This isn’t “I did one host, so now I’m going to do the other.” It’s that it’s Graham’s birthday today, and I was trying to think of someone he likes who’s still alive that I haven’t covered yet. I asked him last night, and he was no help. But Sandi Toksvig’s associated with three shows we’ve watched together over the years—one that I was a fan of long before he and I met, true, but we did watch it together. Also, I like Sandi Toksvig, and we haven’t gotten to her yet.
It’s funny, really, She had an American accent before she had the English one we’re most familiar with. She copied the accent of the main character of Brief Encounter because she was being made fun of at her British boarding school because she sounded American. Though of course she’s Danish by birth. She’s a British subject now, and an OBE, but she lived in New York before she lived in London. She’s been a very British performer most of her career—she’s a staple on the Ubiquitous British Celebrity Quiz Show and was before she because host of QI—but she’ll be the first to tell you she’s not entirely British.
Actually, she’s one of those people who make me frustrated about myself when I come to write about them, because there’s so much about her I didn’t know. She doesn’t like being thought of as a comedian, because there’s more to her than comedy—but did I know she read law, archaeology, and anthropology at Cambridge? No; I knew she was a member of the Footlights, one of the first women in the group. Did I know she’s an accomplished writer? No; I knew she was a champion at improv. And the reason I didn’t know any of this was that I didn’t take any time to look into it, which I suppose is the point of this column.
It’s funny, though, how the “actually they’re super smart” thing seems to be a male phenomenon most of the time. People think a lot more about the fact that Stephen Fry and the assorted Pythons are Oxbridge types and a lot less that Emma Thomspon and Sandi Toksvig are. Sue Perkins used to be the Footlights President; she and Mel Giedroyc are both Cambridge alumnae as well. (Side note, the list of famous former Footlights members is weird.) We’re much more inclined to talk about the PhD David Duchovny’s almost finished than the one Ashley Judd is in theory currently working on—as evidenced by how many sites I had to visit to find someone to compare to Duchovny, versus how many were willing to tell me about various male celebrities whose advanced degrees are honorary.
I’m not going to get into the whole “how is she at replacing Mel and Sue?” thing, because I haven’t watched much of the new Bake Off. Just a few of the celebrity episodes. (I’m waiting for Netflix to get more seasons!) But she’s doing a fine job at replacing Stephen Fry. I was a little concerned because his whole persona is about being smart and informed, and hers isn’t. But I think that turns out to be at least in part because women with a smart and informed persona aren’t also seen as being funny, inasmuch as women are allowed to be funny at all.
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Postscript—I was relaxing after having written this and scheduling it when I remembered the best story about her, which I can’t believe I forgot to mention. Claus Toksvig was a Danish journalist, the first-ever foreign correspondent for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. When his daughter was eleven, he took her with him to Mission Control. As the Eagle slowly descended to the surface of the Moon, young Sandi held the hand of Neil Armstrong’s secretary to help calm her down.
