Introduction
Nancy Banks-Smith (born 1929) is a British television and radio critic. Born in Manchester and raised in a pub, she was educated at Roedean. She was a writer for The Sun in the 1960s, and left the newspaper in 1969 when it was bought by Rupert Murdoch who turned it into a sensationalist tabloid. She also worked briefly for the Daily Express in the 1960s. Banks-Smith began writing for The Guardian in 1970, with her television column becoming a leading feature of the newspaper. She has remained with The Guardian for over 40 years, and as of 2016 writes a monthly column for the paper entitled "A month in Ambridge", reviewing recent developments in the radio soap opera The Archers.
Awards
In 1970 she was recommended for the Order of the British Empire, which she declined.
Career
- 1951–1955: Northern Daily Telegraph, reporter
- 1955: Sunday Mirror, women's section
- 1955–1960: Daily Herald, reporter
- 1960–1965: Daily Express, feature writer
- 1965–1969: The Sun, TV critic
- 1969–present: The Guardian, TV and radio critic