Mr Thornley accompanied his wife to an RNLI charity ball in December 1971 at which Annie Walker made the acquaintance of Lt Commander Gerald Prince. Thornley and Prince were old friends and chatted with Annie and Mrs Thornley, one of the organisers of the ball while Nellie Harvey and Kitty Stonely looked on with envy as Annie was the centre of the Lt Commander’s attention. The part is notable for being played by veteran actor and writer Alick Hayes, one of seven people to both write for and appear in the programme.