Sandi Toksvig was born on 3 May 1958 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her father, Claus Toksvig, was a journalist and foreign correspondent, and her mother, Julie Anne Brett, was British. She spent much of her childhood abroad due to her father’s work.

She attended Tormead School in England before studying archaeology and anthropology at Girton College, Cambridge, where she graduated with a first-class degree. Her comedy career began at university, performing with the Cambridge Footlights.

Toksvig began her professional career in the early 1980s, working in radio and children’s television. She later became a prominent BBC presenter, hosting programmes such as The News Quiz and Fifteen-to-One.

In 2016, she became host of QI on BBC Two (and QI XL), succeeding Stephen Fry. She also co-presented The Great British Bake Off on Channel 4 from 2017 to 2020.

Toksvig lives in the UK with her wife and continues to work as a presenter, writer, and activist, maintaining a high profile in British media.