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If I wanted to eat my breakfast while listening to two people arguing over things that I don't care about I'd still be living at home. As it is I don't, but if I ever do feel a little home sick I can always turn on the TV and spend just over an hour watching The Jeremy Kyle Show. A show that promises to resolve the problems being encountered by Britain's equivalent of 'trailer trash.' I doubt this much fun has been had since the public were banned from humorous tours of mental institutions.

I do not, however, advocate the mocking of the mentally challenged and equally it is unfair to mock the guests on Jeremy's show, who seem to be intellectually challenged at best. It is sad that we live in a world where people feel that they cannot approach help from the right people for fear of ridicule, but are quite happy to air their personal problems on a second rate television programme for the amusement of others. Perhaps the authorities have failed in making people aware of the help, free from cameras, that is available for all sorts of family problems. Maybe their thirst for celebrity has become so strong that they are willing to sacrifice their self respect for the sake of fifteen minutes of fame. Either way The Jeremy Kyle Show is responsible for taking advantage of these people in an effort to get ratings. The audience at home must also take responsibility because if we didn't watch the show it wouldn't exist. Of course Jeremy Kyle isn't the only show to blame, there is a whole host of these shows on both sides of the pond stemming from the success of the wonder that was Jerry Springer.

Further to the horror that is the genre in general, is the presence of Jeremy Kyle himself, whose idea of mediation is taking the side of both parties on different points thus enabling the petty points scoring he constantly claims to abhor. Jeremy Kyle has two settings while presenting his show, one is quiet and concerned and the second is loud and righteous. It is clear as you watch him present an episode that his interaction with the guests is an attempt to create dramatic television as opposed to finding an actual solution to their problems.

However, the programme is not without merit, after all it is good to talk about your problems in a neutral setting, but I doubt the addition of cameras and a studio audience are either necessary for, or conducive to the resolution of family problems. There are experts on hand, official or not, to help the guests during and after their stint on stage, so perhaps adequate support is given beyond their fifteen minutes in the limelight. It is just a shame that people can't seek help away from the prying eyes of the British public.

All in all The Jeremy Kyle Show is a programme that does not deserve to see the light of day. Not only is it dire television, it is also a damning indictment of our society. It shows both the participants, who are desperate for attention, and the viewers, who seem to revel in the misery of others, in the worst possible light. At least it lacks the whooping that is present in so many of its US equivalents.

Learn more about this author, Luke Bamforth.
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