This Morning backlash following 'tasteless' tiger toy segment days after Yorkshire Wildlife Park death
'Bad week to promote tiger toys,' one viewer saidThis Morning has come under fire after featuring a toy tiger on the ITV show, just days after a 23-year-old man died at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Viewers took to X to question the timing of the segment, which formed part of a guide to screen-free Christmas gifts for children.
This Morning viewers question tiger toy segment
The appearance of the interactive tiger left some viewers questioning whether it was appropriate to showcase the toy so soon after the tragedy.
One viewer wrote: “Not sure that tiger toy is the best thing to wheel out in front of the cameras this week.”
Another commented: “Thought the tiger toy was a bit tasteless tbh.”
A third said: “As if they have a toy tiger after what happened to that poor man at the zoo.”
“Bad week to promote tiger toys,” another viewer added.
Alice Beer presents Christmas toys on This Morning
Alice Beer joined presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard in the studio to reveal The Entertainer’s top 10 screen-free Christmas presents.
Among the items featured was an interactive tiger toy, which Alice demonstrated during the segment.
She explained that the toy starts out as a cub before growing into a fully grown tiger. Children can also feed it.
However, the item aired just five days after William Chapman’s death at the Doncaster wildlife park, prompting criticism from viewers online
William Chapman died at Yorkshire Wildlife Park
William Chapman, 23, died at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday, 10 October. He was a former child actor and performer.
Emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 1.30pm, but William was pronounced dead at the park.
Visitors, including families with children, were present when the incident took place.
An inquest at Doncaster Coroner’s Court heard that William had climbed two fences before entering the tiger enclosure. The animal involved in the fatal incident was named Altai.
Coroner’s officer Caitlin Brookes told the hearing that the tiger approached William after he entered the enclosure. The subsequent contact caused multiple traumatic injuries, which rapidly led to his death.
A post-mortem examination gave a provisional cause of death involving multiple traumatic injuries and animal interaction.
The hearing also heard that William’s stepfather identified him.
With viewers raising concerns over the timing of the Christmas toy feature, TV Guide has contacted ITV for comment.
This Morning airs on weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI technology to synthesise source reporting and structured data. It has been reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by our human editorial team before publication.
