ITV's This Morning was branded "tasteless" by viewers after a segment featured a plush tiger toy, days after a man was killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster. Presenters Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley were joined by Alice Beer in the studio on Thursday, October 15, to discuss screen-free Christmas toy ideas, with a plush tiger among the items on display.
Viewers react to toy tiger segment
As Alice Beer went through the Entertainer’s top 10 screen-free presents, unimpressed viewers flooded social media with complaints. One viewer fumed: "Not sure that tiger toy is the best thing to wheel out in front of the cameras this week." Another tweeted: "Thought the tiger toy was a bit tasteless tbh."
A third chimed in: "As if they have a toy tiger after what happened to that poor man at the zoo." One remarked it was a "Little bit awkward choosing a tiger toy this week," while a fifth tweeted: "Bad week to promote tiger toys." Another fan added: "Toy tiger for Xmas, anyone? Producers have dropped an absolute b*****k, especially with ITV running the 'Tiger Attack' headline all week."
Background of the Doncaster incident
The backlash came after William Chapman, 23, was killed by a 30-stone apex predator, Altai, in Doncaster on Saturday, after he jumped into the Yorkshire Wildlife Park enclosure. The tragic events unfolded in front of visitors, including families with children, with emergency services pronouncing Mr Chapman dead on the scene. He climbed two fences and entered the tiger enclosure at around 1.31pm before approaching the animal.
The former child actor suffered multiple traumatic injuries after he recorded himself approaching the animal before he reportedly asked it to "stop being naughty." During a hearing at Doncaster Coroner’s Court, Coroner’s officer Caitlin Brookes said: "He was approached by the tiger, and the ensuing physical contact between the tiger and Mr Chapman led to him sustaining multiple traumatic injuries which rapidly led to his death."
Investigation and inquest details
After his identity was confirmed by his stepdad, a post-mortem gave his provisional cause of death as "1A multiple traumatic injuries and 1B animal interaction." The coroner’s officer said Mr Chapman's family, who did not attend the inquest, "confirmed he had a history of mental illness, a diagnosis of schizophrenia and had suffered previous bouts of psychosis."
He was under the care of Doncaster Mental Health Services at the time, but despite his diagnosis, he was described as "highly functioning and independent with no care requirements." His family has raised concerns about his contact with mental health services leading up to his death, while Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust has commissioned a Patient Safety Incident Investigation into his contact with services. Doncaster City Council is also carrying out a health and safety investigation. The full inquest is scheduled for March 18, 2027.
