1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/smoking_room_group.jpg]] |
2 | |
3 | ''The Smoking Room'' is a British television sitcom written by Brian Dooley, who won a BAFTA for the series in 2005. It centres around a group of people working in an office somewhere in London, taking their breaks in the titular smoking room. The first series, consisting of eight episodes, was originally transmitted on [[Creator/TheBBC BBC Three]] between 29 June and 17 August 2004. The Christmas Special was first transmitted on the same channel on 20 December 2004. A second series of eight episodes began airing on 26 July 2005. |
4 | ---- |
5 | !!This show contains examples of: |
6 | * TheAlcoholic: Gordon, who was in recovery until his wife left him. Bad day to hold a birthday party in the smoking room, sparkling wine included... |
7 | * BitingTheHandHumor: Sort-of - "You couldn't get on TV with that act. Not even ''digital''..." |
8 | %%* BottleEpisode: ''Every'' episode. |
9 | * BreakTheMotivationalSpeaker: One episode has a smoking cessation workshop, "[=CigZowt=]", in the smoking room. The hapless speaker struggles to control the staff, and their short attention spans and snarkiness eventually cause him to lose his temper. |
10 | %%* ConspiracyTheorist: Clint. |
11 | %%* ContemplatingYourHands: Len, after he accidentally gets high on glue. |
12 | * CrosswordPuzzle: Barry is always doing one, even though he's awful at them; Robin tends to get the clues as soon as he reads them out. |
13 | %%* DeadpanSnarker: Robin, pretty much perpetually. |
14 | %%* TheDitz: Clint. |
15 | * DomesticAbuse: Heidi's comments about Keith heavily imply she's in an abusive relationship. |
16 | * EmbarrassingNickname: Janet and her nephew Dominic have a rather curious greeting for one another, one that might have been cute when he was five, but which hasn't aged well now he's in college: |
17 | -->'''Janet:''' Minicky-Monicky! |
18 | -->'''Dominic:''' Auntie Jantie! |
19 | -->'''Janet:''' Hellopellopa! |
20 | -->'''Dominic:''' Hellopillipee! |
21 | * EverybodySmokes: Obviously, given the setting. |
22 | %%* FakeStatic: Sally, to her mother. |
23 | * ForcedOutOfTheCloset: Janet finally snaps and outs Robin after he pours scorn on her engagement to a man in her church's congregation. |
24 | -->'''Janet:''' But at least it's a real relationship. I am not, like certain people I could mention, dreaming my best years away - or the tail-end of them at any rate - on some '''''pointless, soul-sapping crush!''''' |
25 | -->''[Long awkward pause]'' |
26 | -->'''Len:''' [[PrecisionFStrike Fuckin' 'ell...]] |
27 | %%* HeWhoMustNotBeSeen: Most of the company other than the main cast. |
28 | * IntoxicationEnsues: Len absentmindedly sniffs at some glue Clint was using to fix a floor tile, and before long he's away with the fairies. |
29 | -->'''Len:''' [[ContemplatingYourHands Aren't hands strange?]] They're like feet, only on your arms... |
30 | * LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: Annie, Lillian. |
31 | * MyLocal: A pub called the Nag's Head is often mentioned. This may be a clue as to the location of the office, since there is a Nag's Head near Covent Garden. Or it could be in [[Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses Peckham]]. |
32 | * ObliquelyObfuscatedOccupation: It's never made clear what industry the company is involved in, or even the ''name'' of the company. Understandable, given the "no shop-talk" rule in the smoking room. |
33 | * PointyHairedBoss: Sharon. |
34 | * PopCulturalOsmosisFailure: Sharon particularly, who says she doesn't even own a television, but also Janet to a lesser extent. In one episode, Janet thinks Clint's [[Franchise/StarWars Yoda impersonation]] is him [[MistakenForRacist mocking a Japanese visitor's accent]]. |
35 | * PrecisionFStrike: The normally strait-laced Janet, when particularly stressed out because the staff Christmas variety show isn't going well, unleashes one on Clint that makes him jump out of his chair. |
36 | * ProneToTears: Annie, who frequently bursts into tears at the slightest provocation. |
37 | * ReasonYouSuckSpeech: Janet's nephew Dominic, who is shadowing Robin for his psychology class, gives a gloriously passive-aggressive one to Robin under the guise of an analysis. |
38 | -->'''Dominic:''' You know, I would say that your relentless sarcasm is an obvious attempt to put people at a distance, due to an almost crippling sense of inadequacy. I would say that your barbed, defensive humour is prompted by a fear of intimacy because there's something you're trying to hide, an aspect of yourself you're desperate to suppress because you hate it so. You hate yourself. I ''would'' say all that, if I weren't simply a passive observer. |
39 | * SeinfeldianConversation: Often. |
40 | * SirSwearsALot: Len. His grandson Ethan has taken to calling him "Grandad Fuck-Off". |
41 | * ThoseTwoGirls: Annie and Sally |
42 | * TransparentCloset: Robin. |
43 | * UltimateJobSecurity: Everyone, apparently, but especially Clint. |
44 | * TheUnseen: Any of the characters mentioned by the cast but who never come into the smoking room. Recurring example include Ben from the post room, and Len's junior Ranjit. |
45 | * WaxingLyrical: Cleverly done when Annie returns to the smoking room after she stormed out in tears: |
46 | -->'''Sally:''' Annie, are you okay? |
47 | -->'''Lillian:''' Are you okay? |
48 | -->'''Robin:''' Are you okay, Annie? |
49 | -->'''Lillian:''' Annie, are you okay? |
50 | -->'''Sally:''' You okay? |
51 | -->'''Len:''' You okay, Annie? |
52 | * WorkCom: Set in a workplace smoking room, allowing for interaction between people from different departments (the only thing uniting them is that they all, well, smoke). |
53 | * YesMan: Janet. |
54 | * YouPutTheXInXY: The [=CigZowt=] smoking cessation speaker has a particularly ill-thought-out version of this, which the smokers quickly dissect. |
55 | -->'''Derek:''' I'm here to put the "F-U-N" into "quitting"! |
56 | -->'''Robin:''' How would you pronounce that? "Quiffunting"? |
57 | -->'''Barry:''' "Quitfunning"? |
58 | -->'''Len:''' 'Ere, you could split it up - have "fuckwitting". |
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