- Olly Smith
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Olly Smith (born September 18, 1974) is a TV presenter, wine expert and newspaper columnist. He is the presenter of The Secret Supper Club for Channel 4, Iron Chef UK for Channel 4 and regularly appears on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen, BBC Breakfast, Great Food Live, Food Uncut "Fern" and Taste, and formerly presented the Richard & Judy Wine Club on Channel 4. Since June 2009, he has written a weekly wine column for The Mail on Sunday. Smith writes his free online wine bulletin at hotbottle.co.uk
In 2009 Smith won the prestigious International Wine and Spirits Communicator of the Year. In the same year he also won The Drinks Business Young Achiever Award. In 2011 Smith was named by Off License news among the top 75 most influential people in the UK wine trade.
Smith recently presented Cheers from Chile (Spanish name: Descorchando Chile, "Cheers from Chile"), a 13 part series on Chilean wine broadcasted in the Chilean TV channel Canal 13. Smith is the host of the Super Theatre at the BBC Good Food Shows and Love Cooking. He was the compere for Gordon Ramsay's Taste of Christmas 2008 and was also the presenter of The F-Word Live with Gordon Ramsay at Channel 4's Taste Festival in London 2007. In addition, Smith hosted the Chef's Theatre at Taste of London 2008 with such chefs as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Gary Rhodes and Michel Roux (Senior and Junior).[1] Smith has also been the host of MasterChef Live and appears annually at Tapas Fantasticas in London.
Smith also hosted launch of Charles Campion's London Restaurant Guide 2008 at City Hall and was nominated for The International Wine and Spirit Communicator of the Year 2008 and won the award with a unanimous vote from the judges in 2009. Smith is the youngest person to win the award.
In September 2008 Smith was also one of five UK wine writers to launch an online wine ratings magazine for the UK called The Wine Gang.
Smith is also a voice-over artist, most recently narrating Chic Eats for The Discovery Channel, performing voices for ITV's BAFTA award-winning show The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers as well as writing and presenting Dude, Where's My Title? for Radio 4. He also performed opposite Sir Roger Moore in The Fly Who Loved Me Christmas cartoon for UNICEF.
Smith previously wrote for film and TV including Pingu, Wallace and Gromit and Charlie and Lola. Smith currently writes a regular column for Sainsbury's Magazine, Wine & Spirit magazine, Men's Health and features for such publications as The Independent on Sunday, London Lite, Waitrose Food Illustrated and Country Life.
Smith appeared on a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link on 5 April 2008. The show's host, Anne Robinson, was investigated by the BBC after asking Smith to feel her breasts during the show.[2]
Smith has also hosted the Corporate Cheese and Wine Event for deafblind charity Sense, along with Alex James, Blur guitarist-turned-cheesemaker. He offered his advice on fine wines and cheeses, entertained guests and encouraged bids in the auction led by Sotheby’s, which helped raise substantial funds for Sense.
Smith's latest work is in presenting the British version of the Japanese cult classic cooking show "Iron Chef"
His brother is the British comedian Will Smith.[3]. He was educated at Charterhouse School and Kings College, Cambridge
References
- ^ http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/T/taste2008/events/london/features_1.html
- ^ BBC quiz grope prompts complaints
- ^ http://twitter.com/jollyolly/status/63616733273014272
External links
Categories:- Wine critics
- British television presenters
- Living people
- Old Victorians
- Old Carthusians
- 1974 births
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