Classic BBC sitcom stars nearly died in horror stunt while cameraman kept filming

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em star often defied death when taking on the role of Frank Spencer in the classic BBC sitcom. The actor, now 83, sometimes did his own stunts - but it left him "seconds away" from death, with the camera continuing to roll.

The BBC star and stuntman Derek Ware made the newspapers when they were both nearly strangled during the window-cleaning segment of The Employment Exchange episode. The nail-biting scenario came about when they were left 300 feet up the side of a London skyscraper after the cradle they were dangling from refused to budge. Surprisingly, the cameraman continued to film the entire ordeal.

While filming another episode, the actor also suffered a second near-death experience. He explained that the plan was to end an episode with Frank standing behind a truck when it dumps its load of sand, burying him so just his beret is left on top.

However, the crew didn't rehearse because it would have taken so long to move the sand back onto the lorry, so they did it in one take - leaving the star "just seconds away from being a goner".

Michael explained how he struggled to breathe while working on the set. He said: "I was supposed to lift up my arm as it tipped so that I could wave through the sand to get help if I couldn't get out when the camera stopped rolling.

"But the sand was so heavy I could barely lift my arm. The sand was squashing my rib cage and I was unable to breathe.

"I was holding my breath for about 30 seconds and panicking. I eventually managed to push my hand through but had to wait until the credits had rolled because the audience would see my arm.

"Then I was waving like mad, frantically waving. They pulled me clear and cleared my mouth but another 15 seconds I would have been a goner. I was gasping for breath. That was close. It was pretty bad. That was the one I thought I might have gone too far this time but there was no health and safety in those days."