Sandi Toksvig
Born	3 May 1958 (1958-05-03) (age 50) Copenhagen, Denmark

Sandi Toksvig (born 3 May 1958 in Copenhagen) is a Danish comedian, author and radio presenter based in the United Kingdom. If you hold the copyright to an image (e. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... For other uses, see Copenhagen (disambiguation). ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... For other uses, see Copenhagen (disambiguation). ... For the documentary about Jerry Seinfeld, see Comedian (film). ... For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ... A radio presenter is a broadcaster who hosts a radio show or a segment thereof. ...

Career

Toksvig began her comedy career at Cambridge University where she wrote and performed in the first all-woman show at the Cambridge Footlights. She was also a member of Cambridge University Light Entertainment Society while a student at Girton College, Cambridge, and moved via children's television onto the comedy circuit. 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.^[1] The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom. ... The ADC Theatre is the home of the Footlights. ... The Cambridge University Light Entertainment Society (CULES) is a student drama society at Cambridge University. ... Full name Girton College Motto - Better is wisdom than weapons of war (Alumni) Named after Girton Village Previous names The College for Women (1869), Girton College (1872) Established 1869 Sister College(s) Somerville College Mistress Professor Dame Marilyn Strathern Location Huntingdon Road Undergraduates 503 Postgraduates 201 Homepage Boatclub Girton College... The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in Soho, London, England that was opened in 1979 by Peter Rosengard. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Comedy Store Players is a goup of improvising comedy performers known for their performances at The Comedy Store in London. ...

Her television career has included presenting the children's series No. 73, The Saturday Starship, Motormouth and Gilbert's Fridge, and on factual programmes such as Island Race. She has appeared as a panellist in shows such as Call My Bluff, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Mock the Week and Have I Got News for You. She appeared in the very first episode of Have I Got News For You in 1990.^[2] No. ... The Saturday Starship was a Saturday morning childrens series that was produced by Central Television and aired on the ITV network for one series in 1984 and was hosted by Tommy Boyd & Bonnie Langford. ... Motormouth was a Saturday morning childrens television series that was produced by Television South and aired on ITV for four series (seasons), from 1988 until 1992. ... Call My Bluff is a British game show between two teams of three contestants. ... Whose Line Is It Anyway? (sometimes shortened to Whose Line? or abbreviated as WLIIA?) is a short-form improvisational comedy TV show. ... Mock the Week is a British topical panel game, hosted by Dara Ó Briain. ... Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been running since 1990. ...

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 the BBC Radio 4 travel programme Excess Baggage. She is also a frequent guest on shows such as I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. 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. old Radio 4 logo BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... The News Quiz is a topical comedy quiz broadcast on British radio BBC Radio 4. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... old Radio 4 logo BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... Im Sorry I Havent a Clue, sometimes abbreviated to ISIHAC or simply Clue, is a BBC radio comedy which has run since 1972-04-11. ... LBC 97. ... Bonita Melody Lysette Bonnie Langford (July 22, 1964) is an English actress and entertainer. ...

She has written 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 1995, she sailed around the coast of Britain with John McCarthy. In 2003, she published her travel biography, Gladys Reunited: A Personal American Journey, about her travels in the USA retracing her childhood. She writes regular columns for Good Housekeeping and the Sunday Telegraph. John Patrick McCarthy CBE (born November 26, 1956) is a British journalist who was kidnapped by terrorists in Lebanon in April 1986, and held hostage for more than five years. ... A cover of Good Housekeeping from 1908. ... The Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in 1961. ...

In February 2006 she joked that, as a result of being Danish and having studied Muslim law, in the light of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, she had never been so sought-after.^{[citation needed]} The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after twelve editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005. ...

She appears in Doctor Who audio drama Red by Big Finish Productions which was released in August 2006. This article is about the television series. ... Red is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces audio plays released straight to compact disc, based on British cult science fiction properties. ...

