'Victoria Wood's Nice Cup Of Tea' Review Episode 2 - Taking Tea With Morrissey And Co

TV REVIEW: Taking Tea With Morrissey

This second, concluding part of Victoria Wood's relaxed wander through the world of tea, concentrated on the sociable aspect of the drink, if you can call taking tea with Morrissey a sociable experience.

A self-professed tea-aholic, Morrissey was an alert pundit on the value of a cuppa. "No one ever said I'll make you a horrible cup of tea," he reflected (presumably the Queen's never had the vocal Republican over to Windsor for a brew). "It's all part of the British resolve."

Morrissey takes tea with Victoria Wood, but remains unimpressed with her gift

He failed as the perfect tea-drinking companion, however, with his bemused acceptance of Wood's gift of a tea cosy - "This is a beanie, what the skateboarding kids wear."

Less confronting but equally fun and on-the-button was Graham Norton, noting the capacity for sharing between different drinks... "it's a cup of coffee, but it's a pot of tea". He also wondered aloud why we always have "a nice cup of tea". It was a happy reverie. There must be few things nicer than sharing said pot with Mr Norton.

Meanwhile, over at Claridges, Matt "Dr Who" Smith was ruminating as well, on the love that he shares with his on-screen counterpart for the early-morning brew. With his blazer, his earnest prose and barely-skimming eye contact, he looked exactly like one of those lovelorn students reading poetry in Northern tea shops. Perfect fodder for a tea habit, and also another BBC4 drama. Alan Bennett, please take note.

Victoria Wood takes tea with an earnest Matt Smith, equally full of the joys of a brew

Wood took on the rest of her swift, breezy trip through tea history, taking in the Boston Tea Party, Churchill's realisation that tea was more integral to wartime morale than even ammunition, and the chimp ads from the '80s..

It seemed unnecessary for her to ruminate finally that tea was in need of a re-brand - not when we've got New York tea shop owner Nicky seeing off any customer wanting to put one of her tea pots in the microwave! And, after all, this was the drink that we had seen spark a revolution, prop up the Empire and see off the Nazis. Leave tea alone, I say. We don't need a Tetley Tea-Bucks, thank you very much.

These happy two hours over two nights have done quite enough to make me feel very warm, very British, and very appreciative of a brew. No rebranding needed.

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