Speakers
Arthur Smith
Comedy legend and presenter, Arthur is particularly renowned for his various TV series of Grumpy Old Men. He is also an accomplished playwright, his plays include An Evening With Gary Lineker which was nominated for an Olivier Award and made into a TV film, My Summer With Des and The Live Bed Show which had a run in the West End, starring Caroline Quentin and Paul Merton. He is a stalwart of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with many of his productions transferring to London’s West End. He took over as narrator of the TV series A Life of Grime after the death of John Peel. Arthur also dusted down his vocal chords and revisited his old friend Leonard Cohen with a huge sell out show Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen (Vol 2) at the Soho Theatre and also at Edinburgh Festival. He has also written a body of serious or semi-serious work
He remains a regular guest on Loose Ends and Pick of the Week and did 3 series of Arthur’s Balham Bash for R4 as well as joining numerous TV comedy panel shows. As a comedian he has played all over the country, including the Comedy Store, Jongleurs, and assorted West End theatres. More recently he can be found appearing on BBC1’s The One Show, reporting on a huge range of subjects and he can be heard on Radio 4 Extra’s Comedy Club.
“The crumpled comedy legend was onstage effortlessly bringing smiles to the crowd with something old, something new, something borrowed but nothing blue” The Evening Standard
