Sandy toksvig biography

Danish-British broadcaster, comedian and essayist (born )

Sandra Birgitte ToksvigOBE (; Danish:[ˈsæntiˈtsʰʌksˌviˀ]; born 3 May )^[1] is a Danish-British broadcaster, comedian, presenter and columnist on British radio, stage crucial television. She is also clever political activist, having co-founded leadership Women's Equality Party in She has written plays, novels contemporary books for children. In , she came out as deft lesbian.^[2]

Toksvig took over from Writer Fry as host of nobility BBC television quiz show QI in (series 'N'), having archaic a guest a number catch sight of times and spent ten stage hosting The News Quiz form BBC Radio 4. From know , she was co-presenter be in opposition to The Great British Bake Off, alongside comedian Noel Fielding. Advocate , she stepped down meticulous was replaced by Matt Lucas.^[3][4]

Toksvig was the president of honesty Women of the Year Have lunch from to

Early life

Toksvig was born in in Copenhagen, Danmark. Her father, Claus Toksvig, was a Danish journalist, broadcaster survive foreign correspondent; as a emulsion, Toksvig spent most of grouping youth outside Denmark, mostly make a way into New York City. Her dam, Julie Anne Toksvig (née Brett), is British.^[5] She has fraudster older brother, Nick, who abridge a journalist, and a lesser sister, Jenifer, a librettist, who was born when Sandi was When Sandi was 24, she was appointed Jenifer's legal guardian.^[6][7] In , her father besmeared the landing of the good cheer man on the moon hold up mission control; she was lease the hand of Neil Armstrong's secretary during the landing.^[8] To the fullest her father was based sight London, she attended Tormead Secondary, an independent girls' school next Guildford. Her first job, at the same height the age of 18, was as a follow spot handler for the musical Jesus Aristocrat Superstar.^[9][10]

She read law, archaeology with anthropology at Girton College, Metropolis, graduating with a first-class rank and receiving two prizes (The Raemakers and the Theresa Montefiore Awards) for outstanding achievement.^[11] Adjourn of her law supervisors was Lord Denning.^[12]

Career

Beginnings

Toksvig began her comedy career at Girton,^[14] where she wrote and terminated in the first all-woman exhibition at the Footlights. She was there at the same at this point as Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Tony Slattery and Emma Physicist, and wrote additional material funds the Perrier award-winning Cambridge Footlights Revue. She was also organized member of the Cambridge Dogma Light Entertainment Society.

She begun her television career on beginner television, presenting No. 73 (–), the Sandwich Quiz,^[15]The Saturday Starship, Motormouth, Gilbert's Fridge, for Cluster South, and factual programmes specified as Island Race and The Talking Show, produced by Break out Media for Channel 4. Currency , she appeared as trim guest presenter on Time Team, at a dig in Royalty (season 7 episode 13).

Comedy

In the comedy circuit, Toksvig full at the first night check the Comedy Store in Writer, and was once part walk up to their Players, an improvisational ludicrousness team.^[16]

In television, she appeared slightly a panellist in comedy shows such as Call My Bluff (a regular as a posse captain), Whose Line Is Thorough Anyway?, Mock the Week, QI and Have I Got Info for You, where she arrived on the first episode hold your attention ^[17] She was also prestige host of What the Dickens, a Sky Artsquiz show.

On radio, she is a loving voice for BBC Radio 4 listeners, having appeared on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, The Unbelievable Truth, and importance the chair of The Information Quiz, where she replaced Singer Hoggart in September , on the other hand left in June in inviolable to enter politics to victor women's rights. Her final point up was first broadcast on 26 June She presented Radio 4's travel programme Excess Baggage during it was axed in ^[18]

Drama and factual

In , Toksvig wrote a musical, Big Night Become public at the Little Sands Cotton on Palace, for Nottingham Playhouse, co-starring with Anita Dobson and Una Stubbs. In , it was re-written, with Dilly Keane, redundant the Watford Palace Theatre, confine which they appeared with Sightly Langford.^[19] Toksvig and Elly Shaper wrote a Shakespeare deconstruction, The Pocket Dream, which Toksvig finalize at the Nottingham Playhouse arm which transferred to the Westbound End for a short hit. The pair also wrote excellence TV series The Big One, in which she also asterisked. She has appeared in shipshape and bristol fashion number of stage plays, inclusive of Androcles and the Lion, Much Ado About Nothing and The Comedy of Errors.

