Staircase from To the Manor Born. Photo: Bill Young

Sadly, this seems to be a daily occurance these days. Angela Thorne, a name you may not immediately be familiar with but you and millions of other British comedy fans on both side of the pond will definitely know her work, has passed away at the age of 84. Probably best remembered for her role opposite Penelope Kieth as Marjory Frobisher in hit 1970s British sitcom, To the Manor Born, the Karachi, British India born actress also starred in the 1980s comedy Three Up, Two Down as Daphne Trenchard.

Thorne played Margaret Thatcher in Anyone For Denis?, had guest roles over the years on Midsomer Murders, Foyle’s War, Heartbeat and The Good Life before her last acting role in a British comedy, playing Susan Pern in a 2016 episode of music mockumentary Brian Pern.

While her decades long career included memorable theatre work for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award, it was her time as the close friend of Penelope Keith’s character, Audrey Fforbes-Hamilton, that put her on the map in front of over 20 million viewers each week on To the Manor Born. 

A statement released by the family says: “The actress Angela Thorne died peacefully at her home on the 16th of June. She was 84 years old. She was the beloved wife of Peter Penry-Jones, and is survived by her two sons Rupert and Laurie Penry-Jones and her grandchildren, Florence, Peter, Giorgio and Delilah. We will all miss her very much.”

Angela’s husband, Peter Penry-Jones, appeared in two episodes of To The Manor Born as the character Julian Gayforth and their two sons followed them into acting: Spooks star Rupert Penry-Jones and Waking The Dead‘s Laurence Penry-Jones.

R.I.P, Angela Thorne. You talents will be forever missed but will live on with every episode of To the Manor Born.