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Jun 2023
6m 55s

Ben Bailey Smith

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

You might know Ben Bailey Smith better as Doc Brown, an actor, comedian, rapper and screen writer. Ben was born to a Jamaican mother and English father in Willesden, north west London, his older sister is the celebrated writer Zadie Smith.

He started rapping when he was 15, competing in Rap Battles in the early 2000’s, and became a successful stand up comedian. His acting talents have appeared in huge tv series like Channel 4’s Inbetweeners and Derek, to BBC’s Doctor Who, The Split and Damilola, Our Loved Boy to name but a handful. Often his comedy, music and acting talents overlap; he’s very good at all of these things so why wouldn’t he often combine them.

In his podcast Shrink the Box, Ben and psychotherapist Sasha Bates analyse fictional tv characters like Omar from the Wire and Ross from Friends, trying to figure out why they are as they are.

Inherited: Looks is Deceiving by The Gladiators Passing on: Doo Wop (That Thing) by Lauryn Hill

Producer: Ben Mitchell

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