The man who shaped British comedy died forgotten—until his friends spilled every secret.
A tribute to British comedian Mel Smith, who died in July 2013, aged 60, featuring home video footage, rare archive material and many classic sketches. Far more than a comic actor, Smith also wrote and edited a host of celebrated TV comedies in the 1980s and 90s. He was a theatre and film director, and as a TV producer he was responsible for several innovative comedy series. Friends and colleagues, including Griff Rhys Jones, John Lloyd and Richard Curtis, talk about Smith's talents, both in front of- and behind the camera. The programme also traces his time at Oxford and, before that, Latymer Upper School, where Smith's talents were first spotted.
Acting
Smith's understated brilliance in Alas Smith & Jones clips.
Production
Rare insight into his producing Blackadder and The Thin Blue Line.
Writing
Curtis and Lloyd explaining his uncredited genius.
Director
Archie Powell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Smith co-founded Talkback Productions, which became the blueprint for modern British comedy production companies.
He directed Bean (1997) but disowned the final cut—his Hollywood dreams died there.
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