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Doc Brown (rapper)

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Doc Brown
Brown in 2011
Brown in 2011
Background information
Birth nameBenjamin Harvey Bailey Smith
Born (1977-09-21) 21 September 1977 (age 47)
Kilburn, London, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • rapper
  • screenwriter
  • songwriter
  • producer
  • voiceover artist
Years active2000–present
Websitedocbrown.co.uk

Benjamin Harvey Bailey Smith (born 21 September 1977), professionally known as Doc Brown, is an English actor, comedian, rapper, screenwriter, songwriter, producer and voiceover artist. He portrayed DS Joe Hawkins in the television series Law & Order: UK. He is also known for portraying Nathan Carter in the CBBC television series 4 O'Clock Club from 2012 to 2015, and Imperial Security Bureau agent Lieutenant Supervisor Blevin in Andor.

He voiced a number of episodes of the popular show Funny Animals: Unleashed, aired via 4MUSIC.

Early life

Doc Brown was born Benjamin Harvey Bailey Smith, son of a Jamaican born British citizen, Yvonne Bailey, and an Englishman, Harvey Smith, who was 30 years his wife's senior. Raised in the Willesden area of north-west London, Smith is the younger brother of novelist and essayist Zadie Smith;[2][3] they also have a younger brother Luke, who performs as a professional rapper under the name Luc Skyz.[4][5] Smith attended Hampstead School.[6] Explaining his stage name, he has said: "Doc Brown's been my nickname since school, after the scientist in Back to the Future, because I was gangly and geeky. When I started doing rap battles in my teens, it became my hip-hop handle and it's stuck."[7]

Music

Doc Brown began performing as a battle rapper in 2000, appearing at the Dingwalls nightclub in Camden Lock, and later at the "Jump Off" competition in Soho.[4] He released his debut album “Citizen Smith Volume 1” in 2004.[8] This was followed by “The Document” and “Citizen Smith: Volume 2: Nothing to Lose” released in 2005 and 2006 respectively, before he went on a hiatus in his solo musical career. He formed the British hip hop group Poisonous Poets alongside rappers Lowkey, Stylah, DJ Snips, Therapist and Tony D, releasing a mixtape in 2005.[9] In 2015 he released “Empty Threats”, his first album in a decade, this time solely based on comedy rap, a first in his discography.[10] He returned to his original rapping style on his fifth album “Stemma”, released in 2017. During the past two albums, he collaborated with Ricky Gervais on the soundtrack to the 2016 film David Brent: Life on the Road, performing alongside Gervais as David Brent on the tracks “Lonely Cowboy, “Equality Street”, “Ain’t no Trouble” and on his solo track “Cards We’re Dealt”.[11][12] Since then, Doc Brown has released collaboration material with Andy Burrows,[13] The Jazz Defenders,[14] Verb T and Romesh Ranganathan.[15]

Film and television

Smith appeared in the BBC series Rev and Miranda, as well as Channel 4's The Inbetweeners, and the CBBC series Big Babies. In 2013 he guest starred in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series Derek as a young man sentenced to community service in a nursing home.[4]

He appeared in Ben Miller's film Huge, and co-starred in Other Side of the Game. He wrote music for the 2011 Joe Cornish film Attack the Block.[4]

Smith co-created a teen comedy-drama for the BBC called 4 O'Clock Club.[4] He starred in the show in series 1, and made guest appearances in series 2–4. Since series 5, his brother writes the raps. The show has currently run for 118 episodes.

Most recently, Smith has delved deeper into dramatic acting, starring in the Frank Spotnitz television show Hunted, a thriller for Cinemax. He went on to shoot an episode of Midsomer Murders and in 2014, he played DS Joe Hawkins in the final series of ITV's Law & Order: UK. He had a viral song, "My Propertea", on the TV show Russell Howard's Good News. He has also appeared in new Ann Summers series Brief Encounters.

