British TV legend dies from sepsis aged 83 after elective surgery 'went wrong'

A British TV legend died after developing sepsis following an elective surgery to treat gallstones.

Paul Stewart Laing with his youngest grandson Louis (Image: Jemima Laing)

Paul Stewart Laing, a renowned British TV producer and director responsible for some of the most popular entertainment shows of the ’70s such as Celebrity Squares and New Faces, has tragically passed away from sepsis.

Laing, who was 83 at the time of his death, is credited with launching the careers of numerous household names including Marti Caine, Les Dennis, Showaddywaddy, Lenny Henry and Victoria Wood.

An inquest held at Exeter Coroner’s Court on January 16 revealed that Mr Laing had undergone elective surgery for gallbladder removal and common bile duct exploration on January 16, 2023, at Derriford Hospital, following an eight-year struggle with worsening gallstone issues.

After being discharged four days post-surgery, Mr Laing appeared to be recovering well. However, nine days later, in the early hours of January 29, he woke feeling extremely unwell.

An ambulance rushed him back to Derriford Hospital where his condition deteriorated, and he was diagnosed with sepsis, reports Devon Live.

Hours later, he was rushed into emergency surgery to locate the source of sepsis in his abdomen but tragically suffered a cardiac arrest after being anaesthetised. He passed away shortly thereafter.

The official medical cause of death was determined as septicemia due to abdominal sepsis following elective surgery.

Paul Stewart Laing died after going for an elective surgery (Image: Jemima Laing)

Dr Aditya Kanwar, a consultant surgeon with expertise in liver and bladder operations at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, provided insights into the care he administered.

He characterised Mr Laing’s condition as ‘very unusual’ and ‘unlucky’ for someone nine days post-surgery, yet acknowledged that it was ‘likely’ the recent operation had precipitated the infection, a recognised risk associated with such procedures.

His words were: “He probably did not have much reserves to fight it.”

Mr Laing’s daughter, Jemima Laing, raised concerns regarding the clinical decisions made on the day her father was hospitalised, the dosage of antibiotics he was given, and how a significant IT failure on the day he died may have influenced the level of care he received.

Dr Kanwar acknowledged that due to the circumstances, a specialist radiologist had not been available for consultation before Mr Laing was taken to surgery. He mentioned that having seen a second report, he would have opted against surgery and instead treated Mr Laing with antibiotics and further monitoring in ICU.

However, he noted that since attempts to stabilise Mr Laing over 12 hours were unsuccessful, he believed that Mr Laing’s condition would not have improved without surgery, potentially sparing him the ‘stress’ of an operation or possibly still necessitating one.

He remarked: “It was a very precarious situation. You are damned if you do something and damned if you don’t. It was his only fighting chance at that time.”

He also pointed out that given Mr Laing’s grave condition, there was ‘no right or wrong in this scenario’.

Paul Stewart Laing’s death was part of an inquest (Image: Jemima Laing)

Laing’s directing credits extend to shows like London Night Out and Wednesday at Eightthe midweek edition of Sunday Night at the Palladiumwhich combined variety acts with the quiz game, Name that Tune. Hosted by Tom O’Connor and featuring acts such as Hot Gossip, the show propelled Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips into prominence.

Laings skills also brought him to The Eamonn Andrews Show and What’s My Line. His close association with Andrews led to an invitation to join the This is Your Life production crew.

In the vibrant 1970s, Laing stood as vice president of the ACTT union, actively participating in the National Negotiating Team. Notably, he was instrumental in calling and securing victories in the first and second national TV strikes.

During his tenure at TSW, he was a key figure in greenlighting the popular daytime show This Morning. He also brought on board Jim Henson and his son Brian to create the Plymouth-filmed series Mother Goose, and was responsible for commissioning the critically acclaimed children’s animation Tube Mice, featuring the vocal talents of George Cole and Dennis Waterman.

Following TSW’s loss of its franchise in 1992, he opted for early retirement and spent his later years between France, New Zealand, and his family residence in Mannamead.

His daughter Ms Laing once paid homage to him, stating: “My dad loved living in Plymouth and spending time on his boat at Sutton Harbour. We are all very proud of his brilliant career and everything he achieved but it was his family and his partner who were most important to him.”

She added, reflecting on his profound impact: “His four children and seven grandchildren will find it very difficult to get used to the absence of his larger-than-life presence, as will Margaret, his partner of 36 years.”