Born in Denmark, and later educated in New York, Sandi Toksvig began her comedy career at Cambridge University, where she was studying archaeology and anthropology at Girton College.

She appeared in several Footlights shows and was the director, writer and star of the first all -female Cambridge Revue. She wrote for the Footlights show featuring Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson that won the first Perrier award in 1981. She was also one of the founder members of The Comedy Store Players improv team.

Her television career began with the children's show No. 73, which ran from 1982 to1986, and has been a panellist in shows such as Call My Bluff, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Mock the Week, QI and Have I Got News for You – appearing on the first ever episode in 1990.

On radio, she is probably best known as chair of Radio 4's News Quiz, which she took over from Simon Hoggart in September 2006, and also presents the travel programme Excess Baggage. She is also a frequent guest on shows such as I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and Just A Minute, and from 2002 to 2005 she presented a weekday lunchtime programme on London's LBC radio station.

In 2007 she was voted Broadcaster of the Year by the Broadcast Press Guild and Channel 4 Political Humorist of the Year, and the following year she was named Broadcaster of the Year at the Stonewall Awards.

She has written 18 books and has regular columns in the Sunday Telegraph and Good Housekeeping.

She is the mother of two daughters (born 1988 and 1990) and a son (born 1994) conceived through artificial insemination.

"Closet heterosexual"

Deidre, August 2011