In 2016, he guest-starred on the BBC One television film Damilola, Our Loved Boy as a taxi driver.[7] He also participated in the second series of the comedy game show Taskmaster, finishing fourth.

In February 2017, he appeared on Dave's Crackanory reading "Devil's Haircut" by Sarah Morgan. That October, he was a guest on Episode 100 of The Gaffer Tapes: Fantasy Football Podcast.[16] In late 2017, he played DS Evans in Sky One's Bounty Hunters.[17]

Smith has been a guest presenter several times on the BBC Radio 5 Live film review show hosted by Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode.[18]

In 2018, he appeared in the Doctor Who episode "The Tsuranga Conundrum".[19]

In 2020, he played Richie Hansen, an abusive husband, in the second series of BBC TV drama The Split.

In 2022, he played Lieutenant Supervisor Blevin in five episodes of the first series of the Star Wars TV series Andor.[20]

In 2023, he played Simon Blake, in a four-part series of BBC TV drama The Sixth Commandment. His song “Smash That” featured in episode 3.[21]

Other work

Ben Smith's children's picture book, I Am Bear, illustrated by Sav Akyüz, has been described as "a rap-style read-aloud story". It was published by Walker Books in February 2016.[22]

Smith was a regular guest presenter on the Wittertainment podcast, and has continued to guest-present its successor Kermode and Mayo's Take.

He also co-hosts the podcast Shrink The Box together with Nemone.

In April 2024, he appeared on the football trivia podcast Career We Go, and in October 2024 appeared on the Football Cliches podcast.

Personal life

Smith is a supporter of Crystal Palace F.C.[23] He has two daughters.[24]

Discography

Year Title Label
2004 Citizen Smith: Volume One Bust-A-Gut Productions
2005 The Document Janomi
Poisonous Poetry (with Poisonous Poets) Self-released
2006 Citizen Smith: Volume Two: Nothing to Lose Hiptones
2008 Another Way (unreleased) Unreleased
2015 Empty Threats
2017 Stemma Bust-A-Gut Productions

Filmography

Year Show Role Notes
2007 Never Mind the Full Stops Panel member Game show
2009 Miranda Hotel Receptionist 1 episode
2010 Big Babies Budge 13 episodes
Rev Ikon 1 episode
The Inbetweeners Steve 1 episode
2011 Little Howard's Big Question Plithy Nondeploom 1 episode
2012–2015 4 O'Clock Club Nathan Carter 23 episodes; also creator, writer and songwriter
2012 Hunted Tyrone 7 episodes
2013 Derek Deon 1 episode
Imagine Himself Credited as Ben Bailey Smith
2013–2014 Strange Hill High Mitchell 26 episodes
2014 Midsomer Murders Zach Credited as Ben Bailey Smith, 1 episode
Law & Order: UK DS Joe Hawkins Credited as Ben Bailey Smith, 8 episodes
The Football's On Himself Guest panelist
Live at the Apollo Himself Performer, Series 10 Episode 2
Give Out Girls Andy 6 episodes
Jack and Dean Pedestrian Episode: "Freaky Mouth Pizza"
2014-2017 British Academy Children's Awards Presenter Four ceremonies
2015 Ghost Fighting Corporation Detective Stoker Pilot of unreleased series
The John Bishop Show Himself Performer, 1 episode
2016 David Brent: Life on the Road Dom Johnson
Fleabag Workshop Leader 1 episode
Taskmaster Himself 5 episodes
Brief Encounters Johnny 6 episodes
Film 2016[25] Host 1 episode
2017 Bounty Hunters DS Evans 5 episodes
2018-2020 Thunderbirds Are Go Jensen Hunt (voice) 1 episode
101 Dalmatian Street Sid Squirrel, Spencer Sausage Dog (voice) Recurring role
2018 Doctor Who Durkas Cicero Episode: "The Tsuranga Conundrum"
2019 Cleaning Up Blake 6 episodes
Britannia Rufus 3 episodes
Teddles Blocks Episode: "Tidy Up Time"
2020 Silent Witness Lt Col Ben Carmichael 2 episodes S23 Ep9 & 10 "The Greater Good"
The Split Richie Hansen 6 episodes
Des DC Brian Lodge 3 episodes
2021 Cinderella Town Crier
2022 Persuasion Charles Musgrove
Andor Lieutenant Supervisor Blevin 5 episodes
2023 The Sixth Commandment Simon Blake 4 episodes
Boiling Point Darren 1 episode
Significant Other Damien [26]

