COMEDIAN Ted Robbins' sister described his on-stage collapse from a cardiac arrest as a "surreal nightmare". 

But Kate said the 59-year-old, who "dropped like a stone" during Saturday's opening night of Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights Live, is recovering well in hospital. 

The family watched in horror as Ted collapsed on stage at the Manchester Arena, in front of 20,000 fans, and as a heart surgeon and paramedic in the audience leapt to his aid. 

They rushed to the hospital where Kate revealed the presenter and actor showed his cheeky sense of humour when he quietly greeted them by saying "ta-da".

Kate, also an actor and comedian, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "He did have a cardiac arrest and thanks to the really quick-thinking of a doctor and paramedic in the audience, he received life-saving procedure. 

"Ted had rheumatic fever as a child which affected a heart valve so we knew there was a problem and he was due to have some routine heart operation in the next three weeks but we didn't know to which extend obviously. 

"But what's been overwhelming is the thousands — and I mean thousands — of good wishes from everyone.

"I mean so many comedians saying such great things about him. 

"Ted is known as the comedians' comedian. 

"He is known for his wit but probably more so for his caring of other human beings. 

"We were all, the family, hysterically laughing and jumping up and down when he came on in the second half — his daughter Molly, his wife, his son Jack. 

"Then he just dropped like a stone. We said, that's not in the act.

"Thank God there was a heart surgeon in the audience and a paramedic who got there and saved his life. 

"They applied the first aid and CPR. It was like a surreal nightmare but luckily he is doing great. 

"When he first saw me — this is Ted to the end — with his oxygen mask on, we walked in on the night it happened at the hospital and he just quietly went 'ta-da'." 

Saturday's was the first of 15 Phoenix Nights Live dates in aid of Comic Relief, re-uniting the original cast of the Channel 4 comedy for the first time since 2000. 

Following Ted's collapse, that night's show was cancelled but the cast — including Paddy McGuinness and Dave Spikey — resumed the run on Sunday evening. 

The Sun newspaper posted a video of the incident — as Mr Robbins was taking to the stage to reprise his role as the show’s villain  Den Perry — on its website which was later removed. 

Kate wrote on her Twitter page: "The Sun's decision to post a video of my brother having cardiac arrest on stage during Comic Relief is beyond belief".