Comic Fred MacAulay opens up on his brush with death... after a freak accident with his electric golf buggy

Published: 18:56, 1 August 2026 | Updated: 18:56, 1 August 2026 Fred MacAulay has opened up about the freak golfing accident that almost killed him. The Scottish comedian, 69, will this month embark on a string of festival appearances and stand-up gigs. But he admitted he might not have been around to make his fans laugh but for a friend’s quick actions and life- saving surgery following what he initially thought was an ‘innocuous’ blow from an electric golf caddy. MacAulay was playing a foursome with his older brother Duncan and two friends at Loch Lomond when the caddy hit a hidden stump, with the handle striking him in the stomach. The comic – a household name for almost four decades – continued his round but unbeknown to him the blow had severed an artery in his abdomen, which left him bleeding out internally. Later, as the pals prepared to go their separate ways, his condition worsened dramatically. Luckily, his friend retired surgeon Douglas Keay had stayed long enough to spot his deterioration and dial 999. Had he got into his car, MacAulay says, he would not be here today. Fred MacAulay severed an artery after his electric buggy hit a hidden post The veteran Scottish comedian will be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Speaking about the incident at length for the first time, he said: ‘I was walking behind my golf trolley and it hit a fence post stump that was covered by bluebells. ‘It stopped and the handlebar hit me just left of my navel. ‘The skin wasn’t broken – it just felt as though I’d been punched. ‘Other than feeling a bit sore, I played on and finished my round. It was an hour and a half later I became distinctly unwell.’ MacAulay added: ‘When Dougie came out of the shower I was lying down on the settee in the changing room and just feeling ghastly. ‘Luckily Dougie gave me a quick examination and phoned 999. If I’d got in my own car and tried to drive home, then it would have been curtains.’ Thankfully, an ambulance wasn’t far away. ‘They were about to put me in a medevac chair and that’s when I totally collapsed,’ he said. ‘Things became pretty catastrophic within a short space of time.’ Drifting in and out of consciousness, MacAulay was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow where he underwent a four- and-a-half hour operation. He spent five days in high dependency followed by three days in a general ward. ‘I owe my life to the consultant surgeon who identified what had happened,’ he added. MacAulay has previously spoken about his battle with prostate cancer which was diagnosed last July. His late father, also Fred, had suffered from prostate cancer and his brother Duncan was diagnosed nine years ago. He started performing stand-up again in January and this month he will appear at Fringe by The Sea and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe before launching a two-month Scottish tour.