The Smoking Room: Series 2

The extras on this DVD lack the kick of a capstan full-strength but there is the entertainment of a Marlboro light still to be enjoyed. The menus – not usually something worthy of note – are terrific, with smoke wafting over them and the smoking room drinks machine put to good use. I was dying for there to be an Easter Egg under one of the unused buttons but, sadly, couldn’t find one.

What you will find, however, if you delve into the extras is a fun behind-the-scenes 20 minute set of interviews. All the cast, writer Brian Dooley and producer Peter Thornton talk about why they love being part of the show and it sounds like a pretty happy workforce, all in all. They get to make props from time to time and seem to have a pretty good laugh. It’s a shame, though, that director Gareth Carrivick is nowhere in evidence – it would have been interesting to hear how he rises to the challenge of keeping dynamism in such an enclosed space.

Also included are a series of rather good little sketches that Dooley did while the series was shooting to show the cast what the characters who are talked about but never seen look like.

The sound and look are lovely – although given the intimate nature of the piece they were never going to be put under too much stress. A commentary track or two would certainly be an added bonus – particularly as Dooley comes across as a bit of a raconteur in the behind the scenes segment. Maybe Auntie Beeb will consider that in future.