IN HER OWN WORDS: Sandi Toksvig

The writer and broadcaster is touring Britain with a selection of friends in Extraordinary

Escapes (9pm, Ch4); here are a few things she’s had to say about her life and career…

On being sent to boarding school in Britain,

having spent much of her childhood in the

US: ‘Absolutely the worst four years of my life. I always say that boarding schools are run by therapists to turn out future clients.’

On adopting her ‘posh’ accent: ‘My natural accent, if I’m tired or I’ve had a glass of wine, is American… I was bullied at school because of my American accent, so the decision to speak like this was a deliberate one. One night, I watched Brief Encounter, and I picked up some tips from Celia Johnson.’

On first taking over from Stephen

Fry as host of QI: ‘Stephen and I are very different heights… and because they weren’t sure I was going to stay, I had his chair on a box that was this high, and I had to climb up into the chair in order to present the show.’

On first teaming up with Noel Fielding to

co-host The Great British Bake Off when the show moved to Ch4: ‘I felt like I had met a rather wayward cousin whose take on the world made me laugh. The only downside is that he has much better dress sense than I do.’

On what she would do if she ruled

the world: ‘My first move would

be to organise my own overthrow. I’d want banners painted and people mobilised to prevent my dictatorship, no matter how benevolent.’