‘Everybody’s got surprising, hidden depths if you give them a minute’
Sandi Toksvig talks to Danielle de Wolfe about the return of Can I Improve My Memory?
The number one killer of men worldwide aged 15 to 45 is stupidity,” jokes Sandi Toksvig.
A brief, comical respite from our fact-driven conversation about the human brain, the former Great British Bake Off and QI presenter, comedian and writer has been waxing lyrical about grey matter for more than a quarter of an hour.
The human brain is a subject Toksvig, 63, has always found “fascinating”, explaining that curiosity is what really underpins her thirst for knowledge.
“I find the world endlessly interesting,” says Toksvig. “It’s impossible to get bored. There are books I haven’t read and music I haven’t heard and people I haven’t met.
“The one recommendation I’d make for everybody in the world is to be curious – always be curious, because then you’ll never ever run out of things for your brain to go, ‘Oh, how about that, that’s interesting!’
Between conversational tangents that see the Britishdanish presenter offload countless factual titbits and share an ever-growing list of must-watch documentaries – including Dr Chris van Tulleken’s What Are We Feeding Our Kids? – Toksvig’s thirst for knowledge is infectious.
It is, in part, what makes her the ideal presenter for Channel 4’s Can I Improve My Memory?
A show that sees five celebrities compete to win memory challenges over the course of a series, it features tips and memory tricks that viewers can try to benefit from at home. Featuring Strictly Come Dancing’s Len Goodman, ex boxer Chris Eubank, TV presenter Anna Richardson, Eastenders star Nina Wadia and ex-love Island Winner Amber Gill, the contestants on this year’s Can I Improve My Memory? span the generations.
“It worked out as a really lovely team of people, all of whom supported each other,” says Toksvig of the line-up. “There was a genuine atmosphere of co-operation, delight and celebration, which I’m thrilled about. And we did really enjoy hanging out as much as we were able to. It was one of the nicest shows I’ve done in a long time.
“Everybody’s got surprising, hidden depths if you give them a minute,” says Toksvig, who believes that educational achievement should no longer be based on “pieces of paper” handed out by “various academic institutions”.
“One of the problems with that is that the person, if they didn’t get a lot of qualifications, feels inclined to suggest to others that they’re not very bright.
“And in fact, that’s often not the case. It’s to do with opportunity. It’s to do with the chances you’ve had in life. It’s to do with your circumstances – poverty or whatever. And I think it was yet another lesson – as if I needed one – to not judge people instantly, but to take my time.
“One of the problems with education is that we tend to think there’s only one way to teach everybody, and everybody ought to learn in exactly the same way. And that’s not the case.”
● Catch up with Can I Improve My Memory? on Channel 4’s streaming service All 4