Dirty Business star Jason Watkins’ heartbreaking family loss

Jason Watkins is a beloved figure in British television, best known for his roles as Harold Wilson in The Crown, Brian Masters in Des and Christopher Jefferies in The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies. 

In his new Channel 4 drama Dirty Business, which aired on Monday, Jason once again brings a real-life story to the small screen as Peter Hammond, an Oxford maths professor turned accidental detective alongside David Thewlis’s Ashley Smith. 

Told across three parts, Dirty Business follows multiple storylines that showcase the eye-opening practice of UK water companies releasing sewage into local rivers and bodies of water. 

While you may be hooked by Jason’s portrayal of Peter, did you know that the acclaimed actor is also a patron of Child Bereavement UK after suffering a heartbreaking family loss? Keep reading to find out everything you need to know…

Jason Watkins’ family loss

Jason is a father of five, sharing his eldest two children, Freddie and Pip, with his first wife, actress Caroline Harding, while later welcoming Maude, Bessie and Gilbert with his second wife, jewellery and fashion designer Clara Francis. 

In December 2010, Jason’s daughter Maude, who was two at the time, became ill. First exhibiting cold symptoms, Maude was taken to hospital after her condition worsened and was treated in hospital for croup, a common condition that affects babies’ airways. 

After being sent away with steroids, Maude developed stridor, a high-pitched sound that signals airflow obstruction, which meant her family rushed her back to hospital once more. There, she was issued with more steroids and was later released. 

At this point, it was New Year’s Eve, and Jason said he felt “a strange feeling of dread” when he awoke on the first day of 2011. After trying to awaken her sister, Jason’s daughter found Maude unresponsive and he and Clara discovered she had passed away in her sleep. 

It was later revealed that she had died of sepsis, a life-threatening condition that affects the immune system and proves fatal if not treated immediately. 

What has Jason said about Maude?

Speaking exclusively to HELLO! about the loss of Maude in 2023, Jason explained that both his and Clara’s successes have been fuelled by their grief, as well as their work as patrons of Child Bereavement UK.

“With things like bereavement, it’s such a personal thing that the charity is a wonderful place,” he said. “Phone up for free, and somebody will help you through the worst thing that can happen to you.”

He continued: “Giving and helping other people is a good thing in itself, but when you’re helping other people when you’ve been through something horrific and traumatic, it does give you a purpose, it does heal you personally by helping other people.”

© Dave Benett/Getty Images

As for what his own grief taught him, Jason added: “Generally, from the moment we lost Maude, kindness and compassion are things that I’ve been obsessed with – and I think Clara as well.”

In 2023, the couple released an ITV documentary called Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie, which raised awareness of sepsis as well as charting their grief. 

All three parts of Dirty Business are available to stream on Channel 4.