The Jeremy Kyle Show dressed guests in hoodies and tracksuits, report claims

A former runner on the show has alleged that there was violence backstage, and producers aimed to create confrontation for the audience.

Claims made by the apparent former employee have been reported by BBC Newsbeat about the ITV programme, which has been taken off air indefinitely.

Jeremy Kyle guest Steve Dymond found dead days after he ‘failed lie detector cheat test’

Allegations made in the report include giving guests mini-bar access, handing them cigarettes and dressing them in clothes that were not their own.

It is claimed that tracksuits and hoodies were distributed to guests on the show, and had to be handed back afterwards.

The former runner told the BBC: "I saw things that you would never imagine happening on any other TV programme - guests running around the place uncontrollably, screaming and swearing at production crew.

"Guests were put up in a hotel close to the studio, sometimes with access to a mini-bar so they could get wasted the night before.

"The clothes you see the guests wear are sometimes not their own.

"The show might give them a basic jeans and t-shirt combo, or sometimes a more stereotypical tracksuit and hoodie look."

Claims have been made that producers would encourage conflict backstage, relaying insults to guests from those they would face on the show.

Efforts were made, it is claimed, to keep guests separate until they met on stage in order to save any conflict for the cameras.

The person making claims to the BBC has said that guests would sometimes turn their anger on staff backstage.

An ITV spokeswoman said: "We do not recognise this characterisation of the show."

ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall has said in an email to staff that the decision to take The Jeremy Kyle Show off air is "the best way" to protect it following the death of a guest.

The confrontational talk show was suspended indefinitely by the broadcaster following the death of the participant, named as 63-year-old Steve Dymond, a week after the programme was filmed.

Mr Dymond took a lie-detector test to convince fiancee Jane Callaghan he had not been unfaithful, but they split after he failed, according to The Sun.

An email sent to staff by Dame Carolyn said that it "was a very difficult decision to make" to halt filming and broadcasting of the programme, but that they felt it would be "inappropriate to continue to broadcast the show when a participant on it has so recently died".

The email said: "This decision is not in any way a reflection on the show, but the best way we think we can protect the show and the production team from the reaction we expect to this death."

FROM THE PRESS ASSOCIATION