Biography

Philip Smith is the owner of Great Southern Television, a company he launched in 2002. He has written or created over 70 television series in New Zealand, Australia, the USA and the UK including the AMC drama series, One Lane Bridge, the Netflix series, The Casketeers, the BBC1 Series Coast Australia and Coast New Zealand. He also created the dramas The Pretender, the Cult, Agent Anna, Why Does Love, The Kick and One Lane Bridge. He was named NZ drama writer of the year in 2018 and was a Logie finalist in Australia. He has won 23 NZ Film and Television Awards. The awards include best drama series (The Cult, One Lane Bridge), best comedy series (The Unauthorised History of New Zealand), best current affairs show (The Hui), best entertainment show (My Kitchen Rules), best documentary series (NZ Wars), best factual series (The Casketeers and Coast NZ). Earlier in his career he worked as a journalist for the Financial Times - and worked as a war correspondent in Burundi, Rwanda, Sarajevo and Romania. But he is best known for co-creating the cult NZ satire, Eating Media Lunch, with Jeremy Wells and Paul Casserley, which ran for eight seasons.
- IMDb mini biography by: Nick Ward

Huge mop of hair

Smith was the Financial Times' East Africa Correspondent, and worked from war ravaged countries such as Burundi.

Smith was a relentless investigative journalist in his 20's and brought down an NZ Government Minister with his investigation into the Bad Blood scandal.

Smith co-created legendary and controversial NZ comedies Eating Media Lunch and the Unauthorised History of New Zealand with Jeremy Wells and Paul Casserly.

Smith played bass in the band This Nations Dreaming in London and New Zealand.