The Trial of Jeremy Kyle

 

The Jeremy Kyle Show used to be one of the most popular daytime TV programmes ever, yet it was axed suddenly in May 2019. This followed the death of one of its "guests", a Portsmouth man named Steve Dymond. The true story of how Mr Dymond passed away has never been officially revealed yet it is likely to be suicide. He died a week after appearing on the programme. Today a coroner announced that there was no causal link at all between Mr Dymond's fate and the TV show. Jeremy himself gave evidence at the inquest. The Jeremy Kyle Show is a prime example of "reality TV". It is very similar to Trisha or Jerry Springer, although far more extreme; a talk show in which people are brought into the studio to talk about their problems, usually involving some kind of conflict with each other. The live studio audience then cheer or boo their approval and distain like crowds at a sporting event while the host gives his own personal opinion. The participants seem to be almost always of a certain demographic; working class white people who, to put it politely, are never the brightest arclights on the stage. Jeremy Kyle claims he does the show to help these people, to be "direct, empathetic and honest". He believes his manner is "the right approach". However, The Jeremy Kyle Show has been described by another judge as "human bear baiting". I have to agree. Even though some of his guests certainly come across as people I would not introduce to my children, to be told on live TV in front of millions of complete strangers: "You loser! I hope she kicks you into touch!" How do we know he deserves it? We are watching an edited recording of a kangaroo court in which usually only the prosecution has been presented coherently. For all we know he might be completely innocent; and a very vulnerable innocent person at that.

Steve Dymond came onto the show with his fiancée Jane Callaghan because she was afraid he was being unfaithful to her. Steve was very keen to take part in the show to prove himself innocent by taking a "lie detector test", a polygraph. This controversial practice is not permitted in a court of law, but it is fine in the court of popular entertainment. Steve starts weeping the moment he enters, admitting he has lied to Jane about other things in the past, such as bragging to impress her, but he denies seeing other women. He also reveals that he has previously been treated by a doctor for depression, although the doctor did say it was alright for him to be on the show. He fails the polygraph and Jane storms off backstage. Steve looks genuinely shocked. Kyle says: "The test says you're a liar, pal. You failed every question! I wouldn't trust you with a chocolate button!" The crowd jeer at him without wondering if the polygraph machine is working alright or whether Steve is entitled to a second opinion etc. Steve continues to protest his innocence. Source: https://metro.co.uk/2024/09/10/inquest-death-jeremy-kyle-guest-steve-dymond-confirms-verdict-21577465/. (Be warned! This article includes a segment from the programme, which was never aired. I have watched it once; please never ask me to watch it again.) A week later he was dead. He left a note to his loved ones that has remained private, as it should. There may be many reasons why a person ends their own life. Sadly suicides are becoming more and more frequent, especially among white males. Nobody knows how much that day in the TV studio pushed him towards the edge. Something like this was inevitable. When sadism and sensationalism pull in viewers and therefore advertisers, sadism and sensationalism will be provided. The film Network has come true, see the background links below. The ethical questions don't really count for much because most people have no ethics; our society incentivises us to abandon them. Maybe there's a natural part of us that takes pleasure in this spectacle, a schadenfreude. We can't change human nature, but we can make decisions. We can choose not to indulge ourselves this way. I hope we will wonder how we would feel if we were put in Mr Dymond's situation. How would we like to be treated? Let's decide to treat others the same way. The title of this article is ironic, because Kyle was not on trial, he was a witness at a coroner's inquest; but then couldn't the same be said for his "contestants"? The Jeremy Kyle Show has now gone. May it burn forever in television hell.
See here for background: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2012/11/derren-brown-apocalypse.html.
And: https://hpanwo.blogspot.com/2020/05/network.html.