References

  1. ^ Dessau, Bruce (31 August 2010). "Heard the one about Zadie Smith's kid brother, Doc Brown?". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  2. ^ Barton, Laura (4 March 2005). "We are family: Award-winning novelist Zadie Smith talks to up-and-coming British rapper Doc Brown, better known to her as Ben, her younger brother". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  3. ^ Duerden, Nick (6 February 2013), "Ben Bailey Smith: Out of the shadow, into the limelight", The Independent.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Biography". Doc Brown website. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  5. ^ "Biography". Luc Skyz. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  6. ^ Hamilton, Chloe (15 October 2013). "Back to school: A visit to Hampstead School". The Independent.
  7. ^ a b Hogan, Michael (14 April 2013), "Doc Brown: 'I'm an accidental comedian. That makes me dangerous'", The Observer.
  8. ^ "Citizen Smith – Volume 1 CD". Doc Brown. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  9. ^ "UKHH Artist: Poisonous Poets: Profile, Streaming, Music, News - HHIE". Hip Hop In English. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  10. ^ Jones, Grant (13 February 2024). "Doc Brown :: Empty Threats – RapReviews". Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  11. ^ Brent and Johnson - Equality Street [Official Music Video], retrieved 19 February 2024
  12. ^ David Brent: Life on the Road (2016) - Soundtracks - IMDb, retrieved 19 February 2024
  13. ^ "Doc Brown & Andy Burrows - Light Your Way｜pwm". note（ノート） (in Japanese). 22 March 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Home". The Jazz Defenders. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Verb T & Vic Grimes - Four Oh! Feat. Doc Brown & Romesh Ranganathan (Remix) (Digital)". High Focus Records Limited. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  16. ^ Week 9: The Gaffer Tapes 100th Episode Special #FPL 17/18. The Gaffer Tapes: Fantasy Football Comedy Podcast, Episode 31, 18 October 2017.
  17. ^ "Bounty Hunters - Character Guide".
  18. ^ "Kermode and Mayo's Film Review | with Ben Bailey Smith and Clarisse Loughrey". BBC Radio 5. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  19. ^ "Series 11 Episode 5 - The Tsuranga Conundrum". www.radiotimes.com.
  20. ^ Sanguino, Juan (14 September 2022). "Ben Bailey Smith, the actor who shot a 'Star Wars' series almost without knowing it: 'I had never worked like this'". El Pais.
  21. ^ "The Sixth Commandment - the cast and crew discuss the making of the new factual drama series". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  22. ^ Kellaway, Kate (31 January 2016), "Hey, kids, there’s a new bear on the block", The Observer.
  23. ^ "Doc Brown: South London Is In My Blood". Crystal Palace F.C. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  24. ^ As told to Rich Pelley (18 July 2022), Pelley, Rich (18 July 2022). "'I've denied it for years, but Taylor Swift really can write': Ben Bailey Smith's honest playlist". The Guardian.
  25. ^ "BBC - Presenters confirmed for Film 2016 - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk.
  26. ^ Whittock, Jesse; Shackleton, Liz (14 November 2022). "Mark Heap Joins ITVX Comedy 'Significant Other'; 'Drag Race' Heads For Asia; 'What Happened To Dorothy Bell?' Casting (Exclusive); Nippon TV ATF Formats — Global Briefs". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
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