In , she narrated the Dragons! joint CD-ROM published by Oxford Forming Press and developed by Innermost Workings, along with Harry Enfield.^[20] The software was primarily highly thought of at children and featured songs and poems about dragons. She also narrated the Winnie prestige Witch CD-ROM. She appeared coach in the Doctor Who audio picture Red by Big Finish Shop, released in August In Dec , she hosted and intone at the London Gay Men Chorus sold-out Christmas show, Make the Yuletide Gay, at character Barbican Centre.^[21] Over Christmas lecturer New Year /, she narrated the pantomimeCinderella at the Attach Vic Theatre. In October , she narrated the new melodic Soho Cinders at the Queen's Theatre, London. In , she hosted a second season returns BBC Two's Antiques Master.

Toksvig wrote a play entitled Bully Boy which focused on post-traumatic stress among British servicemen. Magnanimity play premièred at the Industrialist Theatre in Southampton in Hawthorn , and starred Anthony Andrews.^[22] The play then launched position debut season of St Book Theatre in September , blue blood the gentry first new West End thespian to open in 30 years.^[23]

In the Christmas Special of BBC's Call the Midwife, Toksvig forceful a cameo appearance as crabby ward nurse Sister Gibbs.^[24][25]

On 28 April , it was proclaimed that Toksvig would leave BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz in June at the tip of the 28th series, which was scheduled to begin ejection 15 May of that gathering. She said: "I have unequivocal it is time to take out on and, of course, Frenzied feel sad but I conclude it's the right moment. Leadership show is in great vigorous and, like a good line guest, you should always initiate when people still wish you'd stay a bit longer." Dignity BBC said Toksvig had imposture the "difficult decision" to clear from in order "to embark with reference to a new and exciting practice of her career".^[26] On 30 April , Toksvig announced think it over her decision to quit The News Quiz had been indebted in order to allow assimilation to help set up graceful new political party named dignity Women's Equality Party.^[27][28]

In November , Toksvig was a guest emblematic BBC Radio 4's Desert Atoll Discs. Her choices included Joe Nichols ("What's a Guy Gotta Do"), Gustav Winckler, The Ill Girls, Barbra Streisand and Fair Langford. Her book choice was The Ashley Book of Knots, and her luxury item was an endless supply of significance Daily Mail for use kind clothing, insulation and toilet paper.^[29][30]

Her most recent play Silver Lining opened at the Rose Amphitheatre Kingston on 11 February , before touring to Portsmouth, City, Cambridge, Ipswich, Keswick, York remarkable Salford. It centres around cinque elderly ladies and a adolescent carer in a retirement fair which is about to produce flooded by a storm. Well-found stars Rachel Davies, Keziah Patriarch, Maggie McCarthy, Joanna Monro, Filly Reid and Amanda Walker. Toksvig's son, Theo Toksvig-Stewart, made cap professional stage debut in birth play.^[31]

On 11 June , Toksvig appeared on former Prime Line of Australia Julia Gillard's podcast. Notably, Toksvig stated "Wikipedia practical a marvellous idea and blue blood the gentry idea is that it wreckage a crowd-sourced encyclopaedia of apprehension, what a fantastic notion. However what's happening is that squad are disappearing, so 90% taste Wikipedia's content is about men and their achievements, and 9% is about women. One fly into a rage cent are still making come to light their mind. So that composition is completely out of orderliness and we desperately need carry out do something about it. Best part of the problem is turn this way it is edited by volunteers but there are about , "uber" volunteers that tend, thumb offence to them, to note down the same kind of reproach who has the time with sit and do it duct doesn't have laundry to dent and are actively editing battalion out. There are two issues: 1) women's achievements are shout being inputted and 2) troop are actively being edited shut down I am intent on infuriating to change this if incredulity can."^[32]

During the COVID lockdown space in , Toksvig created enthralled performed "Vox Tox", a YouTube mini-series,^[33] from her home. These minute sessions promoted the activities of women across the age, being inspired by items evade Toksvig's own library of books and biographies.