In December 2006, she hosted and sang at the London Gay Men's Chorus' sold out Christmas Show, Make the Yuletide Gay at the Barbican Centre in London.^{[citation needed]} the London Gay Mens Chorus, Barbican Hall, London - December 2004. ... Barbican Arts Centre and lakeside terrace Interior - concert hall foyer; library and gallery above The Barbican Arts Centre is an arts venue at the eastern edge of the Barbican Estate in the City of London, England. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

In 2007 she was named Political Humourist of the Year at the Channel 4 Political Awards ^[3] and Radio Broadcaster of the Year by the Broadcasting Press Guild.^[4] This article is about the British television station. ... The Broadcasting Press Guild is a British association of journalists who specialise in writing and broadcasting about television, radio and the media generally. ...

Politics and activism

She has appeared on the BBC's Question Time.^{[citation needed]} For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Question Time is a topical debate television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. It is currently shown on BBC One at 22:35 on Thursdays, and typically features politicians from the three major political parties and other public figures who answer questions put to them by the...

In 2003 she stood as a candidate in the election for the Chancellor of the University of Oxford, supporting a campaign against student fees.^[5] She was defeated in the first round of voting, achieved 1179 first-place votes out of about 8000 cast^[6]. The election was won by Chris Patten. For other uses, see Chancellor (disambiguation). ... The University of Oxford (informally Oxford University), located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Top-up fees (not their official name) are a new way of charging tuition to undergraduate and PGCE students who study at universities in the United Kingdom from the 2006-2007 academic year onwards. ... Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC (born 12 May 1944 in Bath, Somerset) is a prominent British Conservative politician and a Patron of the Tory Reform Group. ...

In 2000, Sandi became a Trustee for international animal welfare charity, the Born Free Foundation.^{[citation needed]} The Born Free Foundation originated in 1984 as the Zoo Check Campaign in Great Britain by actors Virginia McKenna her husband Bill Travers along with their son Will Travers and four associates. ...

Personal life

Her father (Claus Toksvig) was a foreign correspondent for a Danish television channel (Danmarks Radio) and Sandi spent most of her youth abroad. She studied law and archaeology and anthropology at Girton College, Cambridge graduating with a first class degree and receiving two prizes for outstanding intellectual achievement (The Raemakers and the Theresa Montefiore Awards). Her brother, Nick Toksvig, attended Hull University and was a friend of journalist and Beirut hostage John McCarthy (with whom Sandi undertook a round Britain yachting adventure in 1995). Her sister Jenifer Toksvig is a musical playwright, who has adapted Sandi's young adult novel Hitler's Canary. DR-Byen, DRs new headquarters, under construction in Copenhagen Radiohuset buildings on Rosenørns Allé DR (formerly: Danmarks Radio) is Denmarks national broadcasting corporation. ... Full name Girton College Motto - Better is wisdom than weapons of war (Alumni) Named after Girton Village Previous names The College for Women (1869), Girton College (1872) Established 1869 Sister College(s) Somerville College Mistress Professor Dame Marilyn Strathern Location Huntingdon Road Undergraduates 503 Postgraduates 201 Homepage Boatclub Girton College... John Patrick McCarthy CBE (born November 26, 1956) is a British journalist who was kidnapped by terrorists in Lebanon in April 1986, and held hostage for more than five years. ...

She and her ex-partner Peta (Petaline Stewart) are mothers to three children, conceived through artificial insemination by donor Christopher Lloyd-Pack: two daughters (born 1988 and 1990) and a son (born 1994). In 1994 Save the Children dropped her services after she came out, although the charity later apologised.^[7] International recognition Civil unions and Domestic partnerships Recognized in some regions Unregistered co-habitation Recognition debated See also Same-sex marriage Civil union Registered partnership Domestic partnership Timeline of same-sex marriage Listings by country This box:      A domestic partnership is a legal or personal relationship between individuals who live... AIH redirects here. ... A sperm donor is a person who gives or more usually sells his sperm, to a sperm bank, primarily for the purpose of assisting a woman anonymous to him to conceive via artificial insemination. ... Save the Children Logo Save the Children is an international non-profit organization dedicated to working for children. ... For other uses, see Coming out (disambiguation). ...

On an edition of BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz, she mentioned that she enjoyed editing historical entries on Wikipedia in order to make unsuspecting children fail their GCSE coursework. However, this was later revealed to be a joke.^[8] old Radio 4 logo BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... The News Quiz is a topical comedy quiz broadcast on British radio BBC Radio 4. ... Wikipedia (IPA: , or ( ) is a multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization. ... “GCSE” redirects here. ...

