WORKINGHAM LEISURE
SANDI Toksvig is remembering a terrific occasion at the 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,” she says.
“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. There were literally thousands of people. 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 and comes to The Hexagon next week.
In person, Sandi is every bit as delightful as you would hope. Offscreen, she is just as warm, witty, welcoming and generally wonderful as she is on screen. She is marvellous company, and an hour with her simply flies by.
Over a burger in a central London hotel, Sandi is brimming with excitement about the forthcoming tour, which launched at The Lowry in Salford yesterday.
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 and lots of jokes.
In addition, Sandi will be regaling audiences with a raft of funny facts.
“I’m endlessly interested in things,” confirms the 60-year-old. “I think detail is terribly funny. Did you know that the glue on Israeli postage stamps is Kosher?”
National Trevor also showcases a general knowledge quiz.
“I don’t know if you want to win it,” Sandi smiles, “because then you have to come up on stage and talk to me all about your life.”
During the show, Sandi invites the audience to help her conduct a piece of music, too. “I get them to conduct Beethoven’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.”
The aspect of the tour Sandi is most looking forward to is the audience interaction. She adores