Will Smith was born in 1971. He was brought up in Jersey in the Channel
Islands. Beginning as a stand-up comedian he won Time Out's Comedy
award for 2004 and Chortle's Best headliner for 2005. For several
seasons he has also been a popular regular at the Edinburgh Fringe and
in 2007 supported Ricky Gervais on his Fame tour. As a writer he has
contributed to the satirical political sitcom 'The Thick of It', in
which he also acts and the American TV satire 'Veep'.
His teenage devotion to the prog-rock band Marillion in the 1980s inspired his 2005 tour "Misplaced Childhood" (named after their 1985 number-one album).
He is the brother of broadcaster and wine expert Olly Smith.
He presented Marillion with the "UK Band of the Year" award at the 2017 Progressive Music Awards in London.
His favourite albums are "Clutching at Straws" by Marillion, "Into The Great Wide Open" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Lucky Town" by Bruce Springsteen, "The Unforgettable Fire" by U2 and "Bringing It All Back Home" by Bob Dylan.