Linda Helen Smith (29 January 1958 – 27 February 2006) was an English comedian and comedy writer. She appeared regularly on Radio 4 panel games, and was voted "Wittiest Living Person" by listeners in 2002. From 2004 to 2006 she was head of the

British Humanist Association Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious b ...

Life and career

Smith was born in

Erith Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies nort ...

, Kent in 1958 and was educated at Erith College of Technology (now

Bexley College Bromley College of Further and Higher Education, trading as London South East Colleges (LSEC), is a large college of further education and higher education operating in south-east London, England. It is a partner college of six of the twelve ...

) and at the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

where she graduated in English and Drama. She joined a professional theatre company before turning to comedy. In 1987, she won the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year, then known as the New London Comic Award, and performed on the Edinburgh Fringe before breaking into radio comedy. Many of her early stand-up appearances were benefit concerts staged in solidarity with the British miners during the

Miners' Strike Miners' strikes are when miners conduct strike actions. See also *List of strikes References {{Reflist Miners A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two s ...

in the 1980s. She was a lifelong socialist. Her first appearances on national radio were on Radio 5's ''The Treatment'' in 1997. She was subsequently a regular panellist on ''

The News Quiz ''The News Quiz'' is a British topical panel game broadcast on BBC Radio 4. History ''The News Quiz'' was first broadcast in 1977 with Barry Norman as chairman. Subsequently, it was chaired by Barry Took from 1979 to 1981, Simon Hoggart f ...

'' and '' Just a Minute'' and appeared frequently on ''

I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue'' is a BBC radio comedy panel game. Billed as "the antidote to panel games", it consists of two teams of two comedians being given "silly things to do" by a chairman. The show was launched in April 1972 as a pa ...

'' (from June 2001 onwards), '' Have I Got News for You'', ''

Mock the Week ''Mock the Week'' is a British topical satirical celebrity panel show, created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. It was produced by Angst Productions for BBC Two, and was broadcast from 5 June 2005 to 4 November 2022. The programme was present ...

'', ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and ev ...

'' and '' QI''. She wrote and starred in her own Radio 4 sitcom, ''

Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting ''Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting'' was a BBC Radio 4 situation comedy show written by and starring Linda Smith. It ran for two series of six episodes each from July 2001 until July 2002. Set in East London, where Smith herself l ...

''. After appearing on Radio 4's ''Devout Sceptics'' to discuss her beliefs she was asked by the

(BHA) to become president of the society, a role that she occupied with commitment from 2004 until her death. In 2002, she was voted 'Wittiest Living Person' by listeners to BBC Radio 4's ''Word of Mouth''. In his 2003 book Classic Radio Comedy, Mat Coward called Smith "the funniest woman on radio today". On 17 November 2003, Smith appeared on the BBC television show ''

Room 101 The Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Love, and the Ministry of Plenty are the four ministries of the government of Oceania in the 1949 dystopian novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', by George Orwell. The use of contradictory ...

'', where she successfully managed to put in "adults who read

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at ...

books", Tim Henman, "Back to School signs that appear in shops" and "posh people". However, she failed to put in Bow ties after host

Paul Merton Paul James Martin (born 9 July 1957), known under the stage name Paul Merton, is an English writer, actor, comedian and radio and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, Merton's humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and somet ...

pointed out that

Stan Laurel Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, writer, and film director who was one half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 10 ...

regularly wore a bow tie.

Illness, death and legacy

On 27 February 2006, Smith died as a consequence of

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...

at the age of 48. She had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer three-and-a-half years earlier but, not wanting to be thought of as a patient or a victim, she did not want people to know. Before she died she chose that her funeral be

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

and her memorial at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, on 10 March, was dedicated to the

. Her life and work were honoured at the

British Academy Television Awards The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...

in 2006. The first episode of

Dawn French Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian, presenter and writer. French is known for writing and starring on the BBC comedy sketch show '' French and Saunders'' with her best friend and comedy partner, Jennifer Sau ...

