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Linda Smith RIP

Anyone who listened to Radio 4 will miss this lady:

Comic Linda Smith, a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz, has died of cancer at the age of 48.

The writer and broadcaster was a staple of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and BBC Radio, whose listeners voted her “Wittiest Person” in 2002.

She made frequent appearances on Just A Minute and I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, as well as the TV shows Have I Got News For You, Room 101 and Mock the Week.

As well as being a comedian, she was president of the British Humanist Association and recently said:

“With fundamentalism on the rise, the rational voice of humanism needs to be heard.”

See also: Guardian Obituary.

You can listen to Linda Smith on Devout Skeptics [Real audio link].

2 Comments

  1. Linda Smith was truly a gift to Britain. She made me laugh out loud every time I saw her on TV or listened to her on the radio.

    I wish I had seen her in “stand-up”.

    She once put down a heckler at a University gig who shouted “Show us your tits” with:

    “Ahh, is it time for a feed?”

    Too young, too young.

    Posted on 02-Mar-06 at 10:58 am | Permalink
  2. Liz Stuart

    Very sad news – I saw her at quite a few
    recordings at the BBC for Newsquiz and her
    own show “A Brief History of Timewasting” –
    she was as funny off-mike as she was live
    and always generous with laughs with the
    rest of the cast. Yet another one who
    has gone far too soon – her potential
    was enormous.

    Posted on 05-Mar-06 at 9:30 pm | Permalink