Arthur Smith (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Brian Arthur John Smith (born 27 November 1954) is an English
alternative comedian
and writer
. He was born in Bermondsey
, South London
, brother to Richard Smith
(a British medical doctor, editor, and businessman). He describes himself as a "semi-professional" comedian.
comedy festival since 1977, and still compering the long-running Hackney Empire New Act of the Year
competition final. He has also written a body of serious or semi-serious work, including stage plays such as An Evening with Gary Lineker
.
In addition to stand-up comedy, such as his recent hit Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen
(later broadcast on Radio 4), he is also a radio presenter on such BBC Radio 4
programmes as Excess Baggage and Loose Ends, and appears on television comedy panel games. He took over as narrator of the TV series A Life of Grime
after the death of John Peel
and more recently was one of the Grumpy Old Men
in the television series of that name. Both of the latter two series used "What a Wonderful World
" as their theme song. For Grumpy Old Men, Smith was one of the cast members who contributed to a montage rendition of the song, providing an imitation of Louis Armstrong
's closing "ohhhh yeeeah!".
He attended the University of East Anglia
, where he took a degree in comparative literature. In 1977 he stood for Students' Union
President on a "Don't vote for me" platform and finished second out of nine candidates. Encouraged by the idea of meeting ladies, Arthur joined the UEA's Dance Society, resulting in an unexpected win of their Disco Dancing Championship in 1976.
His near-death from pancreatitis
made him teetotal
, an experience which he turned into a poignant comedy monologue Arthur Smith's Last Hangover. Subsequently he developed type 2 diabetes
but still smokes. He regularly writes a column for the Diabetes UK
magazine Balance.
One of Smith's routines has been set to music by Mark Beazley, aka Rothko
, for a CD curated by comedian and writer Stewart Lee
. The CD, The Topography of Chance was guest-curated by Stewart for the Sonic Arts Network
and Arthur's track is called I've seen your arse and contains extra vocals by Caroline Quentin
taken from a live recording of Smith's show, Arthur Smith's Last Hangover.
In December, 1985, Smith, along with temporary comedy partner Phil Nice
, made a short series of parody documentaries for "Channel 4" television network called "Arthur and Phil Go Off". One episode, titled "Nessie - Real or Pretend" about the Loch Ness Monster, was aired in America on the A& E cable channel in 1986. None of these shows has officially been released to any video format.
During the late 1980s Smith took the role of consumer expert, testing such items as toilet paper, hangover cures and Pot Noodle
s on the BBC Radio 2
Nightcap show hosted by announcer and voice-over supremo Peter Dickson.
In 1989, Arthur also did voices on an Aardman Animations
short called Ident with Phil Nice
.
One of Smith's more unusual roles was in the sitcom Red Dwarf
in the episode "Backwards". He gave a speech (in reverse) blaming Kryten and Rimmer for starting a fight. If, however, the speech is played forwards, he is heard to be insulting the listener who has flipped the recording over trying to find out what he was saying ("What a poor sad life he's got").
A night in watching football with Tony Hawks
ended with him challenging Hawks to beat the entire Moldova
n football team at tennis
. Hawks took him up on this bet, and wrote a book about it. Hawks won the bet, and Arthur had to stand on Balham
High Road and sing the Moldovan National Anthem whilst naked.
Smith also appeared in a cameo role in the first series of the BBC science-fiction radio comedy Married
. He played an alternate-universe version of himself who eked out a living as a children's party entertainer. This role expanded in the second and third series.
In the winter of 2006 Smith travelled to Margate
to host The Margate Exodus
which brought together local musicians and singers to perform songs of the 10 Plagues
. Such bands as NARCS and NoisePunk exponents Lips Like Oxygen took to the stage. Smith said, "Blimey, I'm exhausted just watching them!" Smith also played "Clarrie" in the Doctor Who audio, The Kingmaker
.
He is currently the host of "Arthur Smith's Comedy Club" on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
In 2010, he was a Malcolm Hardee
Cunning Stunt Award nominee for best publicity stunt at the Edinburgh Fringe after declaring that he would pay £100 to any journalist attending his show who would juggle fish.
; Smith has described himself as the "Night Mayor of Balham — I don't do days". In 2009 he broadcast a comedy series for BBC Radio 4
from his own home called Arthur Smith's Balham Bash
.
He is engaged to Beth Kilcoyne, a Cambridge graduate, performer and screenwriter.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
alternative comedian
Alternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term that originated in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era, and typically avoids relying on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines. Patton Oswalt defines it as "comedy where the...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. He was born in Bermondsey
Bermondsey
Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...
, South London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, brother to Richard Smith
Richard Smith (editor)
Richard Smith is a British medical doctor, editor, and businessman.He is director of the Ovations initiative to combat chronic disease in the developing world...
(a British medical doctor, editor, and businessman). He describes himself as a "semi-professional" comedian.
