Jeremy Kyle refuses to appear before MPs' reality TV inquiry

Jeremy Kyle has refused to give evidence to a government inquiry into reality TV.

The presenter had been due to speak to MPs next week, following the cancellation of his daytime talkshow by ITV last month over the death of a recent guest, Steve Dymond.

The chair of the digital, culture, media and sport committee, Damian Collins, said: “The Jeremy Kyle show is an important programme as part of our inquiry into reality TV.

“We believe that Jeremy Kyle himself is an important witness. We sent an invitation through his representatives, and we have now heard that he has declined to appear.

“We will be pursuing this matter with his representatives to fully understand the reasons why he has declined and we will make a further statement in due course.”

Senior staff involved in the show, including the managing director of ITV Studios, Julian Bellamy, and the director of entertainment, Tom McLennan, will give evidence to the committee on 25 June.

MPs will also grill the channel’s director of aftercare, Graham Stanier, who is responsible for ensuring the welfare of the show’s participants.

Dymond, 63, is believed to have killed himself about a week after appearing on the programme in which he failed a lie detector test while attempting to convince his fiancee he had not been unfaithful. The construction worker was found dead by his landlady after splitting from Jane Callaghan.

The inquiry was launched to investigate whether TV companies give guests enough support after they appear on reality television programmes.

Related: ‘They sell you a dream’: are reality shows such as Love Island failing contestants?

It will also look into shows such as ITV’s hugely successful Love Island – which is set for its highest ratings ever during its current series. The show came under criticism after the former contestants Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis took their own lives.

The channel announced changes to its duty of care policy ahead of the new series – including a minimum of eight therapy sessions for participants when they return home.

Since the show was taken off air, Kyle has not appeared publicly – only issuing a brief statement to say he and his team were “utterly devastated by recent events”.

Though Kyle could now be found in contempt of parliament, other recent high-profile snubbings reflect the limited powers politicians have to force witnesses to give evidence.

Dominic Cummings, the director of the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 EU referendum, was found in contempt of parliament for refusing to appear at a committee hearing on fake news.

His punishment was a formal “admonishment” from the House of Commons.

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