'Jeremy Kyle Show's Graham Stanier: I was not comfortable with Kyle's presenting style
The Jeremy Kyle Show’s Graham Stanier has admitted he was not comfortable with Kyle’s “black and white” presenting style.
The host of the axed ITV show declined to appear before MPs today, and in his absence the show’s Director of Aftercare Stanier and Executive Producer Tom McLennan underwent detailed scrutiny from the Committee for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Under questioning about Kyle’s treatment of his guests Stanier said: “It’s not the behaviour I would employ. That’s a really black and white statement, saying somebody is a liar.
“That is the presenter’s style. I’m responsible for me and my behaviour I can’t be responsible for the presenter’s behaviour.
Read more: Jeremy Kyle plots return to TV with two new shows
“I’m responsible for me and for the guests. Responsibility for the presenter lies with the production.”
Asked if it was his duty to tell Kyle not to behave in a certain way towards guests Stanier said: “That is my role, but in the moment, I think he becomes passionate, opinionated and he will deliver in that way and if people are uncomfortable with that it’s a production issue to deal with that.”
He added: “I’m never professionally comfortable with black and white statements.”
Discussing the checklist that potential contributors, Stanier was asked if he felt professionally comfortable with them appearing on the show after any medical or mental health issues were revealed.
Stanier said: “I would definitely reduce peoples participation in most cases to providing a statement only.”
Stanier and McLennan both admitted that while they made it clear to participants that lie detector tests are not 100 per cent accurate they were not aware of the procedure’s range of accuracy.
However McLennan said that Kyle - shown in a clip form the show telling a woman, “The lie detector test says you are a liar,” - “believed” in the test results.
Read more: Lie detectors may be banned from TV as Ofcom probes 'Jeremy Kyle Show'
McLennan said: “Watching that clip now I think Jeremy did have a strong opinion about the lie detector so that’s why we also felt it was extremely important to make clear it is not100 per cent accurate and that’s why we put it on screen as he delivered the result.
“Jeremy has very strong views and he believed in the results.”
Under further questioning he said: “I can’t talk for Jeremy today but my understanding is that he did believe in the test.”
Julian Bellamy, Managing Director of ITV told the committee that the network hoped to continue to work with Kyle in the future.
But he said: “We will not be bringing back a show that looks or feels like The Jeremy Kyle Show in the future.”