Career
Arthur Smith was a student at The Roan School for Boys, a grammar school, now The John Roan School in Blackheath, London. He was one of many stand-up performers on the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s. He still performs today in much the same manner, and has regularly attended the Edinburgh FringeEdinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
comedy festival since 1977, and still compering the long-running Hackney Empire New Act of the Year
Hackney Empire New Act of the Year
The Hackney Empire New Act of the Year was a long-running annual competition that ran at the Hackney Empire theatre in London in order to encourage, discover and promote new stand-up comedy and New Variety talent...
competition final. He has also written a body of serious or semi-serious work, including stage plays such as An Evening with Gary Lineker
An Evening with Gary Lineker
An Evening with Gary Lineker is a 1991 stage play, adapted for television in 1994, by Arthur Smith and Chris England.The action takes place against the backdrop of the 1990 Football World Cup semi-final, between England and West Germany, which is taking place in Italy while Monica and Bill are on...
.
In addition to stand-up comedy, such as his recent hit Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
(later broadcast on Radio 4), he is also a radio presenter on such BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programmes as Excess Baggage and Loose Ends, and appears on television comedy panel games. He took over as narrator of the TV series A Life of Grime
A Life of Grime
A Life of Grime is a BBC reality series following the work of environmental health inspectors...
after the death of John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
and more recently was one of the Grumpy Old Men
Grumpy Old Men (TV series)
Grumpy Old Men is a conversational-style television programme on BBC2 which debuted in 2003, The first run of four programmes was repeated several times before a second series, also of four episodes, was shown in 2004. A third series aired in April 2006. There were also 2003 & 2004 Christmas...
in the television series of that name. Both of the latter two series used "What a Wonderful World
What a Wonderful World
"What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released as a single in 1968. Thiele and Weiss were both prominent in the music world . Armstrong's recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999...
" as their theme song. For Grumpy Old Men, Smith was one of the cast members who contributed to a montage rendition of the song, providing an imitation of Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
's closing "ohhhh yeeeah!".
He attended the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
, where he took a degree in comparative literature. In 1977 he stood for Students' Union
Students' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
President on a "Don't vote for me" platform and finished second out of nine candidates. Encouraged by the idea of meeting ladies, Arthur joined the UEA's Dance Society, resulting in an unexpected win of their Disco Dancing Championship in 1976.
His near-death from pancreatitis
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. It occurs when pancreatic enzymes that digest food are activated in the pancreas instead of the small intestine. It may be acute – beginning suddenly and lasting a few days, or chronic – occurring over many years...
made him teetotal
Teetotalism
Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal...
, an experience which he turned into a poignant comedy monologue Arthur Smith's Last Hangover. Subsequently he developed type 2 diabetes
Diabetes mellitus type 2
Diabetes mellitus type 2formerly non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or adult-onset diabetesis a metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. Diabetes is often initially managed by increasing exercise and...
but still smokes. He regularly writes a column for the Diabetes UK
Diabetes UK
Diabetes UK is a patient, healthcare professional and research charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with diabetes and to working towards a future without the chronic condition diabetes....
magazine Balance.
One of Smith's routines has been set to music by Mark Beazley, aka Rothko
Rothko (band)
Rothko were a London-based instrumental ambient group. The group mainly used bass guitars and keyboards to create their soundscapes. They derived their name from the painter Mark Rothko...
, for a CD curated by comedian and writer Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee is an English stand-up comedian, writer and director known for being one half of the 1990s comedy duo Lee and Herring, and for co-writing and directing the critically acclaimed and controversial stage show Jerry Springer - The Opera...
. The CD, The Topography of Chance was guest-curated by Stewart for the Sonic Arts Network
Sonic Arts Network
Sonic Arts Network was a UK-based organisation, established in 1979, that aimed to enable both audiences and practitioners to engage with the art of sound through a programme of festivals, events, commissions and education projects...
and Arthur's track is called I've seen your arse and contains extra vocals by Caroline Quentin
Caroline Quentin
Caroline Jones known by her stage name Caroline Quentin, is an English actress. Quentin became known for her television appearances in Men Behaving Badly, playing Dorothy, and playing Maddy Magellan in Jonathan Creek for three years.-Early life:...
taken from a live recording of Smith's show, Arthur Smith's Last Hangover.
In December, 1985, Smith, along with temporary comedy partner Phil Nice
Phil Nice
Phil Nice is a British Actor who has been active in television and films since 1984.He has appeared in TV serials including Who Dares Wins, South of the Border, Inspector Morse, Mr. Bean, Goodnight Sweetheart, The Bill, EastEnders, Heartbeat, The Inbetweeners, Coming of Age, Moving Wallpaper, Love...
, made a short series of parody documentaries for "Channel 4" television network called "Arthur and Phil Go Off". One episode, titled "Nessie - Real or Pretend" about the Loch Ness Monster, was aired in America on the A& E cable channel in 1986. None of these shows has officially been released to any video format.
During the late 1980s Smith took the role of consumer expert, testing such items as toilet paper, hangover cures and Pot Noodle
Pot Noodle
Pot Noodle is a brand of ramen-style instant noodle snack foods, available in a selection of flavours and varieties. Its dehydrated mixture consists of wide noodles, textured soya pieces, assorted dried vegetables and flavouring powder. The product is prepared by adding boiling water, which softens...
s on the BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
Nightcap show hosted by announcer and voice-over supremo Peter Dickson.
