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Will Smith (comedian)

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For the American actor and rapper, see Will Smith.

William Smith
Born
William James Smith

(1971-06-08) 8 June 1971 (age 53)[1]
Winchester, Hampshire, England
Occupation(s)Actor, screenwriter, stand-up comedian, novelist, producer
Years active1996–present
Known forTV, film and radio comedy
RelativesOlly Smith (brother)

William James Smith (born 8 June 1971) is an English stand-up comedian, screenwriter, novelist, actor and producer. He is known for being part of the writing team of the BBC sitcom The Thick of It (2009; 2012) and its American HBO counterpart Veep (2012–16). Additionally, he starred as Phil Smith in the former. He is also the creator and showrunner of the Apple TV+ drama thriller Slow Horses (2022–).

As co-writer and co-producer of the HBO sitcom Veep, he was among the recipients of two Emmys and two Writers Guild of America Awards, and has received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Episodic Comedy.[2][3][4][5]

Early life and education

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Though born in Winchester, Hampshire,[6] Smith grew up in Jersey and was educated there at Victoria College. His brother is the TV presenter and wine critic Olly Smith.[7]

Stand-up comedy

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Smith started his career in stand-up comedy, winning awards including Chortle Best Headliner 2005 and Time Out Comedy 2004.[8] One critic called him 'the Hugh Grant of comedy',[9] and he appeared on The 11 O'Clock Show with Sacha Baron Cohen and Ricky Gervais as the character 'Posh Boy'.[10] He took solo shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year from 2003 to 2006: "Will Smith Is Much Obliged", "Misplaced Childhood" (inspired by his love of the rock band Marillion and their 1985 album of the same name),[11] "Ten Arguments I Should Have Won",[12] and "How To Be Cool".[13] Smith supported Gervais on his record-breaking sell-out 2007 "Fame" tour, and supported Ardal O'Hanlon and Johnny Vegas on national tours.

Television

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Smith serves as showrunner and executive producer on Slow Horses, the Apple TV+ series based on the espionage novels by Mick Herron. Smith calls himself 'a huge, huge Bond fan... I'd love to write one', and describes Slow Horses as 'the anti-Bond'.[14] The show films in the UK and stars Gary Oldman, Jonathan Pryce, Kristin Scott Thomas and Jack Lowden.[15] The series, which premiered on Apple TV+ on 1 April 2022, won Smith the USC Scripter Award two years running, for best episodic adaptation of a printed work in 2023, and again in 2024.[16] Smith was also nominated in the writer: drama category in the 2023 Royal Television Society Programme Awards, and for best long form TV drama in the 2023 Writers' Guild of Great Britain awards.[17][18][19]

Smith has been involved with both British and American political satire. He was a writer and one of the executive producers on HBO's Emmy-winning sitcom Veep, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus.[20] He wrote or co-wrote the Veep episodes: Chung (Season 1); Midterms, Running (Season 2); Some New Beginnings, Fishing (Season 3); Storms and Pancakes, Testimony (Season 4); Thanksgiving, C**tgate (Season 5)[citation needed]. Smith also wrote on the BAFTA-winning BBC political comedy The Thick of It. He was the only writer on the programme who acted in it – as MP Peter Mannion's inept adviser, The Lord of the Rings-obsessive Phil Smith. He also has a cameo role in the closing credits of In the Loop, the Anglo-American film spin-off.

He served as executive producer on HBO sitcom Avenue 5. Other writing credits include sitcoms Damned and Back (TV series), both airing on Channel 4.[citation needed] With Armando Iannucci and Roger Drew he devised BBC future comedy Time Trumpet, six episodes that screened in 2006.[21] In 2018 he was reported to be working on co-writing a television series of Scarfolk.[22]

Books

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Comedy books by Smith include How To Be Cool[23] (Harry Enfield said of it 'Will Smith is the coolest guy in the world (if uncool is the new cool) – he's also terrifically funny'), and The Joy of No Sex, published by Penguin,[24] a parody of The Joy of Sex.

Smith has written for various publications, including the magazine Intelligent Life, in which he learnt something new for each issue. Articles included banjo-playing, ice-sculpting, circus skills and making a soufflé.[25]

In 2015, Smith published his first novel, Mainlander (4th Estate, a division of HarperCollins),[26] a thriller about a schoolboy who goes missing on Jersey. The Independent described it as 'John le Carré meets Middlemarch',[9] and ShortList called it a 'knockout'.[27]

Smith reflected on the difference between writing for television and writing a novel in The Guardian. "The chain from author to reader is short and simple – agent, editor, proofreader, shop/website. In TV, the script will have to be signed off by producers, executive producers, genre commissioners and channel commissioners, and that’s still only a starting point". He cited as his influences John Cleese and Stephen Fry, as well as Charlotte Brontë and George Eliot.[20]

Radio

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Smith has appeared on BBC Radio 4 as a guest in comedy panel shows and in his own shows.

