The Smoking Room

I missed this program when it first appeared on BBC 3 around two years ago. The BBC, and the UK in general have produced some dreadful "sit-coms" of late, so when I seen advertised what looked like a hybrid of The Office and The Royle Family I gave it a miss. That's not particularly true though. It's like The Office only in the fact it's set in an office and like the Royle family only because it's set entirely in real time. Few will agree but I think it's much better than both.

If I were to compare it to other sit-coms I'd say Friends crossed with Daria( MTV cartoon, very cynical.) I think you have to watch quite a few episodes to get the feel of it. Initially they all seem quite ordinary and not especially likable characters. Over the course of the series though you realise the cause of all their irritating habits. Annie is irritating and irritable because she is massively self-deluded about her life being a success. Lilan initially seems desperate but you later realise it's because she's starved of attention. Janet appears prissy and stern but she's seems to be trying to shed that image by socializing with the smokers( even though she doesn't smoke) in nearly every episode. I could go on with the other characters but they'd definitely be spoilers.

It's now half way through the second series and we now have a very well developed set of characters, excellent writing( just look at some of the quotes on this site) and brilliant actors and actresses. The sort-of-main character( he's on screen from beginning to end of every episode unlike any other character) is played excellently by Robert Webb. He seems to get bleaker every episode. Robin is clearly more intelligent than everyone else around him, but prefers to make snide( and hilarious) comments about others stupidity than do anything with his own life. It's an excellent character as it's one which is common in real life. This is true of the rest of the cast and show in general. It's strange but not a contrived way. It's the genuine oddness and humour you can find in the real world, though obviously compacted into a shorter space of time. It doesn't get bogged down in the dull realness of The Royle Family either though. Nor is it as ridiculous and pained as The Office or Friends often were.

It's probably fair to say that The Smoking Room has stolen ideas and inspiration from other sit-coms. But unlike many others it stole the best parts. A good example is the sit-com device. How many sit-coms have never seen characters, love triangles or a will they, won't they relationship? A lot, and they all have the same outcome. The Smoking Room uses a much better, though already used one,; The never directly mentioned, long running storyline. It actually makes people think a bit more about what their watching and makes people notice jokes they may otherwise have missed. The only other example I can think of was in Daria. It's a difficult thing to do correctly, it can just look blatant and stupid. The strength of the writing and acting though hold it together excellently, like the show itself. Forget Little Britain or anything Peter Kay's in: This is the best British comedy around by some distance.

The Smoking Room is one of the simplest set ups I have ever seen for a show. All episodes have been set in a single room (with the odd exception of a shot outside the room)but to be honest I think this is a great strength.

To set up is simple, as mentioned above a Smoking Room in a workplace that is frequented by a select group of workers who's conversations and interactions go from normal to simply strange.

A run down of the regular cast is ...Theres Len the foul mouthed Security guard, Sally and Annie the best friends (or at least as far Annie is concerned), Barry who just cant handle the crossword, Heidi the woman so boring no one noticed she was on Maternity Leave, Lilian the 40 something divorcée who is rediscovering her youth, Sharon the Boss who is as mad as her employees, Clint the handyman who just isn't very handy, Robin the not very good closet gay man, Gordon who is just odd and my personal favourite Janet who is the bosses long suffering PA.

My favourite thing about this show is its so deadpan. It has not been written for laughs and this makes it all the more funny. The cast is top notch and everyone fits together like a jigsaw.

As mentioned above my favourite Character is Janet, played by the wonderful Selina Griffiths who is just fantastic and steals every scene she is in, having been in a similar job position myself, I cant believe how similar we seem, funny in one respect, quite scary in another.

Anyone who hasn't seen this show, it is repeated all the time on Digital TV or you could go and buy the DVD, series one is out now and Series 2 will be out 16th October.

So to sum up, THE SMOKING ROOM, SMOKING HOT! 10/10

Like some other similar British sitcoms of this type, you may decide to try and plug it to a friend, perhaps by retelling a joke on it, you'll find it wont have the same affect on them as it did on you. Because they are different types of jokes. There are not beautiful people sitting around, glamorous, making jokes about life, they are regular people, talking about life. The characters are ordinary, the situations they are in are ordinary, but it is the way they are portrayed and their outlook on all of this that makes the smoking room so funny.

I will not slander this hilarious show by comparing it with 'the office' or 'the royale family' because, being honest, them shows had there high points, but were never as constantly funny as the smoking room.

Go watch it. NOW!

This is an excellent Show but what the hell is it with this 'The Office' fixation that so many reviewers have? it is nothing like 'The Office' except for the fact that there is probably one around. Is 'Dad's Army' like 'Mash' like 'Green Wing' 'cos they share a military kind a thing and a medical kinda thing? This like that cos it's about life. If one must compare shows do it for more than something superficial. Otherwise judge on the shows merits, of which getting to the point SR has may. brilliant well observed writing, brilliant well observed acting, brilliant well observed direction, to say nothing of props, lights, SFX, casting and subliminal mind control.

The characterastion of The Smoking Room is the best I've seen in a sitcom since The Royle Family. For example the character of Robin evolved over the course of the series from a mild-mannered trivia fiend to a man whose afraid of his fellow smokers finding out that he's gay and also afraid that Ben from the Postroom isn't in love with him. The character of Annie is afraid that she's going to end up alone so she'll go to any length to get a man even if that means dressing up like a policeman. Lilian on the other hand is afraid of getting older and being alone

And Janet is afraid that because she's the boss' P.A. and she's a bit more well-bred than the other characters than she'll never be accepted as one of them. On the surface Sally seems like an easily irritated loudmoth but on the inside she is very caring. She is the only person who realises that Robin is gay and doesn't tell any of the other smokers. She comforts Annie at any point when she's about to break down and in her last scene of the series she even cheers Janet up by agreeing to having a girlie chat with her.

And while Sharon likes to stamp her authority on the other smokes she's as insecure as the rest of them. She doesn't know how to communicate with any of the others and in the last episode they rejected her social advances.

There are some stereotypes Barry the guy who can't do the crossword, Heidi the most boring woman you'll ever meet and the foul-mouthed security guard Len. I Hope this comes back for a second series because its enjoyable and a good concept. 9/10