Tuesday’s episode of This Morning opened with the most bizarre story you’ll hear about all week: an angler who nearly died after getting a fish stuck down his throat.
Sam Quilliam, 28, had been out fishing in Bournemouth with pals at around 11pm when he caught an undersized Dover sole.
At 14cm, it was too small to keep, so Sam decided he’d chuck it back into the sea – but not before lifting it to his lips for a jokey kiss.
He was copying something he’d seen Australian television fisherman Rex Hunt do before.
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Unfortunately for Sam, in a freak you’ll-never-believe-it-could-happen moment, the fish jumped down his throat, getting lodged and restricting his breathing.
Explaining what happened, he told Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: “I went to throw it back but before I did, as a gesture of goodwill, I went to give it a kiss, a peck, and it just wriggled in my hand.
“I was shocked as it was coming towards my face. I tilted back a little bit but it came towards me and straight down my throat.
“It’s head got lodged in my windpipe and panic began to set in.
“To begin with I stuck my hand down my throat as far as I could get it, panicking, trying to get a grip of it and pull it out of mouth, but it was too slippery.”
One of Sam’s friends called 999 while the other started CPR on Sam, who had passed out.
Paramedic Matt Harrison arrived on the scene in darkness to find Sam’s pulse fading – and said it was the first time in his 17-year career he’d come across somebody choking on a full, live fish.
“The principle of an obstruction in the airway remains the same whatever the item is,” he said. “You have to remove the obstruction as quickly as possible.
“When we first arrived, Sam was in cardiac arrest. We continued with the CPR that his mates had the presence of mind to start, which is absolutely vital, for about three minutes but it was debatable how much oxygen he was getting because of the obstruction.”
Matt said he suctioned away blood and saliva in Sam’s throat and saw a glimmer of silver, which he tried to reach with forceps but was concerned bits could break away.
He used a laryngoscope to extend Sam’s mouth and throat and then a Magill forceps to remove the Dover sole.
It took six attempts to remove the fish which thankfully came out intact.
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Sam has made a full recovery and there were no lasting side-effects from the scary incident; he even told Holly and Phil it hadn’t put him off kissing fish in the future, though he’d perhaps hold the fish lower.
Needless to say, the bizarre experience and interview sparked viewers’ interest, with many taking to Twitter to say they still just couldn’t get their head around how it had all happened.
Knowing that Sam is alive and well, others couldn’t resist a joke.
And many more wanted to know what happened to the fish…
Scary stuff.