Jason Watkins admits it was ‘very hard to make’ documentary about death of daughter

Jason Watkins has confessed it was ‘very hard to make’ a new documentary about the death of his daughter Maude.

The actor, 60, has been working on Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie, with his wife Clara Francis, which will see the couple offer support to other families suffering through grief.

It was in 2011 when Maude, the two year-old daughter of Jason and his wife, Clara Francis, tragically died from sepsis.

Jason found Maude, who had been suffering from flu, dead in her bed on New Year’s Day morning. Despite two hospital visits, her flu symptoms masked the sepsis and she went undiagnosed.

The Crown star said during a Wednesday appearance on This Morning: ‘I spoke to Sarah Parish and she’s lost her own child, so it is about spreading awareness of sepsis, this documentary. 

‘…About letting people know that if you’ve lost a child, always mention it. It’s never worse than feeling your child never existed. It is a sharing of our story – it was very hard to make. The hope is that people will get an idea.

‘It is to say to other families that there is help, by talking about it it can help you and make you feel less alone because it is a very lonely journey.’

Tragic: The actor, 60, has been working on Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie, with his wife Clara Francis, which will see the couple offer support to other families suffering through grief 

He also went on the daytime show to promote Channel 5’s latest psychological drama, The Catch, 

Based on the best-selling novel by The Holiday author, T.M. Logan, Jason harnesses the raw grief of losing his own daughter to play bereaved father Ed in the tense four-part Channel 5 drama which airs Wednesday at 9pm.

He said ‘It’s a family drama that develops into a psychological drama. In the past they’ve lost a child, which Ed feels partly responsible for and is struggling to keep his family together.

‘It is [one of the hardest things in the world and this is a particular – our family in the show has lost a child, myself and Clara we lost our daughter 10 years ago.

Opening up: The Crown star said during a Wednesday appearance on This Morning: ‘I spoke to Sarah Parish and she’s lost her own child, so it is about spreading awareness of sepsis’

Coming soon: He also went on the daytime show to promote Channel 5’s latest psychological drama, The Catch

‘You think why on earth… but it is such a good script, it comes from a real sense of family, so seems to be a good chance to explore with an audience what it’s like to lose a child. Some scenes were really, really difficult.’

‘There’s you at one end of the tightrope and the actor at the other – it depends on how much you give. If you give a lot of yourself and look after yourself, I prepared myself if I knew a day was going to be hard.’

Sepsis, known as the ‘silent killer’, strikes when an infection such as blood poisoning sparks a violent immune response in which the body attacks its own organs. 

If caught early enough, it’s easily treated with intravenous antibiotics and fluids, but these must be given as soon as sepsis is suspected – it strikes with frightening speed and, for every hour of delay, a patient’s chance of dying increases 8 per cent. 

So sad: In 2010 a persistent cough prompted two consecutive visits to a hospital A&E, where Maude was initially diagnosed with croup but two week later died from sepsis

During the filming of his documentary, Jason visited an A&E department  of a hospital, with the Line Of Duty star remarking on the ‘difficulties’ of sepsis in children was ‘sadly’ down to funds.

He said that while the skills were there in the NHS, the government needed to ‘step up’ an plough more money into the places it’s really ‘needed’.  

Earlier this month, the star and wife Clara marked 12 years since Maude’s death, with Jason also sharing a heartfelt tribute to his girl on Twitter.

Detailing how they marked the occasion, he told the publication: ‘Clara and I both get quite emotional on that day and in the lead-up to the anniversary. We just walk to her bench as a family, and with friends, then everyone comes back to our house. It’s a nice thing to do.’

In an interview in 2020, Jason revealed he was ‘angry for a long time’ at fate for taking the child he shared with his wife Clara Francis.  

Devastating: ‘Clara and I both get quite emotional on that day and in the lead-up to the anniversary. We just walk to her bench as a family’ (pictured 2019)

Speaking to The Sunday Times Magazine, he said: ‘Clara and I felt cheated.’ 

He described the pattern of his grief changing over time, from an acute pain to a ‘heart-shaped feeling that you carry around for ever.’ 

Jason and Clara – who already had an older daughter Bessie – decided to try for another child after Maude’s death. 

He added: ‘Life was not going to rob us of our happiness. And Gilbert has brought us so much happiness.’ 

Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie airs on ITV1 and ITVX later this year.

If you need further support or information about bereavement and grief, mental health charity Mind can be contacted via 0300 123 3393. 

What are the key symptoms of sepsis? The ‘silent killer’ that can cause death in minutes

Sepsis, known as the ‘silent killer’, strikes when an infection such as blood poisoning sparks a violent immune response in which the body attacks its own organs. 

It is a potentially life-threatening condition, triggered by an infection or injury.  Around 245,000 people develop sepsis in the UK each year and 52,000 die, according to the UK Sepsis Trust.

Instead of attacking the invading bug, the body turns on itself, shutting down vital organs.

If caught early enough, it’s easily treated with intravenous antibiotics and fluids, but these must be given as soon as sepsis is suspected – it strikes with frightening speed and, for every hour of delay, a patient’s chance of dying increases 8 per cent.

Sepsis is a leading cause of avoidable death killing 44,000 people each year

The early symptoms of sepsis can be easily confused with more mild conditions, meaning it can be difficult to diagnose. 

A high temperature (fever), chills and shivering, a fast heartbeat and rapid breathing are also indicators. 

A patient can rapidly deteriorate if sepsis is missed early on, so quick diagnosis and treatment is vital – yet this rarely happens. 

In the early stages, sepsis can be mistaken for a chest infection, flu or upset stomach. 

It is most common and dangerous in older adults, pregnant women, children younger than one, people with chronic conditions or those who have weakened immune systems.  

The six signs of something potentially deadly can be identified by the acronym ‘SEPSIS’:

• Slurred speech or confusion
• Extreme shivering or muscle pain
• Passing no urine in a day
• Severe breathlessness
• Skin that’s mottled or discoloured  

Anyone who develops any of these symptoms should seek medical help urgently — and ask doctors: ‘Could this be sepsis?’ 

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