Olly Smith
Encyclopedia
Olly Smith is a TV presenter, wine expert and newspaper
columnist
. He is the presenter of The Secret Supper Club for Channel 4, Iron Chef UK for Channel 4 and regularly appears on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen
, BBC Breakfast
, Great Food Live
, Food Uncut
"Fern" and Taste, and formerly presented the Richard & Judy Wine Club
on Channel 4
. Since June 2009, he has written a weekly wine column for The Mail on Sunday
. Smith writes his free online wine bulletin at hotbottle.co.uk
In 2009 Smith won the prestigious International Wine and Spirits Communicator of the Year. In the same year he also won The Drinks Business Young Achiever Award. In 2011 Smith was named by Off License news among the top 75 most influential people in the UK wine trade.
Smith recently presented Cheers from Chile (Spanish name: Descorchando Chile, "Cheers from Chile"), a 13 part series on Chilean wine
broadcasted in the Chilean TV channel Canal 13
. Smith is the host of the Super Theatre at the BBC Good Food Shows and Love Cooking. He was the compere for Gordon Ramsay's Taste of Christmas 2008 and was also the presenter of The F-Word
Live with Gordon Ramsay
at Channel 4's Taste Festival in London
2007. In addition, Smith hosted the Chef's Theatre at Taste of London 2008 with such chefs as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Gary Rhodes and Michel Roux (Senior and Junior). Smith has also been the host of MasterChef Live and appears annually at Tapas Fantasticas in London.
Smith also hosted launch of Charles Campion's London Restaurant Guide 2008 at City Hall and was nominated for The International Wine and Spirit Communicator of the Year 2008 and won the award with a unanimous vote from the judges in 2009. Smith is the youngest person to win the award.
In September 2008 Smith was also one of five UK wine writers to launch an online wine ratings magazine for the UK called The Wine Gang.
Smith is also a voice-over artist, most recently narrating Chic Eats for The Discovery Channel
, performing voices for ITV
's BAFTA
award-winning show The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers
as well as writing and presenting Dude, Where's My Title? for Radio 4
. He also performed opposite Sir Roger Moore
in The Fly Who Loved Me Christmas cartoon for UNICEF
.
Smith previously wrote for film and TV including Pingu
, Wallace and Gromit
and Charlie and Lola
. Smith currently writes a regular column for Sainsbury's Magazine, Wine & Spirit
magazine, Men's Health
and features for such publications as The Independent on Sunday, London Lite
, Waitrose Food Illustrated and Country Life
.
Smith appeared on a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link
on 5 April 2008. The show's host, Anne Robinson
, was investigated by the BBC after asking Smith to feel her breasts during the show.
Smith has also hosted the Corporate Cheese and Wine Event for deafblind charity Sense
, along with Alex James, Blur guitarist-turned-cheesemaker. He offered his advice on fine wines and cheeses, entertained guests and encouraged bids in the auction led by Sotheby’s, which helped raise substantial funds for Sense.
Smith's latest work is in presenting the British version of the Japanese cult classic cooking show "Iron Chef"
His brother is the British comedian Will Smith
.. He was educated at Charterhouse School
and Kings College, Cambridge
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
. He is the presenter of The Secret Supper Club for Channel 4, Iron Chef UK for Channel 4 and regularly appears on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen
Saturday Kitchen
Saturday Kitchen Live is a 90 minute cookery programme, which is broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday mornings. It is currently presented by James Martin; previous presenters have included Antony Worrall Thompson and Gregg Wallace. The programme is currently produced by Cactus TV...
, BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
, Great Food Live
Great Food Live
Great Food Live, formerly Good Food Live, was a British magazine programme hosted by Jeni Barnett and broadcast on UKTVFood part of the UKTV Network between 2001 and 2007. Jeni Barnett was joined every day by a chef co-host...
, Food Uncut
Food Uncut
Food Uncut is a programme being shown on UKTV Food and was presented by Merrilees Parker, Stefan Gates and Jean-Christophe Novelli....
"Fern" and Taste, and formerly presented the Richard & Judy Wine Club
Richard & Judy
Richard & Judy was a British magazine/chat show which was presented by married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. It originally aired on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2008 but later moved to digital channel Watch in October 2008. It featured the world's most famous stars, along with their Book Club...
on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. Since June 2009, he has written a weekly wine column for The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
. Smith writes his free online wine bulletin at hotbottle.co.uk
In 2009 Smith won the prestigious International Wine and Spirits Communicator of the Year. In the same year he also won The Drinks Business Young Achiever Award. In 2011 Smith was named by Off License news among the top 75 most influential people in the UK wine trade.
Smith recently presented Cheers from Chile (Spanish name: Descorchando Chile, "Cheers from Chile"), a 13 part series on Chilean wine
Chilean wine
Chilean wine is wine made in the South American country of Chile. The region has a long viticultural history for a New World wine region dating to the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors brought Vitis vinifera vines with them as they colonized the region. In the mid-19th century, French...
broadcasted in the Chilean TV channel Canal 13
Canal 13 (Chile)
Canal 13 , is the second oldest television station in Chile. It is owned by Luksic Group associated with the Papal Catholic University of Chile. Its inaugural transmission took place on August 21, 1959...
