'The doorbell rang one day and he was on the doorstep. Quite ridiculously early on in the conversation he asked me if I knew anything about a comedian called Jimmy Clitheroe. Morrissey was fascinated by this figure'.

The Importance Of Being Morrissey is set to be screened on Channel 4 next month. A film crew was given exclusive access to the former vocalist and lyricist with The Smiths on a solo tour last year and inside his home off Sunset Boulevard.

There's the story of Morrissey, now 43, growing up in Stretford, and the letter written by the teenage Steven Morrissey to the NME.

In his first major TV interview for 16 years, he equates meat eating to child abuse and labels the foxhunting royal family ''evil'', adding, 'Charles, above all, has no intelligence whatsoever'.

It's not the first time he has attacked the royals, previously branding them immoral and calling his band's classic 1986 album 'The Queen is Dead'

Morrissey is asked if he still follows football 'No, if they were kicking politicians around, I'd follow there. If it was Tony Blair instead of a round object, I'd be captivated.'

His other targets in the hour long film, include former Smiths drummer Mike Joyce, who won a high court action over royalties, forcing Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr to pay him £1.2m.

Friend James O'Brien comments ' If you spend anytime with Morrissey, one of the things that you find yourself doing more than any thing is sitting round, pot of tea on, dissecting and annihilating people's characters. It's his favourite thing in the world.'

Celebrity fans - including Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Noel Gallagher - give their views. Bono sets the record straight about this often misunderstood character. 'I dont get the miserable thing at all. I find him very funny.'

But the icing on the tea cake is Morrissey himself, who is worshipped by his followers, yet is without a record deal. He explains 'The Smiths was an incredibly personal thing to me. It was like launching your own personal diary to music'

He recalls his upbringing in Manchester

'I suffer greatly from depression. It was very serious when I was a teenager and when I was in The Smiths, so I took prescribed drugs for a long time.'

We see him having his hair cut at a gentleman's barbers in Mayfair, and taking over from the hapless assistant: James comments 'He probably finds himself the most attractive person you could possibly meet.'

This charming man refuses to answer the phone, communicating by fax, and still wont discuss his sexuality - 'people can think what they like'

Nancy Sinatra calls by for tea and buscuits at the enigmatic one's LA home, built by Clark Gable for his wife, Carole Lombard. Hollywood's Queen of comedy was killed in a plane crash in 1942. Morrissey reveals how her tragic death came shortly after she had been given the keys to the house. He seems happily living with ghosts of the past.

I've left my fingerprints somewhere. That's good enough. I am my own person and that's good enough, and I stand my ground and that's good enough'

On tour in Australia, a female fan thanks him for making her and other fans happy over the years. Hailed by some as a genius, and others as the Pope of Mope, her idol is a picture of freshly - brewed embarrassment as he replies 'I didn't mean to'

The Importance Of Being Morrissey is set to be screened by Channel 4 next month (no date given - The Goat)

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