Viking River Cruises pulls its sponsorship from Broadchurch following burning boat scene
Viking River Cruises has pulled its sponsorship from ITV’s murder mystery series Broadchurch, due to ‘sensitivities around the content of the episode’.This comes due to an episode of the eight part series, which follows police working the case of the murder of an 11 year old boy in a small seaside town, showing a boat being set alight and left to drift to destroy evidence.Wendy Atkin-Smith, managing director of Viking River Cruises UK told the Independent: “We did pull our sponsorship from Monday’s Broadchurch, having received an outline of the sensitivities around the content of the episode, ahead of airing on Monday.”While it was originally suggested last week that the idents may just be suspended for one episode, it was later announced that the sponsorship will be pulled completely.Twitter, as usual, had something to say about the development, with the first episode without Viking River Cruises airing last night. Comments included ‘Viking Cruises pull sponsorship of ITV hit Broadchurch over clip of burning row boat - presumably child murder's fine?’ and ‘Anyone else find it ironic that a company called Viking Holidays pulled its sponsoring of Broadchurch due to a burning boat scene’
The Viking Cruise Adverts have stopped. Are they now officially Suspects?! #broadchurch
— Carol Wyllie (@carolwyllie24) April 1, 2013Broadchurch,what can I say?.....the intrigue, the drama, the tension & WHERE THE HELL have the Viking cruise adsgone? #Broadchurch
— Blod Jones (@Blodweener) April 1, 2013