References in popular culture

In Little Britain, starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams, the character Bernard Chumley lives in a building called Sandi Toksvig House.^[9] In Bottom, Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson have used 'Sandi Toksvig' as a swear word. In the TV Series Shooting Stars Bob and Vic would often mimic her walk. She has been referred to by Jan Ravens on Dead Ringers as "the original Hobbit".^{[citation needed]} This article is about the British TV show Little Britain. ... Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English comedian and actor. ... For other persons named David Williams, see David Williams (disambiguation). ... Bottom was a British sitcom (aka britcom) of the early 1990s (and later a series of stage shows) written by Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson. ... Richard Michael Rik Mayall (born 7 March 1958) is an English comedian and actor. ... Adrian Edmondson Adrian Edmondson (sometimes credited as Ade Edmondson, born 24 January 1957 in Bradford, Yorkshire, Britain) is a British actor, comedian, director, and writer who gained fame as Vyvyan in The Young Ones in the early 1980s. ... Shooting Stars was a UK television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two. ... Jan Ravens (born May 14, 1958) is an English actress and impressionist, famous for her voices on Spitting Image and Dead Ringers. ... Dead Ringers is a UK radio and television comedy impressions show broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Two. ... For other uses, see Hobbit (disambiguation). ...

Bibliography

Books for children

• Hitlers Kanarie Sandi Toksvig, Valerius uitgeverij, Vlaardingen, Holland, April 2006 ISBN 90-78250-02-X [Dutch translation]
• Hitler's Canary, Sandi Toksvig, Doubleday, July 2005
• The Troublesome Tooth Fairy, Sandi Toksvig, Transworld, November 2000, ISBN 0-552-54663-1
• Super-Saver Mouse to the Rescue, Sandi Toksvig, Transworld, April 2000, ISBN 0-552-54541-4
• Super-Saver Mouse, Sandi Toksvig, Transworld, September 1999, ISBN 0-552-54540-6
• If I Didn't Have Elbows, Sandi Toksvig, Deagosti, April 1998, ISBN 1-84089-048-7
• Unusual Day, Sandi Toksvig, Transworld/Corgi, April 1997, ISBN 0-552-54539-2
• Tales from the Norse's Mouth, Sandi Toksvig, BBC Books, March 1994, ISBN 0-563-40358-6

Books for adults

• Melted into Air, Sandi Toksvig, Little Brown, July 2006
• Whistling for the Elephants, Sandi Toksvig, Little Brown, August 1999
• Gladys Reunited: A Personal American Journey, Sandi Toksvig, Little Brown, 2003, ISBN 0-7515-3328-9
• The Travels of Lady Bulldog Burton, Sandi Toksvig and Sandy Nightingale, Little Brown, September 2002
• Flying Under Bridges, Sandi Toksvig, Little Brown, April 2001
• Whistling for the Elephants, Sandi Toksvig, Transworld, August 1999, ISBN 0-593-04480-0
• Great Journeys of the World, Sandi Toksvig et al, Penguin, 1997
• Island Race: an improbable voyage round the coast of Britain, John McCarthy and Sandi Toksvig, BBC Books, 1995

John Patrick McCarthy CBE (born November 26, 1956) is a British journalist who was kidnapped by terrorists in Lebanon in April 1986, and held hostage for more than five years. ...

References

Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• The News Quiz, Just a Minute, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, Call My Bluff
• Tormead School

The News Quiz is a topical comedy quiz broadcast on British radio BBC Radio 4. ... Just a Minute is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game which has been running continuously since its first broadcast on December 22, 1967. ... Im Sorry I Havent a Clue, sometimes abbreviated to ISIHAC or simply Clue, is a BBC radio comedy which has run since 1972-04-11. ... Call My Bluff is a British game show between two teams of three contestants. ... Tormead School is an independent day school for girls aged 4 - 18 years old. ...

External links

• MusicalTalk Podcast featuring interview with Sandi Toksvig and Bonnie Langford
• Book agent for Sandi Toksvig, listing books published
• Profile at the Now You're Talking speaker agency
• LBC 97.3 radio show related blog (no longer maintained)