Comedian Linda Smith dies

Comic Linda Smith, a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz, has died of cancer at the age of 48.

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The writer and broadcaster was a staple of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and BBC Radio, whose listeners voted her "Wittiest Person" in 2002.

She made frequent appearances on Just A Minute and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, as well as the TV shows Have I Got News For You, Room 101 and Mock the Week.

Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer said her passing was "a terrible loss". More here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4759968.stm

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Terrible news. I always liked her sarcastic misunderstanding view of the current news. She had a sort of Pam Ayres personality about her - only without the poetry.

And unlike Pam Ayres, Linda Smith was funny.

Very sad to hear she's gone.

Oh that is sad, I liked her, as has been said often on Just A Minute and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, a very funny, witty, and clever person. A great loss to the comdey world. 48 Years old, that really isn't anything in this day and age, I didn't know she was ill.

My thought are with her friends and family.

edit: more here too: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4759922.stm

Very sad news, Linda Smith was very good whenever i saw her on tv, i will miss her witty remarks, thought of course to her family at this sad time.

Adding my thoughts, she always made a great foil to Ian Hislop on HIGNFY and a wonderful complement to Paul Merton on the same show. Terrible news and a huge loss to comedy.

RIP

Truly a terrible loss to comedy and dare I say this land.

A great shame, she never did get on TV often enough for my liking.

At 48 years (so) young, it just seems so shocking. I never had any idea that she was fighting cancer at all.

Her good natured, relaxed while still quite surreal and amazingly impromptu comments on everything and anything will be missed.

A real shock to see the headline on the BBC News website earlier. Like many, I had no idea she had an illness or that it was so serious. I wouldn't claim to be a fan but I did look forward to her appearing on various bits and pieces whenever I saw her, and she was hugely talented.

BBC2 is paying tribute tonight by showing an old HIGNFY with Linda in it and also the episode of room 101, the announcer described her as a warm, wonderful and funny lady.

and rightly so.

Shame it wasn't the episode also featuring Lord Onslow instead?

I guess Deayton episodes are now a no no on BBC !

Kinnock was crap & what planet is Will Self on?

Can anyone recomend any of Linda's work apart from HIGNFY & Room 101 ?