Sandi Toksvig Live! The National Trevor Tour review, Royal Festival Hall: the Bake Off star whips up a host of amusing stories
By her own admission, Sandi Toksvig is a bit of an anomaly. Born in Denmark, raised in New York and now proudly British, she is a comedian, broadcaster, novelist, actress and co-founder of a political party.
Her extensive achievements and near-universal popularity have meant, at the age of 61, that the dubious honour of being a “national treasure” looms perilously overhead – an epithet with the unfortunate tendency of turning beloved public figures into unavoidable public irritations.
Instead, Toksvig has chosen to embrace the misspoken title provided by a friend’s husband, which forms the subtitle for her new live show: “The National Trevor Tour”. Delighting in the subversive playfulness of being a “national Trevor”, Toksvig dismisses the notion of being put out to pasture with sycophantic platitudes. And she is showing no signs of slowing down.
Having spent 10 years presenting Radio 4’s The News Quiz, Toksvig saw her TV career flourish in 2016 when she replaced Stephen Fry as the host of QI. She went on to front The Great British Bake Off alongside Noel Fielding after its move to Channel 4, but recently announced that she is stepping down to make time for other projects.
Asked by an audience member “Bake Off or QI?”, Toksvig admitted that although she is sad to say goodbye to the former, the latter is where her passion lies, and she intends to see out ‘the other half of the alphabet” begun by Stephen Fry. Each series of QI concentrates on a new letter, which means that Toksvig intends to match Fry’s 13 seasons at the helm.
Personal fulfilment, and the need to pursue it uncompromisingly, is a recurrent theme of Toksvig’s routine, which at times resembles that of a motivational speaker. “Making our lives count,” she tells us, “is the noblest of enterprises.” Perhaps a bit too much of this is invested in the life-affirming potential of binning our smartphones, but Toksvig’s appeal to seek out the small joys in our lives is enjoyable and timely.
She insists that anyone is eligible to become a “national Trevor” simply by standing out from the crowd for a brief moment, by raising a smile. Proving the thesis, she asks the audience if anyone has found themselves featured in a local newspaper, and if so what for. This is a remarkably effective formula, yielding a host of peculiar and amusing stories, from being the first white man to feature in a Japanese snow-sculpting contest, to being interviewed about street fashion after nipping out in pyjamas.
Toksvig has a talent for light and shade, meeting the profound with the absurd in consecutive breaths. She speaks elegantly about her literary idol Lord Byron and his struggle with the “wretched picture” of fame, before showing off a cushion she received with his image and musing, “I just can’t bring myself to sit on his face.”
The evening is punctuated by subtle and not-so-subtle political jibes. Donald Trump, Brexit and Prince Andrew come under fire, as do the five MPs who Toksvig’s Women’s Equality Party stood against in the last general election, each of whom had outstanding allegations of sexual misconduct.
Before departing the stage, Toksvig invites the audience to join her in conducting the final euphoric phrases of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, which, if you have never tried it, is an irresistibly enjoyable exercise. Although it isn’t mentioned, she pehaps quietly enjoyed the opportunity to trick any Brexiters in the audience to wave their arms enthusiastically to the official anthem of the EU.
Touring until Feb. Details and tickets: sanditoksvig.com
