'I nearly died at the Fringe, but worse, my show was cut short' – actor Andy Linden on his Edinburgh nightmare

He was a true lover of horse racing, who relied on his intuition and contacts to beat his nemesis, a modern bookie who used computers, stats and flashy websites. The show was going great, I was feeling confident, audiences loved it and reviewers had given it five stars. But just as the finishing post was in sight, I was brought down by a severe respiratory attack.

One day, I just couldn’t catch my breath and was disappointed that I had to cancel that afternoon’s show. But I was sure I’d be back the next day. That night, however, things took a dark turn. By midnight, my chest was in a vice, I was sweating and I couldn’t breathe at all. I phoned an ambulance and crawled to the street door of my flat on my hands and knees. I panted desperately, praying for the cavalry to arrive in time.

Luckily the fantastic Edinburgh ambulance service turned up, flashing lights and all, in under ten minutes. Phew! They calmed me down, got me on oxygen and rushed me to the Edinburgh Infirmary.

Naively, I thought I’d be back on stage later that week. But the doctors said that that was it for me. I was in serious heart failure and needed a Frankensteinesque jolt of electricity to get my rhythm back in sync and a load of drugs to strengthen my beat. I was gutted. I was officially a non-runner and had to cancel the last week and half of my run.

The doctors read me the riot act: ‘Mr Linden, you have a choice to make, give up the drink and cigarettes, or… die’. I begrudgingly choose the first option. In the past, I’d tried everything to quit fags, chewing gum, hypnosis and patches. But nothing worked. I should have put the patches over my eyes, to at least stop me finding the fags.

But this time, I really had run out of options. If I wanted to see my son get to university, enjoy life with my wife, and ever work again, I knew I had to jack in all my vices. Except for gambling. There are limits! And so, I did it. I transformed my health, with lifestyle changes and a ton of drugs. But kept on gambling. Moderately.

A year later, I had an acting job in the TV series Doctors. And guess what I was playing? A grandfather with a heart condition, who dies dramatically in front of his grandson. No research needed for that role. Except for the dying part.

And I’m used to dying on screen. I’ve popped my clogs in many films and TV shows, and in many ways. I was stabbed in the TV series Rome, battered round the head with a cricket bat in the film The Business and bitten by a snake in Merlin. Dying is a living for me!

Now in 2025, I’m back in Edinburgh and determined to go the course and distance. My wife couldn’t believe that I wanted to do this show again up here, given how punishing the going is, if you do a full run at The Fringe. But I couldn’t bear the fact that the show had been cut off in its prime.

The story is about one of life’s underdogs, who despite many setbacks, big losses and disappointments, still has a dream. To get a huge win and finally beat The Bookies.

It seemed so wrong not to come back to Edinburgh and complete a full run. I kept thinking about a famous racehorse called L’Escargot, who fell in his first attempt at The Grand National in 1972. He tried again in 1973 and came 3rd, and again in 1974 and came 2nd (both times the winner was Red Rum). But in 1975, L’Escagot finally romped home to a 15-length victory over Red Rum.

So, he triumphed three years after falling and failing and I’m hoping I’ll emulate L’Escargot and triumph in Edinburgh three years after my failing heart brought me down.

Baxter vs The Bookies by Andy Linden, Gilded Balloon Patter House, 1pm, until 25 August

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