Marmalade Sandwich, Your Majesty?

The Platinum Jubilee Concert coverage on 4 June opened with a sketch that featured the Queen inviting Paddington Bear to tea. The short video is great. for class use, and would make a good complement to the "deep fake" Queen's Christmas speech that is featured in Shine Bright 3e Snapfile 11 Twist and Tell.

The deep fake video definitely wasn't of the Queen. The parody of the real speech the Queen records to be broadcast on Christmas Day each year was created using an actress and sophisticated CGI techniques. Its makers, Channel 4, said the video, which featured the monarch breaking in to song and dance, was "a powerful reminder that we can no longer trust our own eyes."

The Platinum Jubilee video, on the other hand, was made with the Queen's full consent, and her participation, announced Buckingham Palace. It's short, has little, clear speech, and lots of possible discussion points from the Royal Family to Paddington, who pupils probably know from the films and books by Michael Bond. Tea-time and manners can also be exploited. It's usable from A1.

You can start by asking pupils to anticipate about what is happening and where (a butler is carrying a tea tray through impressive palace rooms). Some will probably have seen the video, and may give away the surprise guest, Paddington, but it's a good opportunity to ask them what they know about the character. (He's a bear from Lima, Peru, who is sent by his aunt to live in London. He is adopted by an English family, the Browns. He loves to eat marmalade sandwiches. He is very friendly but he is always having accidents/disasters/getting into trouble.)

Paddington appears first, being served his tea, and says, "Thank you for having me." (Which could lead to revision of polite terms and manners: please, thank you, sorry, never mind all feature.) And then gives a clue that pupils may be able to pick up before we see the Queen, "I hope you're having a lovely jubilee."

When the Queen offers him tea, he says "Yes, please," and starts drinking it directly from the teapot. (You may need to introduce vocabulary such as cup, saucer and teapot for beginners.) Depending on their level, pupils can be asked what's happening, whether it's normal, and what Paddington should have done. (Pupils may enjoy acting out at their desk how to serve and drink tea properly.) They can imagine what the Queen and the butler are thinking, and what the butler could be saying instead of clearing his throat and miming what Paddington could do. Pupils can anticipate what he might do next, then describe what he actually does. (He tries to pour the Queen tea but there's only a drip/a small amount left.) Then Paddington almost falls over, puts his paw in a cake, which squirts on the butler. (Cue expressions like Be careful! Watch out! Oh dear! Oh no!)

He then politely offers, "Perhaps you would like a marmalade sandwich? I always keep one for emergencies." (Removing one from inside his hat.) Pupils can imagine how the Queen will react before watching her say, "So do I," removing a sandwich from her famous handbag.

The butler then goes to look at the crowd waving Union Jacks on the Mall outside. Again, pupils can say what they think is happening. There's another polite exchange as Paddington says, "Thank you for everything," and the Queen replies, "That's very kind." You may want to pick up on formal forms of address in the context. The butler says "your Majesty" and Paddington uses "Ma'am".

You could stop as the camera pulls back, or carry on for the little extra: a military band outside starts the percussion introduction to Queen's "We Will Rock You", and the Queen and Paddington join in, tapping their teaspoons on their cups and saucers.

If you want to make a connection with Twist and Tell, you can have pupils discuss whether it really is the Queen in the film (and Paddington!) and compare it with the deep fake video.

James Bond, Ma'am
You probably won't get the surprise effect with the Paddington film, but pupils may well not have seen the sketch produced for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games (which coincided with Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee.) Again, there are British and royal symbols galore: Daniel Craig as James Bond drives up to Buckingham Palace in a black cab, there are guards in bearskin hats outside, several of the Queen's corgi dogs, a liveried guide describing the palace to a group of school children, and a great view of the London skyline and landmarks when Bond and the Queen take off in a helicopter for the Olympic stadium. This time pupils will hopefully gasp when the Queen appears to jump from the helicopter with a Union Jack parachute, and then arrives in the stadium wearing the same outfit. There's some BBC commentary over the video, as it's extracted from the coverage of the opening ceremony.

The Big Friendly Giant at the Palace
Another nice connection is with Roald Dahl's book The BFG, where the giant and his friend Sophie visit Buckingham Palace to ask for the Queen's help. (In these clips from the film adaptation, she is played by Penelope Wilton.) The first clip is a nice echo with the butler miming what Paddington should do: Sophie is trying to get him to lift his little finger as he drinks coffee for the first time. You can work on likes and dislikes, as he definitely doesn't like the coffee. (He says he would prefer "frobscottle", a type of sweet drink the giants drink in the book.)