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Vale: Billy J. Smith

Queensland media personality, best known for co-hosting It's a Knockout, has died.

Queensland media personality Billy J. Smith, best known for co-hosting It’s a Knockout, has died, aged 73.

He died yesterday after a fall the day before which caused a brain bleed. His family turned off life support yesterday.

Smith began his career hosting quiz show The Numbers Game before locally produced NRL games and State of Origin coverage.

He hosted It’s a Knockout ran on 10 from 1985 to 1987 alongside Fiona MacDonald, filmed in a field in Dural, NSW until noise complaints from local residents caused the show to cease production.

A 2011 revival hosted by HG Nelson, Charli Robinson and Brad McEwan featured a Billy J. Smith Cup as its grand prize.

After his TV career Smith was an in-demand compere in the Brisbane corporate world.

Rugby league legend Wally Lewis described Smith as the “ultimate entertainer of his time”.

Source: 10 News First

3 Responses

  1. Many fond childhood memories of watching It’s a Knockout. One does wonder though, if it was rating well at the time – surely there was another vacant field somewhere that it could have been filmed after they had to vacate Dural?

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