Washing up

The washing up was an activity done at the kitchen sink, (PROSE: The Earwig Archipelago, Steal from the World, Anachrophobia) and in a washing-up bowl, (PROSE: The Earwig Archipelago, Stop the Pigeon) with washing-up liquid, (PROSE: Do You Smell Carrots?) wherein dishes and cutlery would be washed. (PROSE: The Earwig Archipelago, Anachrophobia)

Bernice Summerfield figured that Mr Plurk and Mr Scozz would find the washing up to be one of the most dangerous undertakings, judging by the crashes coming from the kitchen. (PROSE: Steal from the World) In the 19th century, the servant girl Gwyneth did the washing up in a basin. In 1869, Rose Tyler helped her with the washing up at Gabriel Sneed's home, but Gwyneth thought it wasn't right that she was helping. Gwyneth continued on her own while the two talked. (TV: The Unquiet Dead)

In 1935, Daisy would help Sarah's mother out once a week with the preparation of dinner and the washing up. (PROSE: 24 Crawford Street) Indeed, though women were often in charge of the job in the 20th century, with the Second Doctor noting, "A woman's work is never done" and telling Mrs Wibbsey to stay at the kitchen sink where she belonged, (AUDIO: Survivors in Space) one Christmas a retired Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart decided to draft his nephew Henry to do it, to let Olivia and his own wife Doris relax for a while. (PROSE: Faithful Friends: Part 2)

Alex's mum had a huge pile of washing up after Christmas Day, even though she spent all day Christmas Eve washing dishes. (PROSE: Dear Great Uncle Peter)

On the night that Carmen and Lou boarded the 200, it was Lou's turn to cook, and Carmen's task to clear up. They swapped tasks regularly. (TV: Planet of the Dead)

Mickey Smith was not in the habit of properly washing his dishes. When he offered Rose Tyler coffee, she agreed on the condition that he wash the mug—"and I don't mean rinse, I mean wash." (TV: Rose)

During Gwen Cooper's first weeks at Torchwood Three, she never did the washing up. Rhys didn't either, but told her in an answerphone message that there wasn't much of it. When he later came home early, they agreed to leave it for the following day, and kissed on the sofa. (TV: Ghost Machine)

While doing the washing up with Isaac, scrubbing at grease and mutton fat on a roasting tin and dropping fistfuls of cutlery into the sink, the Sixth Doctor discussed discussed politics with him, commenting on the difficulty of distinguishing truth from fiction. "You know what it's like when the life of a nation is shaped around the whims of a single man. [...] A man who can't even ensure that his citizens have access to decent washing-up liquid. What makes you think that Ettyn would make a better job of it than the current incumbent?" (PROSE: The Earwig Archipelago)

Fitz Kreiner once did the washing up for the Eighth Doctor, Anji Kapoor and Mistletoe, involving mugs and spoons. He also offered to make them coffee. (PROSE: Anachrophobia)

For the length of Saturnalia celebrations in 1st century BC Rome, slaves would take part in feasts, but still had to do the washing up. (PROSE: The Best of Days)

When the Eleventh Doctor unexpectedly dropped Amy Pond and Rory Williams back off in London, Amy joked that this was because of the washing up. The Doctor chuckled at this. (TV: The God Complex)

When Natalie Fulton drank every last drop of a bowl of tomato soup, the old woman who gave it to her joked, "Well, we won't need to worry about the washing-up." (PROSE: Natalie's Diary)