Jeremy Kyle’s manager has dismissed claims that Talk TV has “dropped” a pilot for a new show to be fronted by the presenter.
Over the weekend, The Mirror reported that Jeremy had recently filmed a pilot with the upcoming station, in which he and a panel of guests dissected the day’s headlines.
The tabloid claimed that Talk TV had decided not to move forward with this project, after some contributors allegedly expressed discomfort with sharing the screen with the divisive host, whose ITV daytime show was axed in 2019 following the death of a guest.
However, this has been denied by Jeremy’s manager, who told HuffPost UK these claims were “not true” and that the presenter was “full steam ahead with filming”.
Talk TV declined to comment, although a source close to the station said Jeremy would ”definitely be a strong part of the line-up” then the broadcaster launches later in the year.
They added: “We have been piloting lots of shows and formats for TalkTV – as is entirely normal when developing a new channel. Jeremy has been involved in several.
“Per the Mirror story’s suggestion that guest feedback led to a particular pilot being paused – the reality is that guests on shows are welcome and respected but they have absolutely no say on production decisions.”
A second source added that Jeremy had actually filmed multiple pilots with Talk TV “to see what works and what doesn’t”.
“It’s not the case of Jeremy losing a show at all,” they insisted. “This is very much what happens when a station is in its infancy, you try a lot of different stuff out.”
Talk TV has so far confirmed two of its original shows, which will be fronted by Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne.
Last week, The Jeremy Kyle Show was the subject of a two-part Channel 4 documentary called Death On Daytime, which examined the culture surrounding the former daytime show and the suicide of 2019 guest Steve Dymond.
The doc featured interviews with former members of the production team, re-enacted by actors, some of whom claimed that vulnerable guests were deliberately goaded or manipulated by the crew to make for more salacious viewing when they went on stage.
Earlier this week, Jeremy began his show on talkRADIO – the sister channel of Talk TV – by addressing what he referred to as the “elephant in the room”.
“[I’ve had] a couple of texts already talking about a certain programme that was on television last night,” he told listeners. “Yes, I am fully aware.”
He continued: “I will say only this, my friends, to you. I have maintained a consistent approach over the last three years. I have said that I will not comment on the tragic death of Steve Dymond until the legal process is finished, and that is a position that I will maintain.
“When, and trust me there will be a time after the inquest, when it is proper for me to have my say, because there are two sides to every story. I will do it here, and I will do it to you, and that is the most important thing.”
In response to allegations made in Channel 4’s documentary, an ITV rep dismissed claims of a “bad culture” on The Jeremy Kyle Show, insisting: “ITV would never condone any of its production staff misleading or lying to guests.”