Amazon no. 1 author, speaker and comedian Richard O. Smith is a contributor to several BBC Radio 4 comedies including The Now Show and The News Quiz

TV historian Dr Lucy Worsley appraised him as “a jam-packed jamboree of jollity.”

His books about Oxford include Oxford Z-A: 1000 Years of History in 26 Letters, illustrated with 350 pictures by Korky Paul and The Best Ladled Pans of Rice and Penne (“An unexpected delight” – Christopher Douglas aka Radio 4’s Ed Reardon). Oxford Examined: Town & Clown is described as the funniest book ever written about Oxford by Countdown’s Susie Dent. Richard’s book on true stupid criminal stories As Thick As Thieves was an Amazon no. 1 humour bestseller (“Made me consider a life of crime” – Hugh Dennis). He’s the principal screenwriter of The Unbeatables movie directed by Best Picture Oscar winner Juan Jose Campanella starring Rupert Grint and Rob Brydon, and penned the novel too.

German comedian Henning Wehn commented that Richard’s book on Britain's Most Eccentric Sports was "better than all 26 days of a cricket match". Comedian Lucy Porter said Smith’s book on James Sadler the 1st Englishman to fly The Man With His Head in the Clouds was "very, very funny". Because she's lovely. And it's very, very funny.

Richard is a Chortle award winner.

The talk is funny, entertaining yet historically accurate ride through the quirky and eccentric characters, customs and stories of Oxford - a city that hums with history. Revel in true tales of Oxford's oddballs, pranksters, poets, murderers, scientists, criminals and politicians (there may be some inevitable crossover in the last two categories!) Illustrated throughout with some fun PowerPoint photos.