Everything I Learned In Life, I Got From Doctor Who

#2 Tea is the Best

The Doctor likes a bit of coffee, oh yes. Patrick Troughton's Doctor was always after a cup, and Jon Pertwee wouldn't have managed all that tinkering in his lab without some pure, strong caffeine to keep him going!

But seriously though, tea is much more vital, much more important. Not just because it's beautiful, but also because it is responsible for the safety of our Universe. Fact. Was it coffee that brought the Tenth Doctor back to consciousness in 'The Christmas Invasion'? Did a spillage of Nescafe's finest bring him to his senses? Nope. It was tea. Tea from a flask, brewed by a single mother on a council estate in London. Without her brew, the Doctor would have remained in the land of nod while half the population jumped from the rooftops to their doom.

And it's the one thing that can cheer the good old Doctor up. In 'Genesis of the Daleks', he and Harry are captured by the Kaleds, and the Doctor asks for some tea. Denied, he mutters somberly to his companion: “No tea Harry...”. There is one unimpressed Time Lord, and from that moment on, the fate of the Kaleds is sealed.

So, there you have it. Tea. The saviour of the Universe, favourite drink of our favourite Time Lord, and an all round tasty brew. I can be safe in the knowledge that if the Doctor should whisk me away, I'll know that somewhere aboard the TARDIS, there's a kettle. Life without tea, for me, would be no life at all...

By way of a conclusion, I'll leave you with this gorgeous moment from 'The Awakening', which sums up the beauty of 'Doctor Who' and tea at the same time:

Will: What be tea?

The Doctor: Oh, a noxious infusion of Oriental leaves containing a high percentage of toxic acid.

Will: Sounds an evil brew, don't it?

The Doctor: True. Personally, I rather like it.

('Doctor Who' – The Awakening, Eric Pringle)

And for more information on tea, and it's unique relationship with 'Doctor Who', you can go here: http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Tea. 

 

Everything I Learned In Life, I Got From Doctor Who

#1 Talk to Strangers

No kiddies, I'm not talking about the man in the moth-eaten trench coat, who wants you to go back to his house so he can give you sweets. I'm talking fun strangers, unusual strangers, people who you can learn from!

 

 

I have all sorts of issues, especially when it comes to being confident and speaking to people. But every so often, somebody just sort of turns up at an unexpected moment, and they captivate you with stories and adventures, and you realise that you aren't alone in this big old world. There are others that get you.

 

 

A few weeks ago, for instance, me and my cousin went out for a few drinks, and met a wonderful, well-spoken chap (who can be followed on Twitter here: @mister_meredith) who just so happened to share many of our interests. He had even met several (read: lots!) of major 'Doctor Who' personalities. He's also a top-rate caberet performer, and unafraid to speak his mind!

 

 

And there's Twitter. Out of my 800-odd followers, I know about 5 people in 'the real world' (including my partner in geekiness, the incomparable @Sonic_Bionic). The rest are quite literally strangers, who sprang out of nowhere on this social networking site, and became friends extremely quickly. Fascinating people from all over the world, who have the same loves and hates, and who have seen things I can only dream of. They know who they are (many can be traced by visiting the list of websites on the left-hand side of the page), and they have given me a great deal of pleasure. 

 

So, when a chap turns out of the blue telling you he once knew Sir Isaac Newton, don't run away in terror. Listen to him - you might just wander into a whole new world...