Short description
A never-before-heard collection of archive recordings of the wit and wisdom of Linda Smith - a 'national treasure' of Radio 4 and BBC TV. Links narrated by Hattie Hayridge.
Long description
'One of the smartest, funniest and most sweet-natured people I ever encountered ...Her voice lit up Radio 4's News Quiz, she was brilliant on QI and she tirelessly travelled the UK as one of the most respected and loved comics on the circuit.' STEPHEN FRY Stephen Fry spoke for much of middle England when he responded to the news of Linda Smith's tragic death of cancer, aged 48, earlier this year. Linda was the brilliant mainstay of Radio 4s The News Quiz, Just a Minute, and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue for many years. She was just establishing her career on TV through blistering performances on Have I Got News for You, QI and Room 101, when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In this brilliant anthology Linda's fans can now hear original recordings of her live performances, never before heard by the public, compiled and edited by her partner of twenty-three years, Warren Lakin, and with links narrated by Hattie Hayridge. These recordings were made for her own private use, and this is the definitive collection of Linda's work on audio. It will be the must-have gift for comedy fans and Radio 4 listeners this Christmas.
Review
'Linda Smith's everyday conversation contained more jokes than most comedy scripts and more social comment than most dramas.' -- INDEPENDENT 'One of the best-loved and funniest voices on radio.' -- EVENING STANDARD 'The funniest woman I have ever known.' -- SIMON HOGGART 'The many tributes last week describing the late Linda Smith as one of the funniest women in Britain have got it wrong. Linda was simply one of the funniest people in Britain and her gifts were such that most of the time, listening to her thoughtful, provocative, casually brilliant one-liners, you forgot she was a woman. I mean that in the best way, the same way that when you read Margaret Atwood or Zadie Smith, you are not conscious of reading a 'lady novelist'.' -- STEPHANIE MERRIT, OBSERVER