English actress Natasha Richardson critically hurt

Natasha Richardson is in a critical condition in a Montreal hospital after being severely injured in a skiing accident in Quebec, according to reports. People.com and IrishCentral.com reported that the actress, who is married to Liam Neeson, suffered a head injury and is now in a Montreal hospital. People.com said The Parent Trap star was initially taken to a hospital near the Mont Tremblant ski resort in Quebec, and was later transferred to the Montreal hospital. The BBC reports that Liam is believed to have flown to her bedside from the set of his latest film, which is shooting in Toronto. A member of Natasha's family, who spoke to the BBC but has asked not to be named, said the whole family was 'very distressed'. Natasha, 45, is the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson. She married Liam in 1994 after they both appeared in the film Nell and they have two sons. Liam himself was critically injured in 2000, after a high-speed collision between his motorbike and a deer in Connecticut. Natasha won a Tony award for best actress in a musical in 1998 for her role in Cabaret. Get exclusive access to your favourite stars. Subscribe to TV Times magazine

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.