BBC Sewing Bee fans slam 'nightmare' new feature as they demand 'trigger warning'

Series 10 of the BBC's sewing sensation kicked off on Tuesday, with fashion gurus Patrick Grant and Esme Young back on the judging panel. Meanwhile, Kiell Smith-Bynoe steps up as the show's main host after a successful stint in the 2023 Christmas special.

The episode commenced with a rapid succession of sneak peeks, offering viewers a tantalising taste of what's to come in terms of sartorial creations. However, this premature exposure of contestants' handiwork sparked a wave of disgruntlement among fans.

One vexed viewer grumbled: "Why are they showing highlights? I find this infuriating I don't want to see what's getting made weeks ahead. Let's meet the contestants and just get on with it."

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Another joined the chorus of discontent, stating: "Don't need to watch now that I've seen all the outfits."

But the spoilers weren't the only elements ruffling feathers; contestant Neil's unexpected "sidekick" gave many viewers the shivers. Neil, who combatted lockdown blues by turning to online quizzes, made a ventriloquist dummy named Terry Pastry to keep him company, says Express report, reports the Mirror.

Host Kiell Smith-Bynoe grilled Neil about his unconventional buddy, Terry Pastry, which he brought to the sewing showdown. After their exchange, Kiell confessed he found the interaction to be "terrifying".

Viewers on Twitter echoed his sentiments, with one tweeting: "Oh no that ventriloquist dummy is so creepy."

The puppets appearance elicited comments filled with horror-like "That puppet is seriously scary," and "Terry is the thing of nightmares. Good luck sleeping tonight! ". Another viewer demanded: "Where's the trigger warning for the puppet @sewingbee? ! ".

One viewer chimed in, remarking: "That dummy belongs in a horror movie."

Echoing the same sentiment, another viewer said: "That dummy is the stuff of nightmares."

The debut episode threw back to the first series with each task. The initial task for this round of contestants was to craft an A-line denim skirt.

Next came the transformation challenge, which saw the stars given a basic T-shirt and asked to repurpose it for a new design.

Patrick explained: "In the very first sewing bee, we gave our sewers tops like these and asked them to alter the necklines. This is now part of the transformation challenge.

Ending the episode on a high, the final task tasked the participants with creating a casual day dress in five hours for the made-to-measure challenge. Unfortunately for Neil, he was the first contestant to be shown the exit from the series.