Brewery Newton & Ridley held a licencees' reunion in November 2003 in Blackpool at which ex-Chairman Cecil Newton made the re-acquaintance of Bet Lynch for the first time in many years. He had always carried a torch for Bet but now, in his latter years, it became much more. His son, Philip Newton was horrified at what he saw as a gold-digger getting her claws into his rightful inheritance and was determined to put a stop to matters when his father proposed to Bet and arranged a quick wedding. To this end he employed a private detective to follow and photograph Bet in order that he could use any incriminating pictures to dissuade his father from his chosen course.