Olly Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Olly Smith | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Smith in 2009 | |
| Born | 18 September 1974 Darlington, County Durham, England |
| Occupations | Television presenter, wine expert, author |
| Spouse | Sophie Smith |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Will Smith (brother) |
Olly Smith (born 18 September 1974) is a British wine expert and television presenter.
Having discovered a love for singing at eight years of age,[1] he became a chorister at King's College, Cambridge, which saw him travel to sing in Japan, East Berlin and Finland.[2] He earned a music scholarship to Charterhouse School,[3] where he met his future wife Sophie Smith.[4] He gained a master's degree in English Literature at the University of Edinburgh.[5]
Smith worked in a wine shop as a cellar boy. He worked as a film and TV writer until he took part in Hardys-backed TV competition Wine Idol in 2005, and won.[6] Part of his prize was an audition to appear on Great Food Live.[7] Realising that there were opportunities for him to make a career in wine on television, Smith studied wine in his spare time.[8] He eventually made it onto a Sky One series, Taste, and appeared on the Richard and Judy Wine Club, Saturday Kitchen, The Wheel, Mastermind and Tipping Point.[9]
Family background
The son of a nurse and a music teacher,[10] Smith's older brother is the comedian and writer Will Smith.[11] Smith was born in Darlington, County Durham, and grew up in Jersey.[12] He lives in Sussex with his family.[13]
Writing
Smith has written five books, Eat & Drink: Good Food That's Great to Drink With[14] in 2010, Wine: Both Barrels[15] in 2012, Behind Enemy Wines[16] in 2013, Drinking For Chaps in 2018, and Fizz in 2019.[5] His sixth book, Home Cocktail Bible, was published in November 2021.
Smith previously wrote for film and TV including three series of Pingu,[17] Wallace and Gromit and Charlie and Lola.[18][19]
Television
Smith regularly appears as a drinks expert on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen.[20]
He presented two series of Ale Trails for the Travel Channel in 2016 and 2017 and in September 2014 presented a four-part series Last Taste of Summer, which aired on This Morning.[21][22]
In 2011, he presented a ten-part series for Channel 4 entitled The Secret Supper Club.[23]
In February 2022, Smith won an episode of Celebrity Mastermind; his specialist subject was the 1987 British black comedy film Withnail and I.[24]
In June 2024, Smith was a contestant on an episode of Celebrity Bridge of Lies.[25]
Smith has made guest appearances on podcast Grilled by The Staff Canteen.[26]