's '' Girls Who Do: Comedy'' was dedicated to the memory of Linda Smith. A tribute edition of ''The News Quiz'' featuring clips of Linda's appearances and personal memories of her from other panellists was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 3 March 2006, hosted by Simon Hoggart. Two tribute gigs were held in her memory in 2006. The first took place on 14 May at the

Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield The Lyceum is a 1,068-seat theatre in the City of Sheffield, England. History There has been a theatre on the site since 1879 when the Grand Varieties Theatre was built. Made of wood and originally intended to be used as a circus, the theatre ...

, ''In Praise of an English Radical'', the second on 4 June at the

Victoria Palace Theatre The Victoria Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, opposite Victoria Station. The structure is categorised as a Grade II* listed building. History Origins The theatre began life as a small conc ...

in London entitled ''Tippy Top: An Evening of Linda Smith's Favourite Things''. In August 2006, Andy Hamilton presented a

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...

tribute entitled ''Linda Smith: A Modern Radio Star''. An anthology on CD, entitled ''I Think the Nurses Are Stealing My Clothes: The Very Best of Linda Smith'', was released in November 2006 as was a book with the same name. A tribute show of the same name was aired on BBC Radio 4 on 10 November 2006. Smith's sell-out stage show ''Wrap Up Warm'' has been available on CD since November 2006. Linda Smith was working on a third series of ''A Brief History of Timewasting'' before she became incapacitated by her illness. As a tribute the online radio station

BBC 7 BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a day. It is the sister station of BBC Radio 4 and the p ...

ran the previous two series, the first all on one day. The

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

holds The Linda Smith Collection as the foundation of the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive. It includes notes, diaries, scripts, audio-visual recordings, photographs, press cuttings, correspondence and publicity material covering her entire life and career. It was deposited at the University of Kent by Linda's partner Warren Lakin in 2013. A gig called "Loving Linda" took place in 2018 to raise money to combat the cancer that took her life. In 2019

Chortle Chortle is a British comedy website launched in 2000 by Steve Bennett. The site is a major source of comedy news in the UK. It also reviews comedy shows nationwide, including extensively at the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and presents the ...

published a list of 12 of Linda's best jokes to mark her birthday.

Personal life

She met her partner, Warren Lakin, at university, and they were together for nearly 30 years until her death.

Books

* ''Sit-Down Comedy'' (contributor to anthology, ed

Malcolm Hardee Malcolm Hardee (5 January 1950 – 31 January 2005) was an English comedian and comedy club proprietor. His high reputation among his peers rests on his outrageous publicity stunts and on the help and advice he gave to successful British Altern ...

& John Fleming) Ebury Press/Random House, 2003. ;

References

External links

*
A Brief History of Timewasting

Anarchist with attitude (interview) by Laurie Taylor

New Humanist ''New Humanist'' is a quarterly magazine, published by the Rationalist Association in the UK, that focuses on culture, news, philosophy, and science from a sceptical perspective. History The ''New Humanist'' has been in print for more than ...

, 6 September 2004
Radio comedian Linda Smith dies

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

, 28 February 2006
Obituary: Linda Smith

, 28 February 2006
Jeremy Hardy pays tribute

, 28 February 2006
Obituary by Mark Steel

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

, 1 March 2006
Obituary by Jeremy Hardy, containing many biographical details

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

, 1 March 2006
''News Quiz'' colleagues pay tribute

, 2 March 2006
Linda Smith: God, the biggest joke of all

, 2 March 2006
President of the British Humanist Association, 2004 – 2006

The Linda Smith Collection

Video

Linda Smith talking about ''Just a Minute''

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

, 26 December 2005 (

RealVideo RealVideo, or also spelled as Real Video, is a suite of proprietary video compression formats developed by RealNetworks – the specific format changes with the version. It was first released in 1997 and was at version 10. RealVideo is supported ...

)

Audio

Linda Smith explores Auvergne & Corsica

, 12 April 2005
The Limited Power of Satire/Linda's Rise from Obscurity

, 7 September 2005
Linda Smith has her eye on the Chairman's seat

, 6 February 2006
Interview with Jenny Colgan, containing tribute

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History Created by Norman Collins and originally presented ...

, 1 March 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Linda 1958 births 2006 deaths Alumni of the University of Sheffield English radio people Deaths from cancer in England Deaths from ovarian cancer English atheists English humanists English socialists People from Erith English women comedians English comedy writers 20th-century English comedians 21st-century English comedians