Smith was educated at Oundle School[2] and St Peter's College, Oxford, where he read history.
[3] Smith began his career in regional newspapers in Birmingham and Bristol,[3] before joining the BBC as a local radio reporter in 1986.
Smith became a parliamentary correspondent in 1993, presenting Today and Yesterday in Parliament on BBC Radio 4.
The BBC Radio 4 Today programme said a fond farewell to Smith at the end of July 2020.
BBC News at One also paid tribute to him as he contributed his final live link to the programme.