From the haunted expressions of guests to booze on tap and the pressure on production staff to deliver explosive episodes, a former Jeremy Kyle researcher has painted a stark picture of what it was like to be behind the scenes.
Journalist Vicky Scullard had been a university student at the time and said that the experience on the ITV chat show put her off working in TV forever.
ITV announced earlier today that The Jeremy Kyle Show would be axed permanently following the tragic death of guest Steven Dymond.
The 62-year-old died just days after failing a lie detector test on the show.
Speaking about her own experience behind the scenes on the show in 2006, Vicky revealed that she was initially excited to be offered a placement.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , she said: "Walking into the building on my first day was very daunting - my hours were 9am until 6pm, in which time they shot three episodes. And fair dos to the production crew, it was a well oiled machine even back then - they didn’t ever seem to run over much.
"After very brief pleasantries by a stressed member of the crew, I was shown the green room, where guests can get refreshments (yes, including wine on tap and beer aplenty), and showed the separate rooms where the guests were kept before they went to the studio."
She was soon given a walkie talkie and told that she would be looking after a guest and making sure that they didn't run into anyone that they were confronting on the show.
Vicky said that she quickly latched onto another paid runner who claimed they worked 12-hour shifts in a desperate bid to step up to researcher level.
Speaking the first time she saw Jeremy Kyle in person, she said: "He’s smaller than I thought he would be, parading up the corridor barking instructions at the senior crew members. From what I could tell, this was him getting into character before he began shooting, but even so, everyone seemed to fear him a little."
She claimed that the researchers "floated between the (often tipsy) contestants" out on cigarette breaks, explaining: "From what I could tell, it was expected of them to goad the guests before they stepped on the infamous stage, so when the cameras started rolling, they were p***ed, and p***ed off."
There was one guest she "will never forget" is a man she looked after backstage.
"He was lovely - not the tracksuit wearing scally that people often associate with the show," she said.
"He was in his late 40s and his (much younger) girlfriend was pregnant. Sounds nice, right? Well in true JK style, he wanted a DNA test for the child after finding out his son was having an affair with her. As I led him out for a cigarette break, he pretty much told me his life story - and how if this child was his son’s, he wasn’t sure if he could cope.
"When he was led to the studio to start shooting, I didn’t have the chance to watch from the wings that time, so when I caught up with him afterwards I asked him straight - who’s the father?
"'It’s not either of us,' he replied. 'It’s someone else’s.'"
Vicky said that the man's face would "stay with her forever" and that she often wondered what happened to him.
"That experience made me so uneasy that it really put me off working in TV. I didn’t see any evidence of guests being mistreated, it just felt… wrong somehow," she said.
But she said that there were warning signs - such as "offering alcohol on tap" before 9am and the intense pressure on production crew.
She added: "The aftercare issue on programmes most definitely needs a look at in light of recent events. If issues such as mental health problems - like with tragic Love Island stars Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis - can be prevented, shows need to set out a proper plan to make sure no one falls through the net."
The Mirror has reached out to ITV for comment.