. Smith is the host of the Super Theatre at the BBC Good Food Shows and Love Cooking. He was the compere for Gordon Ramsay's Taste of Christmas 2008 and was also the presenter of The F-Word
The F-Word
The F Word is a British food magazine and cooking show featuring chef Gordon Ramsay. The programme covers a wide range of topics, from recipes to food preparation and celebrity food fads. The programme is made by Optomen Television and aired weekly on Channel 4...
Live with Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
at Channel 4's Taste Festival in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
2007. In addition, Smith hosted the Chef's Theatre at Taste of London 2008 with such chefs as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Gary Rhodes and Michel Roux (Senior and Junior). Smith has also been the host of MasterChef Live and appears annually at Tapas Fantasticas in London.
Smith also hosted launch of Charles Campion's London Restaurant Guide 2008 at City Hall and was nominated for The International Wine and Spirit Communicator of the Year 2008 and won the award with a unanimous vote from the judges in 2009. Smith is the youngest person to win the award.
In September 2008 Smith was also one of five UK wine writers to launch an online wine ratings magazine for the UK called The Wine Gang.
Smith is also a voice-over artist, most recently narrating Chic Eats for The Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, performing voices for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
award-winning show The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers
The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers
The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers is a 2D Flash animation series for television. It was commissioned by CITV and Cartoon Network in the UK, YTV and VRAK.TV in Canada and is a co-production between UK studio Pesky and Studio B in Vancouver, British Columbia. The series aired on CITV and for a short...
as well as writing and presenting Dude, Where's My Title? for Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. He also performed opposite Sir Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
in The Fly Who Loved Me Christmas cartoon for UNICEF
United Nations Children's Fund
United Nations Children's Fund was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II...
.
Smith previously wrote for film and TV including Pingu
Pingu
Pingu is a British-Swiss stop-motion claymated television series created by Otmar Gutmann. The series was produced by The Pygos Group and Trickfilmstudio for Swiss television. The show is about a family of anthropomorphic penguins at the South Pole. The main character is the family's son and title...
, Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series consisting of four British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations...
and Charlie and Lola
Charlie and Lola
Charlie and Lola are characters created by author Lauren Child. The siblings were originally introduced in a series of books that were later made into a television series. Despite being primarily aimed at children aged 3–7, the books and shows are popular with adults, due to humorous and relatable...
. Smith currently writes a regular column for Sainsbury's Magazine, Wine & Spirit
Wine & Spirit
Wine & Spirit is a British monthly magazine on wine, spirits, beers and cocktails, directed at both consumers and the drinks industry. The magazine also organises the annual "International Wine Challenge" and "International Spirits Challenge", and publishes the annual results book, the World's Best...
magazine, Men's Health
Men's Health (magazine)
Men's Health , published by Rodale Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States, is the world’s largest men’s magazine brand, with 44 editions around the world. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. It covers fitness, nutrition, sexuality, lifestyle and other aspects of...
and features for such publications as The Independent on Sunday, London Lite
London Lite
London Lite was the trading name of a British free daily newspaper, published by Associated Newspapers , and now defunct. It was available Monday to Friday afternoons and evenings from street distributors in Central London only...
, Waitrose Food Illustrated and Country Life
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
.
Smith appeared on a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link
The Weakest Link
The Weakest Link is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and will end its run in 2012 when its host Anne Robinson ends her contract. The original British version of the show airs around the world on BBC Entertainment...
on 5 April 2008. The show's host, Anne Robinson
Anne Robinson
Anne Josephine Robinson is an English journalist and television presenter, known for her assertive views and acerbic style of presenting. She was one of the presenters on the long-running British consumer affairs series, Watchdog, from 1993 to 2001 before returning in 2009...
, was investigated by the BBC after asking Smith to feel her breasts during the show.
Smith has also hosted the Corporate Cheese and Wine Event for deafblind charity Sense
Sense-National Deafblind and Rubella Association
Sense is a national charity in the United Kingdom that supports and campaigns for children and adults who are deafblind.-History:Sense was founded in 1955 as a self-help and support group for the parents of children whose disabilities were neither recognised nor provided for, children born...
, along with Alex James, Blur guitarist-turned-cheesemaker. He offered his advice on fine wines and cheeses, entertained guests and encouraged bids in the auction led by Sotheby’s, which helped raise substantial funds for Sense.
Smith's latest work is in presenting the British version of the Japanese cult classic cooking show "Iron Chef"
His brother is the British comedian Will Smith
Will Smith (comedian)
Will Smith is a British comedian, actor and writer. He was born and grew up in Jersey and is known for his love and encyclopaedic knowledge of Bergerac, as well as his posh boy persona. He was educated at Victoria College, Jersey and Charterhouse School. He now lives in London...
.. He was educated at Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and Kings College, Cambridge