Sarah Smith's Biography

Who is Sarah Smith?

Sarah Smith was born in Edinburgh in 1968, the daughter of the late leader of the Labour Party, John Smith, and Elizabeth Smith, Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill.

She went to a comprehensive school in Morningside before graduating from Glasgow University.

Sarah Smith began her broadcast career in 1989 at BBC Scotland as a graduate production trainee, starting out on Good Morning Scotland and Head On, and also worked in Northern Ireland on Spotlight and Inside Ulster.

She then worked as a researcher and producer for the BBC on Public Eye, Here & Now and Newsnight before becoming a reporter on 5News in 2006.

She presented BBC Scotland’s current affairs TV programme Scotland 2014.

She became Scotland Correspondent for Channel 4 News and then a presenter on the programme, as well as being the launch presenter of More4News.

Sarah Smith moved to the BBC in November 2015 and became Editor of BBC Scotland.

In August 2017, it was announced that she was taking over from Andrew Neil as presenter of BBC One's Sunday Politics.

In 2007, she married the writer Simon Conway.

Back to Top