After Nine O’clock

After the show ended, Smith and Jones continued to work together, developing their own sketch show ‘Alas Smith and Jones’; and setting up their own production company TalkBack, which has produced many of the most significant British comedy shows of the past two decades, including ‘Smack the Pony’ ‘I’m Alan Partridge’ ‘Big Train’and ‘Da Ali G Show’. They eventually sold the company to Pearson for £62 million.

Smith & Jones

‘Alas Smith and Jones’ (BBC, 1984-87), was a solid sketch show; featuring clever, cheeky and often rude sketches, as well as the famous head-to-head conversations. In which Jones played bemused thickey to Smith’s know it-all (know-nothing). After the first series, the pair appeared on the big screen in Mike Hodges’ sci-fi comedy movie, ‘Morons from Outer Space’(1985); and then in 1989, the LWT production Wilt.

Griff Rhys Jones On TV

Further TV series followed with Mel Smith, they commented on old film clips in ‘The World According to Smith and Jones’; made a series of comedy playlets titled ‘Smith and Jones in Small Doses’; and returned to sketches in ‘Smith and Jones’ (BBC, 1989-98).

Griff Rhys Jones On Stage

Griff’s theatre work includes ‘Wind in the Willows’ at the National (1990); indeed he guest presented an episode of Perspectives (2012) on ITV, his chosen subject being ‘Wind in the Willows’. He has also established himself as a presenter, working on shows including ‘Restoration’ and ‘The Bookworm’.