There's not really a good way of paying tribute to someone you never knew, but I'll try. Linda Smith, who succeeded in kicking Paul Merton's arse every time she went on Just A Minute and The News Quiz and cheered up Radio 4 in general, died yesterday. She was a truly brilliant comedian, wry and constantly funny, and her observations on everything from the mundane to the surreal will be sorely missed by everyone who had the fortune to encounter her humour.