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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–).
William Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | William James Smith 8 June 1971[1] Winchester, Hampshire, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, screenwriter, stand-up comedian, novelist, producer |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Known for | TV, film and radio comedy |
| Relatives | Olly Smith (brother) |
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]
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]
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.
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]
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]
Smith has appeared on BBC Radio 4 as a guest in comedy panel shows and in his own shows.
- Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive
- Banter (2002, 2007)
- The Personality Test (2003–09)[28]
- Will Smith Presents the Tao of Bergerac (2007), based on the 1980s TV series set on Jersey. Released as a BBC Audio CD in 2008.[29]
- Will Smith's Midlife Crisis Management (2008)[30]
- It's Your Round (2011)
- Mr and Mrs Smith (2012), sitcom about a couple in marriage counselling[31]
| 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 |
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