Betty Smith, co-host of a Sony Radio Academy Award Gold winning show on BBC Radio Humberside, has died at the age of 93.
Betty was teamed up with fellow pensioner Beryl Renwick alongside David Reeves in 2006 for a weekly show on the station, and beat Frank Skinner and Adam and Joe to take home the Gold for Best Entertainment Programme Award in 2012.
They were talent spotted during a guided tour of the BBC studios and went on to become the oldest winners ever at the Sonys.
They hosted their final show at Christmas 2012 after the regular show stopped due to Betty’s health.
At the time of the win, the Sony radio award judges said: “A joyous, entertaining double act, having fun with the medium and unconstrained by any ingrained ideas of what works and what doesn’t.
“They give a voice to a sector of society unrepresented on radio, and do it with a joy that puts many of their fellow broadcasters to shame.”
Presenter and producer David Reeves paid tribute to Betty on the BBC website: “Since the programme finished Betty’s daughter Elaine would often tell me that the six years on air were the best years of her life,” he said.
“Betty was a woman that cared deeply about making people happy and she certainly achieved that. I, along with her family and friends, will miss her dearly and the joy she brought to the Radio Humberside audience every week.”
Betty is pictured above (left) with David and Beryl at the Sonys.
