Hi-de-Hi near tragedy which left star trapped underwater

During its eight-year run sitcom Hi-de-Hi! had millions of Brits in stitches. Many viewers didn’t realise that behind the scenes of one episode, the cast and crew narrowly avoided a devastating tragedy.

The series gave fans a glimpse into life at a 1950s British holiday camp. In one particular episode, Carnival Time, the characters participate in the Crimpton-on-Sea Town Carnival.

Workers attempt to follow orders from their boss, Joe Maplin, to create a float for the parade, but a series of comedic disasters ensue.

In the episode, one dramatic scene shows a burning float plunging into a pool – and while viewers found the fictional episode hilarious, that moment became dangerously real for actor Chris Andrews.

As the flaming float hit the water, Chris’s costume became tangled in it, and he was dragged underwater.

The situation became life-threatening when Chris found himself trapped under the float and unable to free himself.

Thankfully, his co-star Simon Cadell jumped into the water to save him. The incident left a profound impression on series co-creator David Croft, who later described it as the closest any of his productions had come to tragedy.

David and his writing partner, Jimmy Perry, were inspired by Jimmy’s time as a Butlins Redcoat when they created the series.

Hi-de-Hi! first aired on January 1, 1980, and quickly became a well-known comedy series. The show’s ensemble cast played a motley crew of struggling entertainers and camp staff at the fictional Maplins holiday camp.

The series catapulted actors like Su Pollard (Peggy Ollerenshaw) and Paul Shane (Ted Bovis) to stardom. Su played a ditzy chalet maid on the show, but went on to appear in various other comedies afterwards, including You Rang, M’Lord?, and Benidorm.

Meanwhile, Paul went on to land his own show called Very Big, Very Soon in the early 90s.

stopped airing in 1988, but the sitcom is still fondly remembered by Brits who enjoyed watching the chaos that comes with attempting to entertain some of the most unreasonable customers in the UK.