Arthur Smith was born in South London in 1954. He went to a grammar school and studied at the University of East Anglia in the classes of writer Malcolm Bradbury He has also worked as a road sweeper, dustman, warehouse worker and teacher. He started on the alternative comedy circuit in the 1980s, specialising in being a compere (MC). He has been a regular performer at the Edinburgh festival. He is also an accomplished playwright. Plays include: An Evening with Gary Lineker (1994), My Summer with Des (1998), 'The Bed Show' and his one-show 'Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen'. He also presents the BBC Radio 4 travel programme 'Excess Baggage' and has been a regular on 'Loose Ends'.
