I’m more National Trevor than a National Treasure
QI and Great British Bake Off presenter Sandi Toksvig is taking a swipe at celebrity culture on her new tour. She talks to Wow Brum
Everyone has a story where you go, ‘Really?’ But we don’t get to hear their stories Sandi Toksvig
SANDI Toksvig is remembering a terrific occasion at Festival Hall in London four years ago.
“My wife and I renewed our wedding vows on the stage. It was a small gathering, a few family – and a thousand of my close friends! It was held on the day that same sex marriages were made legal.
“It was astonishing, you know. I invited 150 family and friends, and let it be known to the general public that if anybody wanted to come, they were most welcome. The hall was full. It was every kind of person you could possibly imagine. It was very jolly. The only drawback was that there wasn’t enough cake!”
This story tells you everything about the presenter’s popularity. She’s the sort of approachable, lovable figure everyone considers their friend. You will not find anyone who doesn’t like Sandi Toksvig. She is a national treasure.
Which brings us to her latest UK tour, which is entitled National Trevor.
After a spell making such hugely popular TV shows as The Great British Bake Off and QI, Sandi can’t wait to come face-to-face with her audience again in a show that will feature a Q&A and lots of jokes.
In addition, Sandi will be regaling audiences with a raft of funny facts.
‘‘I’m endlessly interested in things,” says the 60-year-old. “I think detail is terribly funny. Did you know that the glue on Israeli postage stamps is Kosher?”
National Trevor will also feature a general knowledge quiz.
“I don’t know if you’ll want to win it, though,” Sandi smiles, “because then you’ll have to come up on stage and talk to me all about your life!”
During the show, Sandi will invites the audience to help her conduct a piece of music.
“I get them to conduct Beethov- en’s Ode to Joy. I chose that piece because Beethoven was deaf by the time he completed it.
“It’s remarkable to want to create music when you can’t hear it.
‘‘On the night of the premiere, he was seen running through the streets shouting, ‘Grab life by the throat!’ That’s what I’m saying in this show.”
Sandi adds: “Whenever I see people wearing a T-shirt that says ‘Living the Dream’ I think, ‘You’re totally not.’ I want to tell them, ‘If you had to buy a T-shirt saying that, it’s not working’.”
The aspect of the tour Sandi is most looking forward to is the audience interaction. She adores the spontaneity of it all.
“I can’t wait to get out there. The best bit is not me talking to them – it’s them talking to me. Me talking? Not so interesting. Them talking? Very interesting!
“You never quite know what is going to happen. The most unexpected thing that ever happened in a show took place during a Q and A in Bradford. A woman asked me what my bra size was. I couldn’t remember, so she had to come up on stage and have a look!”
Sandi, who was a very popular host of Radio 4’s News Quiz for a decade, adds: ”The other reason to do a live show is that there is still something magical about sharing an evening out at the theatre.
“When actors stand backstage before a performance, we listen to the sound of the audience. We say, ‘They’re a bit Monday night’ or ‘They’re a bit Saturday matinee’. A distinct personality overtakes an entire group of people.”
The theatre also demands a focus that we sometimes lack in other parts of our life.
“It’s about getting people to put their phones away, have an engagement with the show and listen to other people laughing – hopefully – or weeping!
“For a brief moment we can forget about Brexit or whatever it is we’re worrying about and lose ourselves in the show. That’s good for us. We feel better.”
One of the main themes of National Trevor will be the current fixation with celebrity.
Sandi explains: “The thing I’m slightly obsessed with is our whole attitude to fame. There is a new trend of calling people a ‘National Treasure’.
“I don’t know where it’s come from, but I heartily disapprove. I think everybody has something to commend them. Everyone has a story where you go, ‘Really?’ But we don’t get to hear their stories of extraordinary endeavours.
“One day, a friend of mine was being extremely rude to me. A lot of my friends are – I encourage it! So in the middle of this argument, I said to her, ‘Don’t you know I’m a National Treasure?’
“And she replied, ‘You’re a National Trevor?’ Then her husband said, ‘Who’s been calling her Trevor?’ Now they call me Trevor. So that’s why I gave the show this title.
‘‘I’m going round the country looking for all the National Trevors. I’m celebrating people.”
Sandi Toksvig brings her National Trevor tour to Birmingham Hippodrome on February 1 and 2 with tickets priced at £27.50. Call 0844 338 5000 or see birminghamhippodrome.com