Peter Smith hails from the northern English town of Bolton, although claims that almost all traces of the distinctive Lancashire accent have long since faded.

Peter has spent most of his time since university working as a radio broadcaster and journalist in Central and Eastern Europe. He has a particular affinity for the Czech Republic and lived in Prague for many years. Peter admits that it was a tough call to leave behind such as beautiful city (not to mention his garden), but the opportunity to work for CRI in Beijing was too good to pass up.

Peter is a keen lover of history, hiking, movies, radio and television (he names “The Sopranos” as the best TV show ever made). He is also a devoted fan of his football team, Bolton Wanderers.

Peter is very new to China and so far has been impressed by many aspects of life of Beijing. His favourite Chinese dish at the moment is spicy beef and potatoes. He is presently learning to traverse the city by bicycle.

Since starting at CRI, Peter has been very impressed by the Beijing Hour team, the pace and intensity of the show and its mixture of the light and the serious.