A RETIRED TV producer died from cancer after being exposed to asbestos ‘probably’ from fake snow used on set.

David Trollope, 81, who lived in Chipping Norton with his wife, died on Boxing Day last year after being diagnosed with mesothelioma – a type of cancer caused by asbestos that develops a thin layer of tissue over internal organs.

At Oxford Coroner's Court on Wednesday morning Nicholas Graham, the assistant coroner for Oxfordshire, carried out the inquest into his death.

In statements it was revealed how he had been diagnosed after a series of appointments and operations which had left doctors looking for answers.

His daughter Georgina Reilly said the lengthy wait for test results paired with the confusing diagnosis was ‘cruel’.

Usually mesothelioma is linked to labourers who worked with asbestos knowingly.

But Mr Trollope had been working in the TV industry before he retired and his daughter said in her statement: “He had not worked in an environment with asbestos.

“He was always active, never smoked, never drunk, it was cruel.”

The court, which was only open to one member of the public because of social distancing guidelines, heard that he had probably been exposed to asbestos ‘through fake snow during his work in the TV industry’ in the 1960s.

The coroner also skimmed over documents from HM Revenue which listed his working life in television at ‘different companies’.

A doctor at Oxford University Hospitals also wrote a statement for the coroner to read out to the court, in it he said: “Following his appointment on September 2019 there had been multiple investigations and a lung [operation] and in May we suggested mesothelioma.

“The doctor explained that this was incurable, and the typical life expectancy is 12 to 14 months.”

In the statement he explained that Mr Trollope was offered chemotherapy which would increase his life expectancy by ‘months not years’ and would bear side effects including vomiting and nausea.

He continued: “After conversations with his family his priority was the quality of life and he did not want to have chemotherapy.”

Instead he was given radio therapy and was looked after by the palliative care team.

In the statement from his daughter, she added: “The frailer he got the more the appointments took it out of him and by December 2019 he was finding it difficult to get out of bed.

“At Christmas it was heart breaking for all the family.

"At 11.30pm that evening his breathing changed and he took his last breath at 12.23am on Boxing Day.”

Mr Graham recorded death of an industrial disease at his home from his working life.

He also sent his 'sincere condolences' to Mr Trollope's family.