Adam Smith was born in a small village in Kirkcaldy, Scotland in 1723. He entered the University of Glasgow at age fourteen, and later attended Balliol College at Oxford. After lecturing for a period, he held several teaching positions at Glasgow University. His greatest achievement was writing The Wealth of Nations (1776), a five-book series that sought to expose the true causes of prosperity, and installed him as the father of contemporary economic thought. He died in Edinburgh on July 19, 1790.

Sean Barrett started acting professionally at the age of twelve and has since appeared on television and in film in "Minder", "Brush Strokes", "War and Peace", "Sons and Lovers", and "Return to Oz". His stage credits include performing in the West End with Noel Coward in his "Suite in Three Keys". Sean has worked extensively on BBC Radio and has also narrated several television series, including "People s Century" and "Crash".