''20 Cigarettes'' is a play and radio play written by

Marcy Kahan Marcy Kahan (born 4 July) is a British playwright and radio dramatist, who is half-Canadian and half- American. She is a prolific author of urbane comedies for the BBC. She was born in Montreal, educated at Somerville College, Oxford and trained ...

. It was performed between 15 August and 30 August 2007 at the

Soho Theatre Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, and Soho Theatre Walthamstow in north-east London. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three pe ...

for the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and charity in London, created with the aim of developing young people's artistic skills via theatrical productions and other creative endeavours. Founded in 1956 as the world ...

. The theatre developed the play in response to the introduction of the

smoking ban in England Sales of Cigarette, cigarettes and smoking in the United Kingdom are being gradually restricted during the first few decades of the 21st century. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, to ban sales of cigarettes to people born after 2008, is being debated i ...

, asking how smoking forms part of our identity.Marlowe, Sam
"20 Cigarettes"
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', London, 22 August 2007. Retrieved on 03 November 2018.

Synopsis

Oscar Klavier has been a smoker since his mother introduced him to cigarettes as a schoolboy. As a middle-aged man, the women he loves gives him an ultimatum: she will only marry him if he gives up smoking. To help him quit, a therapist encourages him to discuss the 20 most emotionally important cigarettes of his life.Marlowe, Sam
"20 Cigarettes"
''

'', London, 22 August 2007. Retrieved on 03 November 2018.

Production history

Kahan was commissioned by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

to write the radio play, and then in 2007 to rewrite the play for the stage by the

. The production was directed by Toby Frow. Following the introduction of the smoking ban, the theatre had to ask special permission for the actors to light up on stage.

Radio play

The radio play was broadcast on

BBC Radio 7 BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It mostly broadcasts archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes, and is the sister station of Radio 4. It is the pri ...

on 9 January 2008, starting

Anton Lesser Anton Lesser (born 14 February 1952) is a British actor. He is known for his roles as Qyburn in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', Harold Macmillan in ''The Crown'', Clement Attlee in '' A United Kingdom'', Chief Superintendent Bright in '' E ...

and

Stephen Mangan Stephen James Mangan (born 16 May 1968) is a British actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He has played Guy Secretan in '' Green Wing'', Dan Moody in '' I'm Alan Partridge'', Seán Lincoln in ''Episodes'', Bigwig in ''Watership Down'', Postma ...

Cast

The cast of the 2007 National Youth Theatre production was (in alphabetical order): * Helen Beaumont * Jesse Blidner * Simon Brown * Cassie Clare * James Cooper * Helen Duff * Simon Dutton * Josh Hart * Joan Iyiola *

Valene Kane Valene Kane is a Northern Irish actress. On television, she gained prominence through her role as Rose Stagg in the BBC Two series '' The Fall'' (2013–2016). She has since appeared in the BBC dramas '' Blue Lights'' (2023–24) and ''Thirteen ...

Harry Melling Harry Edward Melling (born 17 March 1989) is an English actor known for playing Dudley Dursley in the ''Harry Potter'' films (2001–2010) and Harry Beltik in ''The Queen's Gambit'' (2020). Early life Harry Edward Melling was born on 17 Marc ...

* James Musgrave * Ben Lamb * Rebecca Loudon * Sarah Price * Emmet Ward * Alex Warren

References

External links

* {{BBC Programme, b008m6tj BBC Radio 7 (rebranded) programmes