TV SERIES · 2004– · UK
The Smoking Room
7 archived facts 1 topic 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
7 Interesting Facts About The Smoking Room
- #001
Although it was confirmed in 2006 that the series would not return, a change in UK law in 2007 banned smoking indoors in the workplace, which meant that the existence of the smoking room would have been illegal.
- #002
Partly because of its single-location setting, the series makes heavy use of unseen characters. Tess Pownall, Lucy Wu, Rangit and Heidi's husband Keith are the most frequently referenced. Ben, the character in the post room who is the object of Robin's not-so-secret love, is invisible in the sense that his face is never shown to viewers, but he appears on screen twice: once wearing a snowman costume, and once shown only from behind when series creator Brian Dooley provided his voice. The series' DVD box set includes a set of Dooley's drawings depicting the unseen characters.
- #003
Manager Sharon's cigarettes are always much longer than those smoked by her subordinates.
- #004
In the DVD commentary, creator Brian Dooley explained that he based the character Robin on himself and the character Sally on a close friend. He also confirmed that some of the other characters are made up of "elements" of people he has known in real life, but that he deliberately avoided being specific, noting that his friend would be flattered to learn Sally was inspired by her, but that others might not feel the same way about the less likeable characters.
- #005
Every episode of the series takes place entirely in the smoking room, although in a few instances the corridor outside can be seen when characters shout from the doorway.
- #006
Barry's character typically solves a puzzle in each episode, but he often picks ridiculous or offensive answers to the clues and usually has to get the real answers from Robin. In the Christmas special, Barry is delighted when he finally solves a puzzle — only for Robin to check it and realise that, although Barry managed to link all the words together, every answer is wrong.
- #007
The character Robin is present in the smoking room throughout every episode, even if he does not appear on screen in a given scene. Lilian, Barry, Sally and Annie appear in every episode, but are usually shown entering and leaving the room at various points.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work