A Cup Of Tea, A Bex and A Good Lie Down

"A Cup Of Tea, A Bex and A Good Lie Down" was a comedy revue that opened at Sydney's Philip St Theatre in 1965. It was the longest running show at the Philip St Theatre in 1966. The cast included John Ewart, Gloria Dawn, Ruth Cracknell, and Reg Livermore.Bex powders were an Australian icon. They were a strong analgesic, comprising phenacetin, aspirin and caffeine. Bex powders were the housewife’s drug of choice in the 1950's and 1960's until they were shown to be highly addictive and responsible for causing kidney disease when taken in large doses.The expression 'A cup of tea, a Bex etc' seems to have gained currency through much of Australia in the post WW2 period when aspirin became readily available. It was often used in the pejorative and abbreviated form 'go and take a Bex' to indicate to an over enthusiast person that they should take a more relaxed attitude to the subject being discussed. As such it had currency until very recently in bar room discussions,particularly where one person became animated in expressing a point of view that was contrary to the general view point of the group.