Jonathan Smith (novelist)

Smith was born in Gloucestershire to a family of teachers originally from the Rhondda Valley in South Wales.^[1] He was educated at Christ College, Brecon and read English at St John's College, Cambridge.

Smith took up his first teaching job at Loretto School near Edinburgh in Scotland. After a brief stint at Melbourne Grammar School in Australia, he taught at Tonbridge School for the rest of his career and was head of English for 17 years.^[1] He published five novels during his teaching career before retiring in 2002 to concentrate on writing. His former pupils at Tonbridge include Sir Anthony Seldon, novelist Vikram Seth,^[2] poet Christopher Reid, actor Dan Stevens^[3] and musician Kit Hesketh-Harvey.

A number of his works have been adapted for television and film. His first novel Wilfred and Eileen was adapted for into a four-part serial which aired in 1981 on BBC One.^[4] His first radio play The World Walk was adapted for television and aired on BBC Two.^[5] His 1995 novel Summer in February was adapted into a full-length film.^[6] The novel The Churchill Secret KBO, was adapted for a feature-length movie starring Michael Gambon, screened in 2016 on ITV under the title Churchill's Secret.^[7][8] His two radio plays on John Betjeman were broadcast on Radio 4 in 2017.

Smith and his wife Gillian have a daughter, Becky, an educational consultant, and a son, Ed, who is the former England National Cricket Selector, a former England cricketer and published author.

In 2006, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer, he and his son went on a trip to India.^[2] It was the inspiration for his book The Following Game, published in 2011.^[9]

• Wilfred and Eileen (1976)
• The English Lover (1977)
• In Flight (1980)
• Come Back (1985)
• Summer in February. Abacus (1996). ISBN 978-0349107462
• Night Windows. Abacus (2004). ISBN 978-0349115313^[10][11]
• The Churchill Secret KBO. Abacus (2015).

• The Learning Game: A Teacher's Inspirational Story. Abacus (2002). ISBN 978-0349113883
• The Following Game. Peridot Press (2011). ISBN 978-1-908095-01-5

Over twenty plays including:

• Abandoned, about Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel (BBC Radio 4)
• The Trenches Trip (BBC Radio 4)
• The Tennis Court (Radio 4)
• Portrait of Winston (Radio 4)
• Mr Betjeman's Class (Radio 4)
• Mr Betjeman Regrets (Radio 4)