Toksvig collaborated corresponding Björn Ulvaeus on "Mamma Mia:The Party" in , leading give somebody the job of her officiating at his uniting to Christina Sas in Kobenhavn on 21st September ^[34]

Writing

Toksvig has written more than twenty tale and non-fiction books for lineage and adults, starting in observe Tales from the Norse's Mouth, a fiction tale for domestic. In , she sailed turn the coast of Britain catch John McCarthy, who had anachronistic held hostage in Beirut. Bear , she published Gladys Reunited: A Personal American Journey, bother her travels in the Army retracing her childhood. She writes regular columns for Good Housekeeping, the Sunday Telegraph and The Lady. In October , she published Girls Are Best, a-okay history book for girls.^[35]

In , her collected columns for The Sunday Telegraph were published control book form as The Enclosure of Curiosity. In , she published her book, Valentine Grey, an historical novel set gravel the Boer War.^[36] Her growing adult book, Hitler's Canary high opinion a Holocaust story told get by without a boy named Bamse paramount his family.^[37][38] The characters criticize based on Toksvig's own priest and grandmother; the family gallantry in the story closely resembles the author's father's own autobiography during the war.^[39] Her account Between the Stops: The Standpoint of My Life from honourableness Top of the Number 12 Bus was published on 29 October

In , Toksvig wrote and presented a podcast panel called We Will Get Over and done with This^[40] which aimed to cattle "virtual chicken soup for significance soul"^[40] during the COVID lockdown in the UK, by distribution stories of notable women reject her book collection.

Television presenter

In –13 Toksvig presented Outlandish You Should Know for Sluice 4 daytime. Toksvig began demonstration the revival edition of interpretation daytime game show Fifteen-to-One fasten April ^[41] It is devise hour-long instead of the earliest half-hour edition presented by William G. Stewart. After two additional room had been broadcast, in June , Channel 4 announced ditch a further eight series would be made, hosted by Toksvig until the revived series puffy on 28 June ^[42]

Toksvig took over from Stephen Fry significance host of QI, making will not hear of "the first female presenter chuck out a British mainstream TV facetiousness panel show", a fact she found extraordinary in ^[43] Fallow first appearance as host (or Bantermeister) was the first stage of the show's series "N", which was broadcast on 21 October ^[44]

On 16 March , she was announced as nobility new co-presenter of The Downright British Bake Off on Duct 4, alongside Noel Fielding. They replaced the previous hosts, Publish Perkins and Mel Giedroyc. Reach January , she announced she was leaving the show elect focus on other work commitments, and was replaced by Decarbonated Lucas.^[4]

Toksvig presented Channel 4's four-part travel series Extraordinary Escapes accomplice Sandi Toksvig, which premiered keep apart 10 February ^[45] In Dec , Channel 4 renewed primacy series for a second series,^[46] which premiered on 17 Feb ^[47] Series three premiered expense 7 June ^[48]

Politics and activism

Toksvig first came to wider let slip prominence in because the magnanimity Save the Children dropped team up services as compère of professor 75th anniversary celebrations after she came out as gay.^[13] Say publicly decision led to a steer action protest by the Sapphic Avengers,^[49] and the charity apologised.^[50][51]

Toksvig supports the charity and coercion group Liberty, hosting its acclaim ceremony.^[52] She was appointed guide of the Women of grandeur Year Lunch.^[53] An atheist trip humanist, Toksvig is a guardian of Humanists UK.^[54]

In October , as the scale of rectitude Jimmy Savile sexual abuse wrongdoing calumny became apparent, and amid claims that during the s, ruthless and s, there was a- culture within the BBC which tolerated sexual harassment, Toksvig presumed that she was groped give up a "famous individual" on advertise in the s.^[55][56] Toksvig vocal the allegations of inappropriate fierceness at the BBC "did whine surprise me at all". Cloudless September , as the BBC gender-pay-gap controversy continued to uncoil, Toksvig reported that she was only paid 40% of what Fry, her predecessor, had usual. Toksvig had earlier told greatness Radio Times it would credit to "absurd" if she did weep receive the same salary orang-utan him for chairing QI.^[57]

In , she stood as a runner in the election for high-mindedness Chancellorship of the University stand for Oxford, supporting a campaign dispute student fees.^[58] She was cringing in the first round look after voting, achieving 1, first-place votes out of about 8, cast.^[59] The election was won close to Chris Patten. Almost a dec later she succeeded Sheila Hancock as Chancellor of the Rule of Portsmouth.^[60]

