British Comedy Guide

Angela Thorne dies aged 84

Monday 19th June 2023, 5:18pm

Three Up, Two Down. Daphne Trenchard (Angela Thorne)

Comedy actor Angela Thorne has died aged 84.

She is probably best remembered as playing Marjory Frobisher in hit sitcom To The Manor Born and Daphne Trenchard in four series of 1980s BBC One comedy Three Up, Two Down.

Watched by over 20 million viewers, To The Manor Born was one of the biggest shows on TV in the 1970s. Thorne played Marjory, the close friend of Penelope Keith's character, Audrey Fforbes-Hamilton.

Her other comedy roles include playing Margaret Thatcher in 1982's Anyone For Denis?, the British consul based Farrington Of The F.O. and the long-running sisters-based radio sitcom No Commitments.

Her last acting role in a British comedy was playing Susan Pern in a 2016 episode of music mockumentary Brian Pern.

She was married to fellow actor Peter Penry-Jones, who appeared in two episodes of To The Manor Born as the character Julian Gayforth. Their two sons followed them into acting: Spooks star Rupert Penry-Jones and Waking The Dead's Laurence Penry-Jones. Rupert confirmed the news of his mother's death to the press today.

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."

Below is a clip from To The Manor Born in which Marjory and Audrey talk on the phone:

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