It was the shortest day of the year and there were just four more days until Christmas. For the McQueen family, like millions of others in the UK, the must-see midweek show was This is Your Life.
Children’s entertainer Harry Corbett was the celebrity being surprised by presenter Michael Aspel who was dressed as Sooty, one of Corbett’s glove puppet creations.
As the programme got into its rhythm, Marjory became unsettled by a noise ‐ "I think I hear thunder," she said to 14-year-old Victoria.
But instead of rumbling away, the thunder kept getting louder. "Oh, I wonder if the boiler’s about to explode," the 42-year-old thought.
"The whole sky turned orange and there were flames hundreds of feet up into the air."
Marjory McQueen
Marjory, whose doctor husband Ken was out with friends, was so baffled by this sound she ventured into the cold wintry night.