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Rage, chair-throwing and sleepless nights: behind the scenes of The Jerry Springer Show

In the late 90s, Springer’s talkshow dominated the ratings with some of the most controversial stories ever told. It certainly wasn’t easy to make – but what do its producers think of it now?

The documentary covers the rise of the show – and its low points: the time the Ku Klux Klan were invited on; the sad, shocking and sometimes revolting stories; and the murder of Nancy Campbell-Panitz by her ex-husband, hours after the episode which they were on, along with the woman he was in a new relationship with, was aired in July 2000. It’s more like: ‘I have a woman with a food fetish, she’s 750lb, and she’s super passionate about getting in her hot tub, filling it with creamed corn and doing the backstroke while licking the toes of her 4ft 1in secret lover who is a bondage dungeon master.’ That’s funny, and it’s a visual that you will never forget.” They had to find them, convince them to appear, fly them to Chicago and deal with any last-minute wobbles; they couldn’t totally relax until those people were walking (or preferably storming) off stage, having delivered a whole lot of drama.

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