Channel 4 has vowed to make changes after completing an investigation into the “tragic death” of a TV producer who fell to his death from the Dartford Crossing.

John Balson, who had also worked on documentaries for Netflix, took his own life after suffering “chronic” work-related stress and struggling with debilitating migraines.

His heartbroken family previously told KentOnline how they felt “let down” by the system and that the father-of-one’s death should have been prevented.

Police were called to the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge to reports of concern for a man’s welfare on May 17 last year.

Last month, an inquest determined the 40-year-old’s cause of death was multiple severe injuries as a result of a fall from height.

Now, Channel 4 says it is “shocked and saddened” by Mr Balson’s death and has revealed the results of an investigation it launched alongside external law firm, RPC, in June to “thoroughly investigate the circumstances around it”.

A spokesman said it had remained in close contact with the producer’s family and had reviewed its own measures for supporting freelancers.

The examination included interviewing several people, reviewing emails, WhatsApp and text messages and analysing key documents provided by Mr Balson’s family.

As a result, the law firm found both [production company] Alaska TV and Channel 4 acted respective duties of care “reasonably and appropriately” based on the information available to them at the time.

The investigation team also commented on how the tragedy of Mr Balson’s death has deeply affected all those spoken to during the probe.

While the investigation team noted that nothing can alleviate the sadness of his death, it made several recommendations to further enhance duty of care and support for production staff going forward.

They included production companies circulating mental health resources, considering additional way to encourage transparency about mental health matters, considering adopting additional monitoring and oversight of freelance working hours, as well as introducing a documented flexible working policy.

It also said Channel 4 should consider incorporating further guidance on producer wellbeing, continue to engage with industry bodies regarding producer working conditions and create guidance and support resources for those companies.

A Channel 4 spokesman said it “takes very seriously the welfare of the freelance community and has taken forward all recommendations from RPC”.

They added: “The channel has also agreed with Alaska that it will implement all the investigation’s recommendations.”

Channel 4 is also initiating further measures that go beyond the investigation’s recommendations, including anonymous surveys, better communication, mid-production discussions and asking production companies to assess the nature of the subject matter producers are working on.

At an inquest into Mr Balson’s death in February senior coroner for North West Kent, Roger Hatch, heard how at the time of his death, John faced enormous pressure in his role as a freelance TV producer.

‘This tragedy has made it clear that more must be done to better support freelancers in the industry...’

Before he fell ill, he was working on a new series of In the Footsteps of Killers — a true crime series hosted by criminologist Professor David Wilson and Silent Witness actor Emilia Fox — which had been commissioned by Channel 4 and Alaska TV.

He often worked long hours and his role included researching sensitive subjects, often around “horrific” murders and for one documentary series, paedophile cases stretching back to the 1990s.

A report detailing his contact with various medical professionals in the weeks leading up to his death was read to the court by Isabelle Ritouret, a doctor involved in his care, and described numerous times he’d expressed thoughts of suicide.

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