Mark Speight

Mark Warwick Fordham Speight (6 August 1965 – 7 April 2008) was an English television presenter and host of children's art programme SMart.

He was involved in charity work; he became the president of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign's Young Pavement Artists Competition, and was a spokesperson for ChildLine.

An inquest later determined that Collins had died of a drug overdose and severe burns from hot water, and it was death by misadventure.

"[7] Speight and Burridge were joined by third presenter Zoe Ball, who was replaced first by Josie d'Arby, and then Kirsten O'Brien and Lizi Botham.

With Burridge, O'Brien and Botham, Speight presented the spin-off shows SMart on the Road, SMarteenies, and various live events.

[3][6][8] Speight also worked on This Morning, The Heaven and Earth Show,[3] The Big Breakfast and was a contestant on ITV's Gladiators and Celebrity Wrestling.

In 2005, he was involved in a similar project where Hans Holbein's portrait of Henry VIII and Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa were both reconstructed, the latter in the grounds of Edinburgh Castle.

He was President of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign's Young Pavement Artists Competition, originally a one-off, year-long project that ended up lasting eight years, and he was a spokesperson for ChildLine.

[10] On the afternoon of 3 January 2008, Speight discovered Natasha Collins's body in the bath at their St John's Wood flat in north-west London and called emergency services.

He told police that he and Collins had spent the previous evening drinking wine and vodka, and taking cocaine and sleeping pills.

The inquest found that she had taken "very significant" amounts of cocaine with sleeping pills and vodka, and that she had suffered 60% burns to her body, including her tongue.

He was captured on CCTV in the afternoon taking money from a cash machine at Queen's Park station, and subsequently boarded a southbound Bakerloo line train.

[22] On 13 April 2008, Speight's body was discovered hanging from the roof of MacMillan House, adjacent to London's Paddington Station, hidden from public view.

[21] The report of Speight's death on the BBC's children's news programme Newsround provoked complaints that it upset young viewers.

[26] Speight's funeral was held on 28 April at St Michael and All Angels' Church in Tettenhall and hundreds went to pay their respects.

The service included a performance by the choir from Tettenhall College, Speight's former school, and his coffin was carried out of the church accompanied by the theme tune of SMart.