Robert John Smith was born on June 5, 1971 in Nottingham, United Kingdom. Smith was a well known presenter of factual entertainment and children's TV shows in the late nineties and in early 2000. He now produces and directs series for UK broadcasters and corporate films for blue chip companies. Occupation broadcaster, producer and artist. He was formally a presenter for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
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Born in Nottingham, Smith is the son of deaf parents.
He attended Middleton Primary School in Wollaton and Margaret Glen Bott School in Wollaton, Nottingham. He trained as a chef at Clarendon College of Further Education.
Smith began his career as a chef and went on to own a deli in Nottingham City Centre called Smith's Delicatessen. It was here that a feature was made for an ITV Digital food programme and he was asked to become a presenter for the show.
Smith went to drama school at the Tozer School of Dance and Drama, Nottingham. He appeared in the choir of the touring production of Bill Kenwright's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Nottingham Theatre Royal over seven years. He was a babe in the Nottingham Theatre Royal pantomime Babes in the Wood with Barbara Windsor and in the late eighties he appeared as Gibbs in the Nottingham Playhouse production of Kes, directed by Kenneth Alan Taylor. He successfully auditioned for drama school in the early 1990s and studied at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, after graduating he found work opportunities were sparse therefore decided to train as a chef. It was only in later years that he began working in broadcast entertainment; this was after opening a Deli in Nottingham. After Carlton broadcast his business on a documentary celebrating foods in Nottingham, Smith expressed his interest in television and was invited to the studios for an audition. It was this that started off his loved career in the media.
In 1997 Robert began his media career on the food series, Food Network Daily on the Carlton Food Network. He started as a guest chef but was soon asked to be a regular presenter. He presented the gossip section of the show and presenter Sarah Greene nicknamed him 'Scoop'. Robert went on to present various strands for the show including the red carpet at the ITV London Restaurant Awards and 'Stars and their Bites' (famous people interviewed at their favourite restaurants).
In early 2000 Smith co-presented on the children's CBBC series Very Important Party with former Animal Hospital presenter Shauna Lowry, presented strands on Live & Kicking Saturday morning BBC and presented on the Channel 4 show Collectors Lot which once again featured the presenter Sarah Greene.
Smith soon diversified in to the directing and producing side of television and he worked behind the camera for ITV. He directed several series including 'Cheesy Rider' with presenter Rowland Rivron. In December 2007 he directed the filming of Dame Shirley Bassey's 70th birthday party at Cliveden, the former home of Viscount Astor, which is the house where the Profumo affair occurred and is now an exclusive hotel.
Smith develeloped a media company called Gemineye with business partner Jocelyn Platt and made two series of 'Out of the Frying Pan' with presenter James Martin.
Smith has become a well known maker of corporate films. He currently makes films for Lloyds TSB, Nestlé, McCains and BMW.
Smith had his first art exhibition Galerie [1], Newark, Notts in 2008. Smith produced an exciting and distinctive body of work featuring figurative and abstract forms, using painting to explore colour and texture, drawing to reveal emblematic forms. His work has been described as a visual balancing act where imagery hovers between abstraction and figuration.
Food Network Daily (ITV), Collectors Lot (C4), Very Important Party (CBBC), Live & Kicking (BBC), Can't Cook, Won't Cook (BBC), Auntie's Bloomers (BBC).