Joe Layton rushed to hospital after almost drowning on set

LONDON: Actor Joe Layton was rushed to hospital after almost drowning while filming for a new BBC drama.

The actor was shooting underwater scenes for " Tatau" in New Zealand when he failed to use his equipment properly, and suddenly found himself struggling to breathe, reported Daily Star.

"We were filming in a six-metre pool which doubles as a coral reef. There were oxygen tanks down there and I didn't purge the regulator properly. I took it out of my mouth and got a lungful of water," Layton said.

He was taken to a local hospital where he remained for a day after developing secondary drowning, a condition in which the lungs fill with body fluids after being irritated.

"I didn't tell my mum about that until I got back," he added.

"Tatau" is a supernatural drama following the lives of two friends who go back-packing around the world.