I haven't looked at the ratings of Mad Men on BBC4 on Sunday nights but I'm sure it's punching above it's weight for that particular slot on the channel. The first episode shocked me rigid. I don't know if initially the sexism was cranked up to 10 for sheer impact, in which case it had the desired effect or whether I've become imune. If so that's deeply worrying as we're only on episode 6 and I'm clearly happy to ignore 40 years of bra burning fish without bicycles.

However, in the last couple of weeks, I've noticed a more worrying concern and am curious if anyone else has suffered the same problem. I haven't smoked for about 4 years, but by the end of each episode I'm just gagging for a fag. Like a nicotine drunk Beagle, my eyes ignore the fashion, the period detail, the ridiculously pointy bras they make Peggy wear. Sexism, schmexism, all I can stare at are the smouldering embers of the ever present cigarettes. This is smoking Dennis Leary style: forget the after dinner fag, this lot puff while they eat.

Due to smoking bans I have to assume they're herbal cigarettes and if so, I pity the cast. Many years ago a friend and i had a competition to buy the most disgusting cigarettes we could find whilst on holiday. I won, managing to find 200 fags for under 50p in Andorra. They smelled like a combination of forest fire and the residual scent of melted plastic that remained in the house for weeks after my mum left the kenwood chef on top of a still scalding ceramic hob. However even they didn't smell as bad as herbal fags I used in one attempt to stop smoking which if you can imagine burning camel dung , then you're not far off.

So I would say the cast of Mad Men are suffering for their art but I may have to stop watching Mad Men simply to avoid the nicotine cravings, which would be a shame, as I want to see politics enter the fray in the guise of Kennedy and King. 'But hey, the little lady's gotta do what she's gotta do. Can you fix me a martini, honey?'