Jeremy Kyle has defended both his chat show and his presenting style during the inquest into the death of a man after appearing on the programme.
It came as the court was also shown clips from the unaired show for the first time.
Steve Dymond, 63, was found dead at his home in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in May 2019, seven days after taking part in the show.
A coroner found he had died of a combination of a morphine overdose and left ventricular hypertrophy in his heart.
Mr Dymond had taken a lie detector test for the ITV programme after being accused of cheating on his ex-fiancee Jane Callaghan. Following his death, the episode was never aired, and the series was later cancelled.
Kyle arrived on day three of the inquest at Winchester Coroner’s Court accompanied by his solicitor, agent and several other people, wearing a dark blue suit, white shirt and light blue tie. He then sat attentively until he was called to give evidence.
The 59-year-old presenter stood by the structure of the show, saying the stories featured were “a journey” containing both “conflict” and “resolution,” and defended his style of presenting saying “it was direct, but it was empathetic, it was honest”.
The court was shown clips from the unaired episode, with one showing Kylesaying to Mr Dymond: “The truth of the matter is you mate, you did make up a cacophony of lies, you can sit there looking upset, people could look at this and think it’s dodgy.”
After revealing the result of the lie detector test, Kyle said: “The test says you are lying, pal, you failed every single question.”
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The clip showed Ms Callaghan bursting into tears with boos being heard from the audience and Mr Dymond looking shocked as he says: “I wasn’t, I have never been unfaithful.”
Kyle replied: “The studio thought you were telling the truth, I wouldn’t trust you with a chocolate button mate.”
Kyle: ‘Grow a pair of balls and tell the truth’
Another clip featured Kyle telling Mr Dymond: “Be a man, grow a pair of balls and tell her the goddam truth.”
While another featured the presenter asking “Has anyone got a shovel?” as Mr Dymond attempted to explain why he had been messaging another woman.
Kyle denied encouraging the audience to take against Mr Dymond, telling the inquest: “Not at all – I asked them to give them a round of applause.” He said clips showed he had “de-escalated” and “calmed” the situation rather than inflaming it.
He went on to tell the court he believed the show took “the right approach”, and he “always believed the stories were a journey.”
He said you could “absolutely” see a journey in Mr Dymond’s case, including where he and his partner “face the truth”. He said: “It is conflict, it is resolution.”
He also made clear he was “not involved in the selection of guests” on his TV show, and was “employed absolutely as the presenter,” and nothing more.
He later added: “The production, the producing, the after-care, the lie detector test were not my responsibility, I was the presenter,” going on to explain that while he had created a persona for the show, he had not been trained how to handle emotional guests.
When asked by Rachel Spearing, counsel to the inquest, whether he believed Mr Dymond was humiliated on the show, Kyle answered: “I do not”.
Maya Sikand KC, the lawyer representing Steve Dymond’s family, put it to Kyle that some of the things he said to Mr Dymond during the show were “belittling,” to which he answered “I wouldn’t agree”. He said that while Mr Dymond did get upset during filming, “he wasn’t upset from the beginning, that’s the journey and that’s the way the Jeremy Kyle show was.”
The Jeremy Kyle Show first aired in 2005 and ran for 17 series before it was cancelled on 10 May 2019, the day after Mr Dymond’s death.
It was ITV’s most popular daytime programme.
ITV stood by Kyle at the time, with the broadcaster’s director of television Kevin Lygo confirming it was piloting a new show with him later that year, although not in the same 9.30am timeslot.
The process of the lie detector test
Ahead of Kyle’s evidence on Thursday morning, the inquest was told that after filming had finished, Mr Dymond had told a researcher: “I wish I was dead.”
Mr Dymond had rung ITV 40 to 50 times in “desperate” attempts to become a guest on the show, the inquest was previously told.
Video clips from the unaired show were played to the court, showing Mr Dymond being advised about the processes of the lie detector test.
In the video, Mr Dymond asked the polygraph examiner, who was contracted by ITV to carry out the procedure, whether the test is “99.9% accurate”, to which the examiner replied: “They are 95% accurate” with a “narrow risk of error”.
The examiner also advised Mr Dymond that “if you fail one question, you fail the lot”.
The clips also show Mr Dymond watching a video informing him about the test which advises the participant to be “truthful, open and honest”.
Lie detector results added ‘element of drama’
Chris Wissun, director of content compliance at ITV at the time Mr Dymond appeared on the ITV show, returned to the witness box, explaining that the lie detector test was “a very well-established editorial feature of the programme”.
He said Kyle would not have been informed of the lie detector result ahead of time but would discover the outcome in real time during the filming of the show.
Mr Wissun said: “The producer wouldn’t reveal the results to the presenter, the results would be given to him during the programme.
“He would open the envelope and reveal the results and tell the guests what the results were. There was an element of drama in that moment.”
He also said he was not aware that Kyle had been asked to “modify his approach or presenting style” when dealing with Mr Dymond.
