Will Smith (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Will Smith is a British comedian, actor and writer. He was born and grew up in Jersey
and is known for his love and encyclopaedic knowledge of Bergerac
, as well as his posh boy persona. He was educated at Victoria College, Jersey
and Charterhouse School
. He now lives in London
. Together with his writing partner, Roger Drew
, he has written for many TV and radio shows such as Armando Iannucci
's Time Trumpet
. They have also written a book together called "The Joy of No Sex", published by Penguin. As an actor, his most prominent role to date is probably Phil, Peter Mannion's advisor in the political sitcom The Thick of It
.
As a stand-up, Smith has taken solo shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year from 2003-2006. His solo shows have each had different, often obsessive themes: "Will Smith Is Much Obliged", "Misplaced Childhood
", "Ten Arguments I Should Have Won", and "How To Be Cool". A spin-off book called "How To Be Cool" was published in 2007. Smith supported Ricky Gervais
on his record-breaking sell-out 2007 "Fame" tour, and has previously supported Ardal O'Hanlon
and Johnny Vegas
on national tours.
Smith also writes for various publications, notably for the magazine Intelligent Life
, in which he learns something new for each issue. Previous articles have included banjo-playing, ice-sculpting, circus skills and learning how to make a soufflé.
His brother is the TV presenter and wine critic Olly Smith
.
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
and is known for his love and encyclopaedic knowledge of Bergerac
Bergerac (TV series)
Bergerac was a British television show set on Jersey. Produced by the BBC in association with the Seven Network, and screened on BBC1, it starred John Nettles as the title character Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac, a detective in "Le Bureau des Étrangers" Bergerac was a British television show...
, as well as his posh boy persona. He was educated at Victoria College, Jersey
Victoria College, Jersey
Victoria College is a fee paying States of Jersey-provided school in membership of the HMC, in St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands. The castellated neo-gothic architecture is a landmark overlooking the town.-History:In the 1590s, Laurens Baudains - a wealthy farmer from St...
and Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
. He now lives in 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...
. Together with his writing partner, Roger Drew
Roger Drew
Roger Drew is a British illustrator and television screenwriter.His illustration work ranges from music sleeve art for The Darkness, to TV artwork for Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round and Johnny Vaughan Tonight....
, he has written for many TV and radio shows such as Armando Iannucci
Armando Iannucci
Armando Giovanni Iannucci is a Scottish comedian, satirist, writer, director, performer and radio producer. Born in Glasgow, he studied at Oxford University and left graduate work on a PhD about John Milton to pursue a career in comedy....
's Time Trumpet
Time Trumpet
Time Trumpet is a six-episode satirical television comedy series which aired on BBC Two in 2006. The series was written by Armando Iannucci, Roger Drew and Will Smith in a similar manner to Iannucci's earlier one-off programmes 2004: The Stupid Version and Clinton: His Struggle with...
. They have also written a book together called "The Joy of No Sex", published by Penguin. As an actor, his most prominent role to date is probably Phil, Peter Mannion's advisor in the political sitcom The Thick of It
The Thick of It
The Thick of It is a British comedy television series that satirises the inner workings of modern British government. It was first broadcast on BBC Four in 2005, and has so far completed fourteen half-hour episodes and two special hour-long episodes to coincide with Christmas and Gordon Brown's...
.
As a stand-up, Smith has taken solo shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year from 2003-2006. His solo shows have each had different, often obsessive themes: "Will Smith Is Much Obliged", "Misplaced Childhood
Misplaced Childhood
Misplaced Childhood is the third studio album of the neo-progressive rock band Marillion. It was released in 1985 and has been their most commercially successful album, reaching number one in the and spending a total of 41 weeks on the chart, the longest chart residency of a Marillion album...
", "Ten Arguments I Should Have Won", and "How To Be Cool". A spin-off book called "How To Be Cool" was published in 2007. Smith supported Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
on his record-breaking sell-out 2007 "Fame" tour, and has previously supported Ardal O'Hanlon
Ardal O'Hanlon
Ardal O'Hanlon is an Irish comedian and actor, best known for his roles in television sitcoms as Father Dougal McGuire in Father Ted and George Sunday in My Hero.-Early life:...
and Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his angry rants, portly figure, high husky voice and support of St Helens rugby league club. More recently he has moved into dramatic acting.-Early life:He was born in St Helens, Lancashire, the youngest of four children of Laurence...
on national tours.
