Smithwick started her career as the assistant to the Producer on
The Honeymooners feature film for
Paramount Pictures. Smithwick then moved to the BBC in 2005 where she worked in Entertainment Events and worked on Saturday night entertainment shows including
Strictly Come Dancing and
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria. Smithwick then moved on to set up
BBC Switch with Geoffrey Goodwin and Andy Parfitt. She continued to work at
BBC Switch as a creative producer across drama and comedy. While at the
BBC, she worked on the teen soap
The Cut as a script supervisor and then as a writer. In May 2011, The producer began working on
Channel 4's soap opera
Hollyoaks as the acting series editor. Producer replaced
Gareth Philips as the series producer. Smithwick's first episode in which she was credited as series producer aired on 26 December 2011. Smithwick was responsible for the abolition of the
Hollyoaks calendar. Smithwick executive produced the
fifth series of
Hollyoaks Later. During her later time on the main soap, the producer produced high-profile storylines such as the Mitzeee v Mercedes feud,
Lynsey Nolan's (
Karen Hassan) murder,
George Smith's (
Steven Roberts) struggle with homelessness, Silas' return,
Brendan Brady's feud with
Walker (
Neil Newbon), Ste and Brendan's Dublin reunion, Esther Bloom's bullying and attempted suicide and the "
Enjoy The Ride" wedding/bus crash . The producer was also responsible for the introduction of Dr Browning,
Martha Kane,
Lacey Kane,
Joel Dexter,
Phoebe Jackson, Ali Grogan,
Maxine Minniver and for bringing back
John-Paul McQueen. Smithwick oversaw the storylines for Hollyoaks Later in which
Brendan Brady discovers that
Neil Newbon is an undercover police officer, determined to do whatever it takes to bring him down. The producer worked with
Bryan Kirkwood to produce the bus crash storyline to help the serial in "appealing to a wider audience". Kirkwood explained that together he and Smithwick "decided that it was time for a big, show-stopping, blockbuster sequence to grab the audience's attention and hopefully bring them back to Hollyoaks. We realised we needed to engage some of the older audience again and this was how to do it". Smithwick and Kirkwood devised the
Enjoy The Ride storyline which saw the deaths of four regular characters through a minibus crash. On 29 September 2012, it was announced Smithwick would leave
Hollyoaks after stepping down from her role as series producer. At the
British Soap Awards 2013, Hollyoaks won 5 awards including Best OnScreen Partnership (Kieron Richardson and Emmett Scalan); Best Actress (Claire Cooper); Sexiest Male (Danny Mac); Spectacular Scene (the bus crash); and Best Newcomer (Joe Thompson) ==References==