Acting credits

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Year Title Role Notes
1997 The 11 O'Clock Show
2000 Time Gentlemen Please
2003 Gash
2004 A Wife For William
2005 Back in the Day
2006 The Charlotte Church Show
2006 Never Mind the Buzzcocks
2006–2012 The Thick of It Phil Smith 2006, one-hour special in 2007, 2009, 2012
2007 The C Word Presenter The euphemism for "cunt", not "cancer"
2007 The Late Edition
2008 For One Night Only
2009 Argumental 2 guest appearances
2011 Comedy Lab Tony Season 12, Episode 5
2012 Have I Got News for You
2012 Dead Boss Governor Gorey Season 1, Episode 6
2014 Paddington Geographer
2016–2018 Damned Zac
2017 Hampstead Leon Rowlands
2019 Greed Teacher

References

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  1. ^ "Smith, Will, 1971– – LC Linked Data Service | Library of Congress". Id.loc.gov. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". emmys.com. Retrieved 9 September 2016. "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". emmys.com. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  3. ^ "Veep | Golden Globes". goldenglobes.com. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  4. ^ "2016 Writers Guild Awards Nominees". awards.wga.org. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ "2016 PGA Nominations (Complete List) | Hollywood Reporter". hollywoodreporter.com. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016. "2017 PGA Nominations (Complete List) | Hollywood Reporter". hollywoodreporter.com. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  6. ^ [1] Archived 11 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Twitter / jollyolly: @tvpeanuts Yes I am related". Twitter.com. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  8. ^ "Will Smith on : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Will Smith's New Book: John Le Carre Meets Middlemarch". Independent. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  10. ^ "The 11 O'Clock Show (1998–2000) : Full Cast & Crew". IMDb.com. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  11. ^ Ritchie, Jason. "Interview: Will Smith". Get Ready to Rock. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  12. ^ "Will Smith: 10 Arguments I Should Have Won' review : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  13. ^ "Will Smith: How To Be Cool' review : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  14. ^ Harvey, Chris (25 November 2023). "The Thick of It writer Will Smith interview: 'Slow Horses is like the anti-Bond'". The Telegraph.
  15. ^ Thorne, Will (14 December 2020). "Kristin Scott Thomas and Jonathan Pryce Join Gary Oldman in Apple's 'Slow Horses'".
  16. ^ "2024 USC Scripter Awards Winners List: 'American Fiction', 'Slow Horses'". 3 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Trailer for new Apple Original espionage drama "Slow Horses," starring Academy Award winner Gary Oldman, debuts ahead of global premiere on April 1, 2022". Apple.com. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Will Smith on Slow Horses, working with Gary Oldman and controlling the swear count". Royal Television Society. 17 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Writers Guild Awards Shortlist 2023". 6 December 2022.
  20. ^ a b Will Smith (21 February 2015). "A screenwriter turns novelist, looking for less interference and fewer turkeys | Books". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  21. ^ "Credits". Time Trumpet. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  22. ^ "Gaffe as civil service magazine prints poster telling parents to shoot rabid children". Sky News. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  23. ^ How to Be Cool: Make Social Blunders a Thing of the Past!: Amazon.co.uk: Will Smith: Books. ASIN 0719524903.
  24. ^ Smith, Will; Drew, Roger (2005). The Joy of No Sex: A Guide to Life Without Lovemaking: Amazon.co.uk: Will Smith, Roger Drew. Michael Joseph. ISBN 9780718148379.
  25. ^ Archived 16 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ Will Smith (2015). Mainlander. Fourth Estate. ISBN 9780007594269.
  27. ^ "The ShortRead: Will Smith | ShortList Magazine". Shortlist.com. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  28. ^ "BBC – Programmes – Categorised as will smith". Retrieved 18 April 2009.
  29. ^ Will Smith. Will Smith Presents: The Tao of Bergerac (BBC Audio). ISBN 9781405677424.
  30. ^ "Will Smith's Mid-life Crisis Management". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  31. ^ "BBC Radio 4 – Mr and Mrs Smith". Bbc.co.uk. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
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