She’s extremely pleased to be back out on the road, that’s for sure.
Sandi Toksvig’s post lockdown-themed show already seems a bit dated now we’re well on the other side of Covid restrictions, but her joy at talking to a 1,200 capacity audience was infectious – in the best possible way.
The show’s title is a reference to those nightly Covid briefings and Sandi’s own Whitty first slide of many was the familiar face of Professor Chris.
This tiny and extremely funny woman told us tales of her own lockdown strategies which, like many others, featured books, gardening and walking – but in distances curtailed by lack of loos, a modern ‘urinary leash’.
This was the first of several instructive QI moments as this phrase originally referred to Victorian women whose movements were deliberately controlled by the lack of public toilets, which were at that time only for men.
Sandi shared some of the quirky and downright bonkers books she collected in lockdown – ‘you can learn most things from a book’ – including Knitting with Dog Hair, Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich, and How to Talk to your Cat about Gun Safety in between asking the audience to name their lockdown achievements, the prize for which was a pencil.
Amongst plenty of audience participation was a yes-no quiz, winning a small Danish chocolate bar called Plopp for the victor.
Sandi told us about the biggest effect Covid had on her life – a new appreciation of nature which led to her moving out of London with wife Debbie and dog Mildred to 15 acres of ancient woodland (presumably with a house thrown in).
And, in QI style, there were plenty of facts – it’s impossible to hum while holding your nose, did you know? – including some relating to our current location and the date. She likes to research place names but Poole is an etymological disappointment, meaning a place near a pool.
The biggest cheer of the night came when, making sure we all knew the significance of the Haven Hotel as the location of Marconi’s pioneering radio experiments – we did – an audience member made sure Sandi knew of a developer’s plan to knock it down. “I don’t know this man but I dislike him intensely” is the printable part of her response.
It was a warm, funny, and in her own words ‘silly and childish’ night’s entertainment in which Sandi held her audience brilliantly.
And then, as it was the anniversary of the date in 1824 when Beethoven’s 9th Symphony premiered and Sandi is known for enjoying a spot of tail-coated conducting, the evening ended with everyone on their feet joining in the last few bars.
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