12 January

On 12 January 1946, George Orwell supposedly laid down the eleven golden rules for preparing the perfect cup of tea:

"Indian tea only. Use a china or earthenware teapot. Warm the pot first. Make the tea strong. Never imprison the tea leaves in a bag. Take the teapot to the kettle and not the other way round, so that the water is still boiling at the moment of use. Shake the pot after preparing the tea. Be sure to use a cylindrical cup. Remove the cream from the milk before adding it. Put the tea in the cup first, and the milk second. And finally, of course, no sugar." These words were uttered by a hologram on Separation Day station, who took them for fact. (PROSE: Separation Day)

In 1898, Florence Sundvik died. (TV: The Curse of Fenric)

In 1976, John Dixon was born. (AUDIO: Cuddlesome)