Just A Minute

Here's another that definitely is up there amongst the best of
the 'Brief But Memorable' category... the late Linda Smith.

it's unfortunate that she has to be in this category, because I, like
many others, felt that she had a great future with JAM.

She was smart, witty, and undeniably funny as a sort of female Peter
Jones type, the sort that takes the utter mickey out of the show,
popping the over serious bubble and generally reminding people that
the show is an entertainment.

she was very much like Peter Jones in that her style of comedy was
very much 'observational', and she never took herself seriously in
the game, and that made her special because we all knew that we could
sit back and enjoy things because Linda clearly enjoyed playing the
game.

Linda did exceptionally well in the show as well, and showcased that
she could argue and banter with the best of 'em, but she was more
laid back but definitely not afraid to say something, even though
more often than not she'd end up in last place by show's end.  she
contributed greatly to the show, and brought more humor, charm and
wit into the show, although she wasn't the sort to resort to venomous
putdowns, any sort of putdown she'd do was done with gentle and
subtle grace, which made it all the more amusing.

she was amongst the great highlights of the show when it was on
television for a few weeks in 1999, even being part of a three female
panel along people like Wendy Richard, Maria McErlane, and Pam
Ayres.  and she even got to play opposite Peter Jones during that
time as well, which was absolutely wonderful, which is also
interesting because she actually made her debut on radio during the
final Derek Nimmo recordings.

she was something of a semi-regular on the series throughout much of
the early part of the 21st century, and even took part in a
documentary about the series itself.

she was poised for exceptional longevity, which is why her death was
the most shocking, as it just came completely out of nowhere.

she was excellent on the show, and it sounded like she was just a
damn good person overall.

I know that she had done another radio series called 'the History of
Time Wasting' or something like that.

I also know that aside from JAM she was a regular on another panel
game 'The News Quiz'.

I'm curious as to what else she did in her career.  Anyone else know?