Smith also writes for various publications, notably for the magazine Intelligent Life
Intelligent Life
Intelligent life may refer to:*Intelligence including:**Animal cognition**Extraterrestrial intelligence - theoretically intelligent Extraterrestrial life...
, in which he learns something new for each issue. Previous articles have included banjo-playing, ice-sculpting, circus skills and learning how to make a soufflé.
His brother is the TV presenter and wine critic Olly Smith
Olly Smith
Olly Smith is a TV presenter, wine expert and newspaper columnist. He is the presenter of The Secret Supper Club for Channel 4, Iron Chef UK for Channel 4 and regularly appears on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen, BBC Breakfast, Great Food Live, Food Uncut "Fern" and Taste, and formerly presented the...
.
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The 11 O'Clock Show | ||
| 2000 | Time Gentlemen Please Time Gentlemen Please Time Gentlemen Please is a British sitcom. Commissioned by Sky One, it was primarily written by Richard Herring and Al Murray and ran for two series between 2000 and 2002.- Premise and characters :... |
||
| 2003 | Gash Gash (TV series) Gash was a satirical TV comedy created by Armando Iannucci and broadcast every weeknight from Monday 28th April to Thursday May 1st 2003 on Channel 4 to coincide with the 2003 local elections. Written and filmed on the day of transmission, the programme was a topical review show featuring sketches,... |
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| 2004 | A Wife For William | ||
| 2005 | The Comic Side of 7 Days The Comic Side of 7 Days The Comic Side of 7 Days is a British tlevision programme shown from 2005 on BBC Three. It is a topical comedy programme which shows the satirical side of the past 7 days of news. It was broadcast weekly on a Friday, with several repeats during the following week. The show was created by Andy... |
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| 2005 | Back in the Day | ||
| 2006 | The Charlotte Church Show The Charlotte Church Show The Charlotte Church Show was a Channel 4 entertainment television show presented by Welsh singer Charlotte Church. It was first broadcast on 1 September 2006 and ran for 6 subsequent Fridays. The show was commissioned for a further two series, the first of which aired from 23 February to 6 April... |
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| 2006 | The Pursuit for Happiness | ||
| 2006 | Never Mind the Buzzcocks Never Mind the Buzzcocks Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two... |
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| 2006-present | The Thick Of It The Thick of It The Thick of It is a British comedy television series that satirises the inner workings of modern British government. It was first broadcast on BBC Four in 2005, and has so far completed fourteen half-hour episodes and two special hour-long episodes to coincide with Christmas and Gordon Brown's... |
Phil Smith | 2006, one hour special in 2007, 2009 |
| 2007 | The C Word | ||
| 2007 | The Late Edition The Late Edition The Late Edition was a British television programme broadcast on BBC Four. It took the form of a topical chat show in the vein of The Daily Show, presented by comedian Marcus Brigstocke... |
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| 2008 | For One Night Only | ||
| 2009 | Argumental Argumental Argumental is a British improvised comedy panel game in which two teams captained by Robert Webb and Seann Walsh debate and argue on various topics. Sean Lock hosts the game. It is made by independent production company Tiger Aspect Productions for Dave and made its debut on 27 October 2008... |
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Radio
- Armando Iannucci's Charm OffensiveArmando Iannucci's Charm OffensiveArmando Iannucci's Charm Offensive is a British radio comedy programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2005 with a second series in 2006, a third in 2007 and a fourth in 2008. Series 2, 3 and 4 of the show were broadcast in the popular Friday evening slot, which it has shared with The...
, BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC 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... - BanterBanter (radio show)Banter is a radio programme that is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the UK, starring Andrew Collins and Richard Herring. The pilot and the first 2 series were broadcast from August 2005 to November 2006, and a third series was broadcast in April and May 2008. There have been 19 half-hour episodes so far...
(2002, 2007), BBC Radio 4 - The Personality TestThe Personality TestThe Personality Test is a British radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, which sees a weekly guest host present a series of questions about themselves to a panel consisting of comedians....
(2003-9), BBC Radio 4 - Will Smith Presents the Tao of BergeracWill Smith Presents the Tao of BergeracWill Smith Presents the Tao of Bergerac is a British radio comedy programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2007. The programme is presented by the comedian Will Smith and concerns his obsession with the 1980s detective series Bergerac starring John Nettles. Nettles makes cameo appearances in each...
(2007) BBC Radio 4. Released as a BBC Audio CD in 2008. - Will Smith's Midlife Crisis Management (2005)