diff --git a/lib/iris/coords.py b/lib/iris/coords.py
index 0344ed159b..d948e34c58 100644
--- a/lib/iris/coords.py
+++ b/lib/iris/coords.py
@@ -541,17 +541,22 @@ def copy(self, points=None, bounds=None):
             raise ValueError('If bounds are specified, points must also be '
                              'specified')
 
-        new_coord = copy.deepcopy(self)
         if points is not None:
+            # We do not perform a deepcopy when we supply new points so as to
+            # not unncessarily copy the old points.
+            new_coord = copy.copy(self)
+            new_coord.attributes = copy.deepcopy(self.attributes)
+            new_coord.coord_system = copy.deepcopy(self.coord_system)
+
             # Explicitly not using the points property as we don't want the
             # shape the new points to be constrained by the shape of
             # self.points
             new_coord._points = None
             new_coord.points = points
-            # Regardless of whether bounds are provided as an argument, new
-            # points will result in new bounds, discarding those copied from
-            # self.
+            # new points will result in new bounds.
             new_coord.bounds = bounds
+        else:
+            new_coord = copy.deepcopy(self)
 
         return new_coord
 
diff --git a/lib/iris/cube.py b/lib/iris/cube.py
index 8e207f8024..fe24e3eeb3 100644
--- a/lib/iris/cube.py
+++ b/lib/iris/cube.py
@@ -772,6 +772,23 @@ def __init__(self, data, standard_name=None, long_name=None,
             for cell_measure, dims in cell_measures_and_dims:
                 self.add_cell_measure(cell_measure, dims)
 
+        # When True indexing may result in a view onto the original data array,
+        # to avoid unnecessary copying.
+        self._share_data = False
+
+    @property
+    def share_data(self):
+        """Share cube data when slicing/indexing cube if True."""
+        return self._share_data
+
+    @share_data.setter
+    def share_data(self, value):
+        # Realise the data if is hasn't already been as sharing lazy data is
+        # not right now possible or a usecase understood.
+        if self.has_lazy_data():
+            _ = self.data
+        self._share_data = bool(value)
+
     @property
     def metadata(self):
         """
@@ -2177,7 +2194,7 @@ def new_cell_measure_dims(cm_):
         try:
             first_slice = next(slice_gen)
         except StopIteration:
-            first_slice = None
+            first_slice = Ellipsis if self.share_data else None
 
         if first_slice is not None:
             data = self._my_data[first_slice]
@@ -2189,8 +2206,9 @@ def new_cell_measure_dims(cm_):
 
         # We don't want a view of the data, so take a copy of it if it's
         # not already our own.
-        if isinstance(data, biggus.Array) or not data.flags['OWNDATA']:
-            data = copy.deepcopy(data)
+        if not self.share_data:
+            if isinstance(data, biggus.Array) or not data.flags['OWNDATA']:
+                data = copy.deepcopy(data)
 
         # We can turn a masked array into a normal array if it's full.
         if isinstance(data, ma.core.MaskedArray):
diff --git a/lib/iris/tests/unit/cube/test_Cube.py b/lib/iris/tests/unit/cube/test_Cube.py
index deee640e47..4140b9a7b6 100644
--- a/lib/iris/tests/unit/cube/test_Cube.py
+++ b/lib/iris/tests/unit/cube/test_Cube.py
@@ -65,6 +65,10 @@ def test_matrix(self):
         self.assertEqual(type(cube.data), np.ndarray)
         self.assertArrayEqual(cube.data, data)
 
+    def test_default_share_data(self):
+        cube = Cube(np.arange(1))
+        self.assertFalse(cube.share_data)
+
 
 class Test_extract(tests.IrisTest):
     def test_scalar_cube_exists(self):
@@ -1407,6 +1411,50 @@ def test_remove_cell_measure(self):
                          [[self.b_cell_measure, (0, 1)]])
 
 
+class Test_share_data(tests.IrisTest):
+    def setter_lazy_data(self):
+        cube = Cube(biggus.NumpyArrayAdapter(np.arange(6).reshape(2, 3)))
+        cube.share_data = True
+        self.assertFalse(cube.has_lazy_data())
+        self.assertTrue(cube._share_data)
+
+    def setter_realised_data(self):
+        cube = Cube(np.arange(6).reshape(2, 3))
+        cube.share_data = True
+        self.assertFalse(cube.has_lazy_data())
+        self.assertTrue(cube._share_data)
+
+
+class Test___getitem__no_share_data(tests.IrisTest):
+    def test_lazy_array(self):
+        cube = Cube(biggus.NumpyArrayAdapter(np.arange(6).reshape(2, 3)))
+        cube2 = cube[1:]
+        self.assertTrue(cube2.has_lazy_data())
+        cube.data
+        self.assertTrue(cube2.has_lazy_data())
+
+    def test_ndarray(self):
+        cube = Cube(np.arange(6).reshape(2, 3))
+        cube2 = cube[1:]
+        self.assertIsNot(cube.data.base, cube2.data.base)
+
+
+class Test___getitem__share_data(tests.IrisTest):
+    def test_lazy_array(self):
+        cube = Cube(biggus.NumpyArrayAdapter(np.arange(6).reshape(2, 3)))
+        cube.share_data = True
+        cube2 = cube[1:]
+        self.assertFalse(cube.has_lazy_data())
+        self.assertFalse(cube2.has_lazy_data())
+        self.assertIs(cube.data.base, cube2.data.base)
+
+    def test_ndarray(self):
+        cube = Cube(np.arange(6).reshape(2, 3))
+        cube.share_data = True
+        cube2 = cube[1:]
+        self.assertIs(cube.data.base, cube2.data.base)
+
+
 class Test__getitem_CellMeasure(tests.IrisTest):
     def setUp(self):
         cube = Cube(np.arange(6).reshape(2, 3))