An inquiry looking into the death of a guest on The Jeremy Kyle Show has condemned the use of lie detectors on the show, particularly when it was revealed that the polygraphs used on the series were "not 100% accurate". Steve Dymond sadly died a week after filming the show, where he undertook to lie detector test and was reportedly devastated by the results.
The Jeremy Kyle Show has been cancelled
At the hearing on Tuesday, ITV's chief executive Carolyn McCall stated that the show won't return to the broadcaster, while the series' executive producer Tom McLennan said he was a "lie detector expert" and didn't know how reliable they were. He said: "We've always made it very very clear to the viewers and the participants before the show that the lie detector is not 100% accurate. Practitioners claim it has a high level of accuracy but it's not guaranteed." He added: "We know the show was controversial. But we did take our duty of care very seriously."
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The chair of the House of Commons culture committee, who was looking into the incident, replied: "If it wasn't for the lie-detector test, we might not be sitting here today. The disclaimer doesn't mean very much, does it? It's being presented as black and white... That's causing considerable distress." Fellow committee member Jo Stevens added that the "entire premise of the show is fake" if the polygraphs aren't accurate. Tom also defended Jeremy Kyle at the inquiry, saying: "Jeremy did have a strong opinion about the lie detector. He's got very strong views. He strongly believed in the tests." The director of aftercare, Graham Stanier, added: "I'm responsible for me and my behaviour. I can't be responsible for the presenter's behaviour."
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