Parents slam Play School for ‘bad timing’ of ocean floor exploring episode

Play School is facing a deluge of criticism for its ‘bad timing’ of an episode which followed two ocean explorers – just hours after five were killed in a submersible.

The popular ABC Kids children’s program aired a segment on the show ‘Sea and Space: 2’ on June 24.

However, the timing of this episode has raised eyebrows, as it coincided with the news that five people were confirmed dead when their Titanic-bound sub imploded on June 18.

In an eerily timed episode of Play School, the cheerful host Rachel enthusiastically announces to the young viewers that they are embarking on a journey ‘to the bottom of the sea’, followed by a dramatic close-up of toy dolls delving deep into the ‘ocean’ in a submarine-like vessel.

‘We’ve successfully descended to the seabed,’ proclaims Rachel, remarking on the profound darkness and speculating on the chance of encountering bioluminescent marine life.

Five men were killed in an expedition onboard the OceanGate Titan (pictured) after it imploded while trying to see the wreck of the Titanic  

The underwater adventure continues as the make-believe submersible explores the abyss, encountering glow-in-the-dark jellyfish. 

This prompts Rachel to burst into a song with the catchy lyrics: ‘Two adventurers set sail to see, to see what in the sea they could see. 

‘But all that they could see in the sea was…’

Her co-host Kaeng then interrupts to introduce some torch fish. 

This playful song and interruption routine is repeated several times as the characters uncover different sea bed inhabitants.

In an eerily timed episode of Play School, the cheerful host Rachel enthusiastically announces to the young viewers that they are embarking on a journey ‘to the bottom of the sea’, followed by a dramatic close-up of toy dolls delving deep into the ‘ocean’ in a submarine-like vessel 

The segment concludes with Kaeng promising that they will have ‘a ton to share upon their return’.

A clip of this particular segment was uploaded on Reddit by a viewer, captioned: ‘Unfortunate timing for this morning’s Play School broadcast’.

By Sunday morning, the post had generated nearly 300 comments, one of which read, ‘Play School is simply rubbing salt in the wound! How callous’.

One user expressed suspicion stating, ‘This was no accident’, while several commented that it was ‘too early’ for the episode to be aired.

However, several comments leapt to the defence of the beloved children’s show. 

One commenter pointed out, ‘You are aware that these shows are filmed and scheduled way ahead of time, right?’.

Another chimed in, ‘I don’t think this was a new episode, probably just an unfortunately timed rerun’.

One sarcastic comment read, ‘Yeah, because little Timmy is going to be engrossed in the news and comprehend why this was poorly timed’. 

An ABC News representative told news.com.au that they had not received any complaints about the episode. 

A clip of this particular segment was uploaded on Reddit by a viewer, captioned: ‘Unfortunate timing for this morning’s Play School broadcast’