Mr Wissun previously told the court he had been informed that Kyle was “very receptive” to advice from the aftercare team about whether he needed to adapt or soften his presenting style for particular guests.
The hearing heard that the show’s aftercare team had offered Mr Dymond eight to 10 sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy for self-esteem and confidence building after the show to help him address his “problem with lying”. Counselling did not go ahead due to his death.
Mr Dymond had been diagnosed with a depressive disorder in 1995 and taken overdoses on four previous occasions – in January 1995, twice in December 2002, and April 2005 – the hearing was told on Wednesday.
The court heard he also made another apparent suicide attempt in 2002.
He was sectioned in September 2005, and a mental health assessment then found he was at “risk of suicide”.
Mr Dymond’s death added to growing scrutiny of the duty of care that reality TV shows have to participants, coming after the death of two former Love Island contestants, Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis, in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.orgin the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
Hit British series Baby Reindeer was among the big winners at this year’s Emmy Awards – as Shogun made history and there were also big wins for The Bear and Hacks.
Richard Gadd, who created and starred in the popular but controversial drama Baby Reindeer, collected awards for writing and starring in the limited series category, while co-star Jessica Gunning was named best supporting actress.
Japanese historical drama Shogun became the first non-English language show to be named best drama, and also set a record for the most single-season Emmywins – taking home four prizes on the night to make it 18 in total, following previous gongs at the creative arts event handed out earlier this month.
The Bear picked up four awards in the comedy categories, including wins for stars Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Liza Colon-Zayas, while Hacks took the overall win for best comedy series.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Debicki also won her first Emmy for her portrayal of Diana, Princess of Wales, in fictionalised royal drama The Crown.
On stage, Gadd, 35, said it was “stuff of dreams” as he accepted awards for outstanding limited or anthology series, best writing, and lead actor for Baby Reindeer, which is said to be inspired by his real-life experiences.
The show sees his character Donny Dunn stalked by a woman called Martha. After becoming a viral hit earlier this year, the programme made international headlines after a woman claiming to be the inspiration behind Martha filed a lawsuit against Netflix, alleging the story is inaccurate.
In his acceptance speech for the writing award, Gadd said: “Ten years ago, I was down and out. I never ever thought I’d get my life together… then here I am, just over a decade later, picking up one of the biggest writing awards in television.
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“I don’t mean that to sound arrogant. I mean it as encouragement for anyone who’s going through a difficult time right now to persevere… if you’re struggling, keep going – keep going and I promise you things will be okay.”
Accepting her supporting actress prize, Gunning said she was “incredibly proud” to be part of the show. “Thank you for trusting me to be your Martha,” she said to Gadd. “I will never, ever forget her or you or this.”
This year’s Emmys ceremony, held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, was also a huge success for Shogun. The show launched in February and is based on James Clavell’s best-selling novel, set during the 1600s.
Stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai became the first Japanese actors to win Emmys in the dramatic acting categories.
Sanada, who received a standing ovation, told the audience he was “beyond honoured”, and added: “Shogun taught me that when people work together, we can make miracles. We can create a better future together.”
A tearful Sawai, a first-time nominee, said: “I was crying before my name was announced. I’m a mess today. This to all the women who expect nothing and continue to be an example for everyone.”
Baby Reindeer and Shogun were not the only shows to receive multiple prizes, with hit series The Bear also a big winner.
In their opening monologue, father-son hosting duo Eugene and Dan Levy joked that the show, which depicts the stresses of life working in a professional kitchen and stars Jeremy Allen White as a chef running the family business after the death of his brother – would be better off categorised as a drama.
Allen White described himself as “so, so, so lucky” after picking up the Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series for his role as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto.
“This show has changed my life, it has instilled a faith that change is possible, that change is possible if you are able to reach out, you are really truly not actually alone,” he said in his acceptance speech.
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The Bear star Liza Colon-Zayas gets political
His co-stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Liza Colon-Zayas also picked up the awards for best supporting actor and actress in a comedy.
This is the second Emmys ceremony this year, after the September 2023 event was postponed to January 2024 due to the US writers’ and actors’ strikes.
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Nominees and celebrity guests hit the red carpet in style ahead of this year’s Emmy Awards.
British shows The Crown, with 18 nominations, and Baby Reindeer, with 11, were among this year’s biggest contenders, rubbing shoulders with The Bear, Shogun, Only Murders In The Building, and True Detective: Night Country.
This is the second Emmy Awards ceremony of the year, after the 2023 event was delayed to January because of the Hollywood writers’ strike.
Tito Jackson, an original member of The Jackson 5 and brother of the late Michael Jackson, has died.
A family member confirmed the news to Sky News’ US partner network NBC LA.
Tito was an original member of The Jackson 5 along with brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, who died in 2009.
He was also father to Taj, Taryll and TJ Jackson, who found fame as R’n’B/pop trio 3T in the 1990s.
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