Is There Honey Still for Tea?
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"Is There Honey Still for Tea?" is the third episode of the eighth series of the British sitcom ''
Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran fo ...
'', which was originally transmitted on Friday 19 September 1975. The title is taken from the concluding lines of Rupert Brooke's 1912 poem, '' The Old Vicarage, Grantchester'': :''Stands the Church clock at ten to three?'' :''And is there honey still for tea?''


Synopsis

Private Godfrey's Cherry Tree Cottage is set to be knocked down for a new
aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...
to be built. Captain Mainwaring must find the right way to bring him the bad news.


Plot

It is three months since Swallows Bank was bombed and Captain Mainwaring is keenly anticipating the arrival of his new office door (the last having been destroyed by bomb damage). He is disappointed, however, to discover the replacement is made out of
paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...
. Various misfortunes occur to it, leaving the door in ruins in a matter of minutes. The Colonel arrives and informs Mainwaring that Private Godfrey's cottage is to be demolished to make way for a new aerodrome. Mainwaring summons Jones and Frazer to the bank and tries to work out how best to break the news to Godfrey. Mainwaring resolves to go and inform Godfrey personally. He, Pike and Wilson walk out to pay a call to Cherry Tree Cottage, only to be invited to stay for
tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...
. During the visit Mainwaring repeatedly puts off telling Godfrey, and finally tries to shift the responsibility and make Wilson tell him, a job which Wilson shirks. The three of them depart the cottage with Godfrey seemingly none the wiser about his home's impending fate. Next Mainwaring tries to persuade Jones and Frazer to do the deed as the two oldest members of the platoon. Frazer abandons Jones, leaving him to tell Godfrey alone. Slightly awkwardly, Jones begins a rambling and convoluted explanation – only to find that Godfrey already knows, having received official notification several days before. He innocuously mentions that he meant to tell Captain Mainwaring, but he did not want to "upset him". Jones offers to let Godfrey stay with him, which he accepts. Later, Frazer makes a call to the home of the
government minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, ...
in charge of building the new aerodrome, Sir Charles Renfrew McAllister, in the middle of the night, and threatens him with exposure for his youthful transgressions if he does not reconsider the scheme. The next day, the platoon helps to load the furniture into ARP Warden Hodges' van as he prepares to move out, with a melancholic Godfrey and his sisters watching their possessions being carried away. However, Frazer arrives, bearing news of the official decision to shift the aerodrome several hundred
yard The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3  feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly ...
s, meaning that Godfrey's cottage will now be on the edge of it rather than in the middle. The platoon responds with delight, leaving Hodges annoyed at losing out on the fee for use of his van. The episode ends with a
tea party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...
at Godfrey's cottage, in which he thanks Mainwaring for saving his house, unaware that it was in fact Frazer who was responsible. Suddenly, the tea party, which is being held on the lawn of the cottage, is interrupted by a plane taking off from the aerodrome, blowing everyone and everything around the garden.


Notes

*In this episode, Pike refers to two films: ''
The Ghost Goes West ''The Ghost Goes West'' is a 1935 British romantic comedy/fantasy film starring Robert Donat, Jean Parker, and Eugene Pallette, and directed by René Clair, his first English-language film. The film shows an Old World ghost dealing with American ...
'' (1935), in which an American millionaire transports a castle from Scotland to
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, and '' Dangerous Moonlight'' (1941) about the life and romance of an
anti-Nazi Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...
Polish pilot, who is also a concert pianist, and fights in the
Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
. John Laurie appeared in the latter film. *According to dialogue spoken by Mainwaring at the beginning of the episode, it has been three months since Swallows Bank was bombed (Series 5 Episode 7 ‘The King Was In His Counting House’, some 22 episodes previous).


Cast

* Arthur Lowe as
Captain Mainwaring Captain George Mainwaring () is a fictional Home Guard captain, first portrayed by Arthur Lowe in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. In the 2016 movie he is played by Toby Jones and in the 2019 remake of three missing episodes he is p ...
*
John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation c ...
as
Sergeant Wilson Sergeant Arthur Wilson is a fictional Home Guard platoon sergeant and bank chief clerk, first portrayed by John Le Mesurier in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. Background Wilson was born in 1887, and is carefree, cheerful and well ...
*
Clive Dunn Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn (9 January 19206 November 2012) was an English actor. Although he was only 48 and one of the youngest cast members, he was cast in a role many years his senior, as the elderly Lance Corporal Jones in the BBC sitcom ' ...
as
Lance Corporal Jones Lance Corporal Jack Jones is a fictional Home Guard platoon lance corporal and veteran of the British Empire, first portrayed by Clive Dunn in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. His catchphrases are "Don't panic!", "Permission to speak, ...
*
John Laurie John Paton Laurie (25 March 1897 – 23 June 1980) was a Scottish actor. In the course of his career, Laurie performed on the stage and in films as well as television. He is perhaps best remembered for his role in the sitcom '' Dad's Army'' (19 ...
as
Private Frazer Private James Frazer is a fictional Home Guard platoon member and undertaker, first portrayed by John Laurie in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. He is noted for his catchphrases "We're doomed!" and "Rubbish!" Personality Frazer was b ...
*
Arnold Ridley William Arnold Ridley, OBE (7 January 1896 – 12 March 1984) was an English playwright and actor, earlier in his career known for writing the play '' The Ghost Train'' and later in life in the British TV sitcom ''Dad's Army'' (1968–1977) as ...
as
Private Godfrey Private Charles Godfrey MM is a fictional Home Guard platoon member, first portrayed by Arnold Ridley in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. and in the 1971 ''Dad's Army'' film. He is retired and was previously a tailor for the Civil ...
*
Ian Lavender Arthur Ian Lavender (born 16 February 1946) is an English stage, film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Private Pike in the BBC sitcom '' Dad's Army'', and is the last surviving major cast member of the series following t ...
as
Private Pike Private Frank Pike is a fictional Home Guard private and junior bank clerk, first portrayed by actor Ian Lavender in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. He was appointed as the platoon's information officer by Captain Mainwaring in The Man ...
*
Bill Pertwee William Desmond Anthony Pertwee, (21 July 1926 – 27 May 2013) was a British comedy actor. He played the role of Chief ARP Warden Hodges in the sitcom '' Dad's Army''. Early life Pertwee was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, on 21 July 192 ...
as ARP Warden Hodges *
Gordon Peters Gordon Peter Wilkinson (29 November 1926 – 15 June 2022), known professionally as Gordon Peters, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Peters was born in Shildon, County Durham, England on 29 November 1926. His mother was a piano teac ...
as The man with the door *
Robert Raglan Robert Raglan (7 April 1909 – 18 July 1985) was a British actor best known for his semi-regular role in ''Dad's Army'' as Colonel Pritchard. He also starred in a number of other television series and films such as ''Fabian of the Yard'' (1954 ...
as The Colonel *
Campbell Singer Campbell Singer (born Jacob Kobel Singer; 16 March 1909 – 16 February 1976) was a British character actor who featured in a number of stage, film and television roles during his long career. He was also a playwright and dramatist. Life He was ...
as Sir Charles McAllister *
Joan Cooper Joan Cooper (23 August 1922 – 1 July 1989) was a British actress. Her second husband was the actor Arthur Lowe whom she met at the Manchester Repertory Theatre in 1946. They were married at the Register Office, Strand, London, in January ...
as Dolly * Kathleen Saintsbury as Cissy {{Use British English, date=September 2014 Dad's Army (series 8) episodes 1975 British television episodes