Actor Richard Wilson has been forced to pull out appearing at this years Edinburgh Fringe Festival after he suffered a heart attack which also resulted in a severe head injury.

The 80 year old actor was due to appear in a new show ‘I Don’t Believe It! An evening with Victor Meldrew’ based around the popular character the actor played in the long running series ‘One Foot in the Grave’.

Producers of the stage play have announced that the show’s run will be cancelled while Wilson recovers. The actor is in a ‘serious but stable’ condition in a London hospital.

Wilson played the grumpy retiree in the sitcom for six seasons that were spread out over an eleven year run. Actress Annette Crosbie played his long suffering wife Margaret. Despite his character being killed off in the show’s final episode, Wilson was set to bring him back to life on the Edinburgh stage.

Wilson confirmed that he was gay in 2013 after a magazine accidentally outed him as one of the most prominent gay people in the UK.  Last year the actor told The Guardian that he didn’t mind too much because he was gay.

“I didn’t mind – because I am gay – but I did think I’d better warn my sister, who had probably guessed anyway.” Wilson said.

Since starring in ‘One Foot in the Grave’ Wilson has gone on to play Gaius in 65 episodes of the TV show ‘Merlin’ as well as making appearances in ‘Doctor Who’, ‘New Tricks’ and ‘Trollied’. Wilson has also had a successful career as a theatre director.