Whilst at Oxford University, Smith produced
The Tempest, and performed at the
Edinburgh Fringe with the
Oxford University Dramatic Society. One year they shared a venue with the
Cambridge Footlights, directed by
John Lloyd. His extra-curricular activities while at university led to him joining the
Royal Court Theatre production team in London, and then
Bristol Old Vic. He was also associate director of
Sheffield's
Crucible Theatre for two years. Later, he directed a theatre production of
Not in Front of the Audience. John Lloyd later had the opportunity to develop the idea that became the
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 television series Alias Smith and Jones''. In 1982, he starred as the lead role in ITV drama
Muck and Brass where he played Tom Craig, a ruthless property developer. In 1983 he played Crouch, the German's fiend's demented and slightly necrophiliac servant in the parodical comedy,
Bullshot. In 1984, he appeared in the
Minder episode "A Star Is Gorn" playing the character Cyril Ash, a ruthless and crooked record producer. He also guest-starred on
The Goodies episode "
Animals". At the end of the 1980s, he played the title role in the sitcom ''
Colin's Sandwich'' (1988–1990), playing a
British Rail employee with aspirations to be a writer. In 1981, Smith and
Griff Rhys Jones founded
TalkBack Productions, a company that produced many of the most significant British comedy shows of the following decades, including
Smack the Pony,
Da Ali G Show, ''
I'm Alan Partridge and Big Train''. In 2000, the company was sold to
Pearson for £62 million. Dressed as
bobbies, Smith and Jones introduced
Queen on stage at
Live Aid in July 1985, with Smith removing his helmet before shouting into the microphone, "her majesty, Queen!" Smith co-wrote and took the lead role in the space comedy
Morons from Outer Space (1985), but the film failed to make much impact. His next cinema effort was better received as director of
The Tall Guy (1989), giving
Emma Thompson a major screen role. In America, perhaps his best-known film is
Brain Donors, the 1992 update of the
Marx Brothers film
A Night at the Opera, starring Smith as a cheeky, opportunistic cab driver turned ballet promoter.
Paramount Pictures considered this film the outstanding comedy of the year, but when the producers left Paramount for another studio, Paramount withdrew its support for the film. In 1987, Smith recorded a single with
Kim Wilde for
Comic Relief: a cover of the Christmas song "
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" with some additional comedy lines written by Smith and Jones. The pairing of Smith and Wilde was a comic allusion to the duo
Mel and Kim. The song reached number three in the UK charts. The same year he appeared in
The Princess Bride as the Albino. Smith and Jones were reunited in 2005 for a review / revival of their earlier television series in
The Smith and Jones Sketchbook. Smith joked: "Obviously, Griff's got more money than me so he came to work in a Rolls-Royce and I came on a bicycle. But it was great fun to do and we are firmly committed to doing something new together, because you don't chuck that sort of chemistry away. Of course, I'll have to pretend I like
Restoration." In August 2006, Smith returned to the theatre stage after some 20 years, appearing at the
Edinburgh Fringe festival in
Allegiance, Irish journalist and author
Mary Kenny's play about
Churchill's encounter with the Irish nationalist leader
Michael Collins in 1921. The play initially caused some controversy, with Smith proposing to flout the Scottish ban on smoking in public places, but the scene was quickly adapted after gaining the required amount of publicity. The play was directed by
Brian Gilbert and produced by
Daniel Jewel. In 2006, he also appeared in
Hustle as Benjamin Frasier, a pub landlord who was scammed by the
Hustle team when his on-screen son Joey tried to launch a rap career. In autumn 2006, Smith starred opposite
Belinda Lang in a tour of a new comedy
An Hour and a Half Late by French playwright
Gérald Sibleyras, which was adapted by Smith. He then directed a
West End revival of ''
Charley's Aunt starring Stephen Tompkinson. From October 2007 to January 2008, he played the role of Wilbur Turnblad in the London production of Hairspray'' at the
Shaftesbury Theatre. ==Personal life==