January 21 - in which I get the teas in and get teased

It's a great place to work, BBC Television Centre. You get to see celebrities all the time - presenters, famous actors, sports stars, the lot. But sometimes things are not quite what they seem.

I'm in the foyer, where members of the public come when they're here to watch a show or go on a tour of the building. Queuing for a cup of coffee and a croissant, I spy four aged Chelsea Pensioners, resplendent in their long red coats and medals, sitting at a table looking a little lost and unattended to. I decide that it would be a nice gesture to buy them all a tea.
Four teas in hand, I approach their table a little nervously. I'm worried they might think I'm being a bit patronising. But hey - these are ex-servicemen down on their luck. A cup of tea is the least I can get them, surely. I plonk them on the table and say "These are for you chaps. On me."
"Bless you, son," says one of them. "Of course, you know we're not real Chelsea pensioners. We're actors. We're here to perform on a comedy show."
"Aww, look," says another, "You've embarrassed him now." I can feel my face going bright scarlet. "Never mind, son. It was a lovely gesture anyway. Even if it wasn't quite as lovely as you thought. Leave the teas here. We do appreciate it."
As I'm leaving, one of them calls me back. "Actually, I don't drink tea," he admits, "So you can give this one to someone else. Unless it's lapsang souchong, by any chance?" I have to confess that it isn't.