Education
Born in Manchester and raised in a public, she was educated at Roedean.
Born in Manchester and raised in a public, she was educated at Roedean.
She was a writer for The Sun in the 1960s, and left the newspaper in 1969 when it was bought by Rupert Murdoch who turned it into a sensationalist tabloid. She also worked briefly for the Daily Express in the 1960s. Banks-Smith began writing for The Guardian in 1970, with her television column becoming a leading feature of the newspaper.
She has remained with The Guardian for over 40 years, and as of 2016 writes a monthly column for the paper entitled "A month in Ambridge", reviewing recent developments in the radio soap opera The Archers.
1951–1955: Northern Daily Telegraph, reporter
1955: Sunday Mirror, women"s section
1955–1960: Daily Herald, reporter
1960–1965: Daily Express, feature writer
1965–1969: The Sun, television critic
1969–present: The Guardian, television and radio critic.