In 1989, Arthur also did voices on an Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations, Ltd., also known as Aardman Studios, or simply as Aardman, is a British animation studio based in Bristol, United Kingdom. The studio is known for films made using stop-motion clay animation techniques, particularly those featuring Plasticine characters Wallace and Gromit...
short called Ident with Phil Nice
Phil Nice
Phil Nice is a British Actor who has been active in television and films since 1984.He has appeared in TV serials including Who Dares Wins, South of the Border, Inspector Morse, Mr. Bean, Goodnight Sweetheart, The Bill, EastEnders, Heartbeat, The Inbetweeners, Coming of Age, Moving Wallpaper, Love...
.
One of Smith's more unusual roles was in the sitcom Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
in the episode "Backwards". He gave a speech (in reverse) blaming Kryten and Rimmer for starting a fight. If, however, the speech is played forwards, he is heard to be insulting the listener who has flipped the recording over trying to find out what he was saying ("What a poor sad life he's got").
A night in watching football with Tony Hawks
Tony Hawks
Antony Gordon Hawksworth, better known as Tony Hawks, is a British comedian and author.-Early life:Born in Brighton in 1960, Hawks was educated at Brighton Hove and Sussex Grammar School and Brighton College...
ended with him challenging Hawks to beat the entire Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
n football team at tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
. Hawks took him up on this bet, and wrote a book about it. Hawks won the bet, and Arthur had to stand on Balham
Balham
Balham is a district of London, EnglandBalham can also refer to:*Balham, Ardennes, a commune in France*Balham station, railway and tube station in Balham, London*Balaam, a Biblical figure...
High Road and sing the Moldovan National Anthem whilst naked.
Smith also appeared in a cameo role in the first series of the BBC science-fiction radio comedy Married
Married (radio series)
Married is a BBC radio comedy with science fiction themes, first aired on BBC Radio 4. The main character is Robin Lightfoot, a confirmed bachelor with a successful architectural practice, who wakes up one day in a parallel universe in which he is married with two children...
. He played an alternate-universe version of himself who eked out a living as a children's party entertainer. This role expanded in the second and third series.
In the winter of 2006 Smith travelled to Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
to host The Margate Exodus
Plague Songs
Plague Songs is an album of songs, by various artists, about the ten Plagues of Egypt described in the Book of Exodus.The songs were originally commissioned by the British arts organisation Artangel for its project The Margate Exodus, which centres around a one-day event that took place in Margate...
which brought together local musicians and singers to perform songs of the 10 Plagues
Plague Songs
Plague Songs is an album of songs, by various artists, about the ten Plagues of Egypt described in the Book of Exodus.The songs were originally commissioned by the British arts organisation Artangel for its project The Margate Exodus, which centres around a one-day event that took place in Margate...
. Such bands as NARCS and NoisePunk exponents Lips Like Oxygen took to the stage. Smith said, "Blimey, I'm exhausted just watching them!" Smith also played "Clarrie" in the Doctor Who audio, The Kingmaker
The Kingmaker
The Kingmaker is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The drama was written by Nev Fountain who is better known for his work on the radio and television series Dead Ringers, and also stars Jon Culshaw who in the same...
.
He is currently the host of "Arthur Smith's Comedy Club" on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Awards
In 2005, Smith turned down a lifetime achievement award from the Perrier Award organisers. He said that "Comedians rather dislike the Perrier Awards and the public aren't interested. Basically, they wanted to tell me I was old and cool; well, I know that already, and anyway, my ego is bloated enough.".http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1857982005In 2010, he was a Malcolm Hardee
Malcolm Hardee
Malcolm Hardee was an English comedian, author, comedy club proprietor, compère, agent, manager and "amateur sensationalist"....
Cunning Stunt Award nominee for best publicity stunt at the Edinburgh Fringe after declaring that he would pay £100 to any journalist attending his show who would juggle fish.
Personal life
He lives in Balham, LondonBalham, London
Balham is a neighbourhood of south London, England, and is part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and the London Borough of Lambeth.-History:...
; Smith has described himself as the "Night Mayor of Balham — I don't do days". In 2009 he broadcast a comedy series for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
from his own home called Arthur Smith's Balham Bash
Arthur Smith's Balham Bash
Arthur Smith's Balham Bash is a comedy and music show hosted by Arthur Smith and recorded at his own house in Balham, London. It was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2009,It features both stand-up comedy and musical acts. Other than Smith, the only other regular on the show is Pippa Evans,...
.
He is engaged to Beth Kilcoyne, a Cambridge graduate, performer and screenwriter.
Books
- Sit-Down Comedy (contributor to anthology, ed Malcolm HardeeMalcolm HardeeMalcolm Hardee was an English comedian, author, comedy club proprietor, compère, agent, manager and "amateur sensationalist"....
& John Fleming) Ebury Press/Random House, 2003. ISBN 0091889243; ISBN 978-0091889241 - My Name is Daphne Fairfax (audiobook read by the author) Random House Audio, May 2009. ISBN 9781846571794