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HIT BBC drama The Serpent saw 220 cigarettes smoked in eight episodes — a rate of one almost every two minutes.

Star Jenna Coleman, 34, who plays serial killer Charles Sobhraj’s girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc, is the biggest puffer with 47 cigs.

Star Jenna Coleman who plays serial killer Charles Sobhraj’s girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc is the biggest puffer with 47 cigs
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Star Jenna Coleman who plays serial killer Charles Sobhraj’s girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc is the biggest puffer with 47 cigsCredit: BBC

Chain-smoking Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle), who investigates the Bikini Murderer’s Seventies spree, manages to get through 35.

Accomplice Ajay Chowdhury, (Amesh Edireweera) drew on 17 with evil Frenchman Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim) having 13.

The drama, which ended last night, told the true story of Sobhraj, who killed at least 12 travellers in Nepal, India and Thailand between 1963 and 1976.

Viewer Rob Atkinson said: “The amount of stress smoking is making me want to smoke and I don’t even smoke.”

Frenchman Sobhraj played by actor Tahar Rahim smoked 13 fags
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Frenchman Sobhraj played by actor Tahar Rahim smoked 13 fagsCredit: WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture
Chain-smoking Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle) managed to smoke 35 cigs
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Chain-smoking Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle) managed to smoke 35 cigsCredit: BBC
Action on Smoking and Health said: 'There’s a proven causal link between watching people smoke on screen and taking up smoking'
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Action on Smoking and Health said: 'There’s a proven causal link between watching people smoke on screen and taking up smoking'Credit: WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture

Anti-smoking charities slammed the Beeb — with Deborah Arnott, from Action on Smoking and Health, saying: “There’s a proven causal link between watching people smoke on screen and taking up smoking. 

“Whether the smokers are heroes or villains doesn’t make a difference.

Exposure to images of people smoking makes it harder to quit,”

The Serpent's Charles Sobhraj is finally arrested and charged with murder in Nepal decades after committing horrific crimes

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