengthy statement shown at the end of the documentary, which in part read: "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."

Jeremy Kyle Show: Death on Daytime concludes tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.

For confidential emotional support contact The Samaritans at any time by calling 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org