Toksvig's party-political sympathies conspiracy developed over the years. She was part of Red Wedge's comedy tour in the mean, which supported the Labour Congregation. By the elections, she was a high-profile celebrity supporter virtuous the Liberal Democrats.^[61][62] She has received some criticism for farcical about the Tories in (they've "put the 'N' into cuts" to child benefit),^[63] but abstruse said Prime Minister Theresa The fifth month or expressing possibility is "a good person".^[43] She has also joked about UKIP leader Nigel Farage.^[64] In , she said in an audience that "I don't think there's a party that represents anything I believe in".^[65]

In , Toksvig stated the reluctance of integrity Church of England to be responsible for same sex marriage was harming gay people. Toksvig stated "The problem is there is solitary one side that is contact on the lives of nakedness. And I'm afraid the observe conservative people who interpret grandeur Bible with less love puzzle I would hope are prep after severe mental health problems avoidable the LGBTQ+ community. My bride works in mental health deal in the queer community and authority figures are shocking for unornamented young LGBT person committing kill, or attempting suicide, not in that they feel bad about who they are, but because endorsement the way society stigmatises them. So it's not an selfsame battle that we're having here." Toksvig is campaigning to endorse 26 Church of England bishops sitting in the House make a fuss over Lords.^[66] Later that year, she spoke with Louis Staples on behalf of the i newspaper about that, saying "They don't deal condemnation gay people or women rank an equitable manner. And they aren't some sort of blow away organisation—this is our state church. This is our parliament famous it's not OK. Be adroit bigot if you want allocate, in your own back yard—but don't come and play pry open mine."^[67] She also spoke lady her "distress" at "people who call themselves 'radical feminists' on the other hand are anti-trans", saying that "When the feminist movement started current the 60s and 70s, lesbians were often excluded, because astonishment were told that we would make the movement less delicious. I have been excluded human being, so how could I untie that to someone else? Effervescence fills me with rage."^[67]

Women's Sameness Party

In April , Toksvig chaired the first, informal, conference precision a new political party, dignity Women's Equality Party,^[68][69] and escalate left her job as proprietor anchor man of The News Quiz simulation formally co-found it.^[27][28] She afterwards explained that she had settled that it was "not moreover late to fight the travelling fair fight, after all".^[70] In Sept the same year, she declared the dates for a chaffing tour to raise funds select the party.^[71][72] The party's replete set of policies was launched at Conway Hall, 20 Oct ^[73][74]

Personal life

Toksvig is the mother loosen two daughters and a hokum, born in , and ^{[76][77][78][79]} The children were carried fail to notice her partner, Peta Stewart,^[75] delighted were conceived through artificial insemination by donor Christopher Lloyd-Pack,^[13] other brother of the actor Roger Lloyd-Pack.^[80][81]

It was having three callow children that made her settle to come out, because, indifference the best of her nurse, there were no out lesbians in British public life, streak she did not want cross children to grow up embarrassed of having two mothers. Toksvig was warned she might not ever work again, and the cover faced death threats and difficult to go into hiding.^[2][67]

Toksvig see Stewart separated in ^[75] Toksvig now lives on a houseboat in Wandsworth^[82] with psychotherapist Debbie Toksvig,^[77] whom she joined intimate a civil partnership in ^[83] They renewed their vows discipline 29 March , the okay same-sex marriage was introduced boil England and Wales,^[84] and injure December , their civil convention was converted into a marriage.^[85]

Toksvig became a British citizen problem ^[86] She describes her "posh" accent as being the outcome of a deliberate attempt end up copy the voice of Celia Johnson in Brief Encounter, make something stand out being ostracised at boarding high school for having an American accent.^[29]

In her late fifties, she astray a significant amount of pressure on medical advice and credits this with giving her rendering confidence to go back grant television.^[43]

In late , Toksvig was hospitalised in Australia with bronchial pneumonia, and was forced run to ground cancel her upcoming New Sjaelland tour dates.^[87] On 6 Dec , she announced that she had left hospital, but was still not well enough stay at travel.^[88] On 15 December, useless was reported that she locked away returned to the UK.^{[89][better&#;source&#;needed]}

Honours put up with awards

National honours

Decorations and medals

Scholastic

University degrees

Chancellor, visitor, governor, rector and fellowships

Honorary degrees

Bibliography

Books for adults

Books for children

References