Mel Smith (born in London on December 3, 1952) is an English actor, film director, writer, and producer. He was educated at Latymer Upper School and New College, Oxford. He made his breakthrough in the topically satirical BBC television series Not the Nine O'clock News. This was followed briefly by Smith and Goody (with Bob Goody) and then the comedy sketch series Alas Smith and Jones, co-starring Griff Rhys Jones, its title being a pun on the name of the American TV series Alias Smith and Jones.
In 1981, Smith and Griff Rhys Jones founded TalkBack Productions, a company which has produced many of the most significant British comedy shows of the past two decades, including Smack the Pony, Da Ali G Show, I'm Alan Partridge and Big Train.
In 1987, he recorded a single with Kim Wilde for Comic Relief, a cover of the Christmas song Rockin' around the Christmas tree with some extra comedy lines written by Smith and Rhys Jones.
Mel Smith also guest starred on an episode of The Goodies.
