Doctor Who classic moments: Contemplating a cup of tea in Remembrance of the Daleks

Sometimes, great moments in Doctor Who are defined by high stakes and epic speeches. Other times, they can be as simple as contemplating a cup of tea, as this classic moment from Remembrance of the Daleks highlights.

As we previously discussed, Remembrance of the Daleks is a bold and exciting story. Featuring not one but two Dalek armies fighting for the power of the Time Lords, the serial is absolutely filled with exciting battle scenes and a lot of explosions.

But perhaps one of its best moments is something much quieter. Something that’s in some ways down to Earth, while at the same time, explores the nature of history, as well as the Doctor himself. Naturally, I am talking about a scene focused on a cup of tea.

In the clip below, the Doctor is asked whether he wants sugar in tea. Naturally, the Doctor being the Doctor, this leads him to have a deep philosophical discussion on cause and effect. Specifically, with Geoffrey from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with a Jamaican accent.

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Remembering the past

This scene is absolutely brilliant, for several reasons. First, it gives us an extremely clear idea of how the Doctor sees the universe. To him, even the smallest of decisions can have an effect. The fact that he’s sharing this discussion with someone as ordinary as John, a coffee shop employee, makes it even better. Particularly since John is happy to add his own ideas and experiences to the conversation.

There’s also taking this clip in a wider context. If we look at the past, it’s easy to think of one of the biggest decisions the Doctor ever had to face – the choice of whether to wipe out the Daleks or not at their very genesis. As he thinks deeply about uncertain consequences, it’s hard not to be reminded of when he had the chance to wipe out his oldest enemies from history itself – and hesitated.

Fearing the future

However, it’s not just the past that makes this discussion so interesting. There’s also the future too. Throughout Remembrance, it’s clear that the Doctor is up to a grand scheme of his own. It’s only at the end of the story that we find out what his goal really is: the complete and utter destruction of Skaro, the home planet of the Daleks. Taking this into context, it’s clear that it’s the consequences of such a bold and arguably horrific action that he’s worried about. (It also puts John’s line of, “Best thing is just to get on with it” in a much darker context.)

And of course, as we know, the Doctor was right to be worried about the consequences. If Genesis of the Daleks featured the roots of the Time War, if not the start of the Time War itself, then the destruction of Skaro in Remembrance of the Daleks certainly pushed things even further down that path. The Doctor was clearly worried about the consequences of his actions in this story – and he was right to be worried, too.

Are you a fan of this classic moment from Remembrance of the Daleks? What’s your favorite moment from the serial? And is there anything more British than engaging in a deep, philosophical discussion over a cup of tea? Let us know in the comments below.