BBC's The Smoking RoomSmokin' in the Boys Room
BBC America’s original premiere comedy, The Smoking Room is set entirely in the smoking room of a large company. The
Some people - lazy lothario Clint, grouchy security guard Len and sad, bumbling Barry (seen above) - seem to spend their entire day in the smoking room. None of these individuals would normally socialize together, but their shared love of nicotine provides a tenuous link between them. The action never leaves this refuge, but smokers (and the occasional non-smoker) flit in an out. The Smoking Room brings together personnel of all ranks.
Lovelorn Robin (whose passion for Ben from the mailroom remains unspoken), Annie, an entirely self-centered emotional wreck, and put-upon PA Janet regularly pop in and out for a gossip. Recently divorced Lilian regularly livens-up proceedings with tales of her newfound freedom, while for Sharon, the snobbish boss who desperately wants to be popular, it’s a place to show off her power.
With a similar pace to The Office, the series explores all human life, as it’s played out in the self-contained world of the smoking room. It’s where you’ll find a microcosm of all human life rolled up into a comedy.
From the
Like The Office, the sitcom is the result of a BBC initiative to give new writing talent an opportunity. It is the first series for Brian Dooley, the writer, and he has been partnered by Gareth Carrivick, a veteran director of sitcoms including The Vicar of Dibley.
Emma Kennedy, who plays Heidi — a character “so deadly boring that no one noticed when she was away for six months on maternity leave” — describes the scripts as a cross between The Royle Family and The Office. 
