 He was also an accomplished flautist and played the instrument on screen.Many of his roles were country bumpkins, so it was an appropriate move when Townley joined "Emmerdale" (known from 1972 until 1989 as Emmerdale Farm) as Annie Sugden's father, Sam Pearson, complete with cloth cap and collarless shirt, when the serial began in 1972.He appeared in over 800 episodes of "Emmerdale Farm".