The actor Angela Thorne, who has died aged 84, excelled in comedy and had a commanding presence on both screen and stage, whether supporting Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles in the ratings-topping BBC sitcom To the Manor Born or starring as Margaret Thatcher in the scathing West End farce Anyone for Denis?
She brought an imperious, chillingly real quality to the role of the Iron Lady at the Whitehall theatre alongside John Wells as the henpecked Denis Thatcher in 1981. The Daily Mirror’s critic noted: “Angela Thorne is Mrs Thatcher to a T. The hair style, the accent, the slightly pained look, are captured to an astonishing degree by the actress.” Wells adapted the play from Private Eye’s satirical Dear Bill letters, with the prime minister hijacking Denis’s boozy weekend with his friends by turning up unexpectedly at Chequers.
