Titanic-themed ride stays at Hertfordshire farm after name-change backlash
A Hertfordshire farm has kept its Titanic-themed children's ride after a name change drew more criticism than the original.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A children's ride at Graveley Fruit Farm in Hertfordshire that recreates the sinking of the Titanic has been defended by its owner after criticism that it is disrespectful to the 1,500 people who died in the 1912 disaster.
The ride, which lifts riders high before tipping them off as they try to hold on, drew criticism on social media, with some calling it "insensitive", "distasteful" and "disrespectful". In response, owner Will Campbell-Gray changed the name to the Big Tipper, but said the backlash to that was far worse, including threats made to his wife on messenger.
"We really didn't want to be insensitive at all and we sort of slightly panicked and said right we'll change the name we'll change it from Titanic and we'll change it to the Big Tipper," he told the BBC. "The backlash we got for doing that was far greater than the backlash we received initially."
The name was changed back to Titanic and has stayed ever since. Visitors at the farm defended the ride, with one child saying, "I've been on there five times and it's really fun." Another said, "It hasn't even crossed my mind that it's related to the actual Titanic even though that's what it's called."
Campbell-Gray argued that the ride keeps the memory of the ship alive and is not making fun of the dead. He compared it to World War II games and World War I video games. He also said he hopes to add educational boards about the Titanic to the ride, which is proving a big hit.
The controversy comes as the story of the Titanic continues to be told in popular culture, including a Hollywood film and a comedy musical in the West End. But for now, the ride at Graveley Fruit Farm remains, and its owner says it will go on.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC One |
|---|---|---|
| A ride at Graveley Fruit Farm recreates the Titanic sinking, was renamed but reverted after threats, and continues to operate with the Titanic name. | ||
| Some social media users called the ride insensitive, distasteful, and disrespectful. | · | |
| The owner plans to add educational boards about the Titanic to the ride. | · | |
| The ride at Graveley Fruit Farm tips up like the Titanic sinking. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This report focused on the fun and excitement of the ride from a child's perspective, while acknowledging the criticism. It included interviews with children enjoying the ride and balanced the debate by quoting both critics and supporters, ending with the owner's decision to keep the name Titanic.
- “I think it's crazy they're just having fun.”
- “I think that it's just a bit of fun so I don't think there's a problem with it really.”
- “We did change the name we got far more backlash for doing that to the point where my wife who does the social media actually got threats for changing the name on messenger.”
This report gave a more detailed account of the owner's decision-making process, focusing on the controversy and the defence. It highlighted the owner's explanation for keeping the name, the comparison to other historical tragedies in entertainment, and the plan to add educational boards.
- “We really didn't want to be insensitive at all and we sort of slightly panicked and said right we'll change the name we'll change it from Titanic and we'll change it to the Big Tipper and we got the signs made, we put the signs on, we changed the whole thing and the backlash we got for doing that was far greater than the backlash we received initially.”
- “We're keeping the memory of Titanic alive and we're not making fun of the dead at all.”
- “There's World War II games, there's World War I video games I mean how far do you really want to go with it?”
Broadcast Timeline
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