Sandi Toksvig

About

Sandi is a Danish/British comedienne, author and presenter on British radio and television. She performed at the first night of The Comedy Store in London and was once part of The Comedy Store Players, an improvisational comedy team. She has been at the top of British comedy for a number of years.

Sandi Toksvig began her comedy career at Girton College, Cambridge University, where she wrote and performed in the first all-woman show at the Footlights.

She was also a member of Cambridge University Light Entertainment Society, and moved via children’s television onto the comedy circuit.

Her television career included presenting the children’s series No. 73 (1982–1986) as a character called Ethel Davis, also presenting the Sandwich Quiz, The Saturday Starship, Motormouth and Gilbert’s Fridge, and on factual programmes such as the archaeological Channel 4 series Time Team, Island Race, and The Talking Show, produced by Open Media for Channel 4.

She has appeared as a panellist in shows such as Call My Bluff (a regular as a team captain), I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Mock the Week, QI and Have I Got News for You.

For three years until December 2005 she presented a weekday lunchtime programme on London talk radio station LBC 97.3, featuring regular guests including Bonnie Langford, Alkarim Jivani, and Annie Caulfield.

In 2007 she was named Political Humorist of the Year at the Channel 4 Political Awards and Radio Broadcaster of the Year by the Broadcasting Press Guild.

She has appeared in a number of stage plays, including Androcles and the Lion, Much Ado About Nothing and The Comedy of Errors.

She wrote several fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults, starting in 1994 with Tales from the Norse’s Mouth, a fiction tale for children.

In October 2008 she published Girls Are Best, a history book for girls. In 2009 her collected columns for the Sunday Telegraph were published in book form as The Chain of Curiosity.

In 2008 she was named Broadcaster of the Year at the Stonewall Awards. In 2009 she received the Voice of the Viewer and Listener Award for Individual Contribution to Radio. In 2010 she was awarded an honorary PhD by the University of Portsmouth.

Most recently Toksvig wrote a play entitled Bully Boy which focused on post traumatic stress among British servicemen. The play premiered at the Nuffield Theatre in Southampton in May 2011 and starred Anthony Andrews.

She is a familiar voice for BBC Radio 4 listeners, as the chair of The News Quiz, having replaced Simon Hoggart in September 2006. She continues to be the main presenter of its travel programme Excess Baggage

She writes regular columns for Good Housekeeping, the Sunday Telegraph and The Lady.

In January 2012 it was announced that she would succeed Sheila Hancock as Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth.

Sandi has developed an excellent reputation on the after dinner circuit with her entertaining speeches and insight into the British comedy scene.