Arthur Smith

Arthur Smith is an English comedian who rose to prominence in the early 1980s comedy scene. He is best known for his music and comedy show Arthur Smith's Balham Bash, where he hosted a variety of guests in his own home in Balham, South London, for an evening of entertainment and laughter.
He voiced the character Arthur Dustcart in the BBC Two animated sitcom Rex The Runt (from 1998 to 2001), and starred in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Married (from 1999 to 2001), which followed a bachelor who wakes up to find himself married with children.
A regular at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 1977, Smith has also frequently hosted the final of the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year competition.
His musical comedy show Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen was broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and in 2013 he brought a reworked version titled Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen (Volume Too) to the Edinburgh Fringe.
One of his routines was set to music by Mark Beazley (aka Rothko) for a CD curated by comedian Stewart Lee. In 2005, Smith famously declined a lifetime achievement award from the Perrier Awards, joking that his ego was already too inflated.
A proud resident of Balham, he humorously refers to himself as the "Night Mayor of Balham". From 2009 to 2011, he hosted three series of Arthur Smith's Balham Bash on BBC Radio 4, recorded live in his home with music and comedy performances.
Smith also appeared in the "Backwards" episode of the cult sitcom Red Dwarf, playing a bar manager on a reverse-time Earth. In 2016, he played Mr Harman in the BBC revival of Are You Being Served.
Beyond performance, Smith has contributed to books and documentaries on stand-up comedy and British comedy history, including Britain’s Best Sitcom, How The Young Ones Changed Comedy, and The Young Ones' 20 Greatest Moments.