ITV has defended its after care process after there were calls for the Jeremy Kyle Show to be cancelled following the apparent suicide of a man who failed a lie-detector test on the programme.
The popular talk show, hosted by Jeremy Kyle and filmed at Salford's MediaCity , was pulled off air on Monday and suspended indefinitely following the death of the guest, named as 63-year-old Steve Dymond, a week after the programme was filmed.
In the wake of the news, ITV said staff and the show's production team were "shocked and saddened" at the death and the episode will be reviewed.
But in a further statement, the broadcaster has said that the programme has a "significant and detailed duty of care processes in place for contributors pre, during and post show" which they say has been built up over 14 years.
They then went on to detail its process which includes comprehensive assessment's before appearing on the programme with the guest welfare team made up of four members of staff, one consultant psychotherapist and three mental health nurses.
It also claims that the production teams keep in touch with the participants in the days between recording and transmission and those who participate in the show are given a production mobile contact number which they can use to contact the programme at any point.
Steve Dymond, 63, was found dead at his home days after failing a lie detector test taken during the show. Friends of Steve claim that he was feeling suicidal after the show, the Mirror reports .
The broadcaster's support for its reality show talent has also come under scrutiny in recent months following the deaths of two former Love Island contestants.
Sophie Gradon, 32, who appeared on the hit TV programme in 2016, was found hanged in June by her boyfriend, who later took his own life in similar circumstances.
And in March this year, 2017 Love Island contestant Mike Thalassitis was also found hanged in a north London park.
A leading mental health charity has said broadcasters have a "clear and strong duty of care" towards their audiences and members of the public with whom they work.
Dr Antonis Kousoulis, Mental Health Foundation Director for England and Wales, said: "While we don’t know the details of this tragic death following an appearance on the Jeremy Kyle show, all TV programmes have a duty of care towards members of the public with whom they work.
"This duty is especially clear in relation to participants who may be more emotionally vulnerable, perhaps because of what they have been through or because by its very nature, the programme will inevitably have a powerful emotional impact on them.
"Shows that attract huge TV audiences by showing participants being made to feel afraid, ashamed or angry are obvious examples where broadcasters have a clear and strong duty of care towards their audiences too.
"Our evidence clearly shows how the language we use and our own behaviour can affect the mental health of others. This week we are hosting Mental Health Awareness Week, which has always been about building a shared responsibility towards changing how we as a society talk about and view mental health."
Their warning comes after ITV has been encouraged to axe the show entirely after a number of MPs spoke out.
Tory MP Charles Walker, a vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on suicide and self-harm prevention, said he would be surprised if the Jeremy Kyle Show returns to our screens.
He told the Daily Mail: "On reflection, ITV would be best advised just to stop it. It's a very, very unattractive TV show and I'm surprised it's gone on so long."
Damian Collins, chairman of the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said TV companies "have a duty to care to the people who take part in their programmes", while Tory MP Simon Hart, who also sits on the committee, described the Jeremy Kyle Show as "car-crash TV which revels in people's terrible misfortune and sometimes their vulnerabilities".
Downing Street has also added an official comment and said TV firms must support participants in their shows.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "This is a deeply concerning case.
"Broadcasters and production companies have a responsibility for the mental health and wellbeing of participants and viewers of their programmes.
"We are clear they must have appropriate levels of support in place."
ITV has now wiped all episodes of the programme from its on-demand service the ITV Hub.
The broadcaster said the episode featuring the participant who died will be submitted for a review due to the "seriousness of this event" and production will be suspended while the review is being conducted.
The tabloid talk show sees host Kyle and psychotherapist Graham Stanier help the guests talk through their personal issues in front of a studio audience.
The programme has had its regular daytime morning slot on the channel since 2005.
