Latest news with #Toksvig
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Sandi Toksvig to hunt for undiscovered treasures in new archaeological series
The former Great British Bake Off presenter and comedienne will meet Britain's professional and amateur history hunters to capture the stories of treasures as they are unearthed for the first time in hundreds of years. Toksvig, 67, will be joined by archaeologist Raksha Dave and a team of experts excavating the sites and meeting local experts to help share the history of the most remarkable finds. The show, titled Sandi Toksvig's Hidden Wonders, will be aired in four parts, Channel 4 said. Toksvig said: 'This is the dream job for a history and archaeology enthusiast like me. 'It is a total privilege to be given access to professional archaeological dig sites and to join Raksha and the teams as they dig to reveal the history of our country from right beneath our feet.' Dave, an author and TV presenter, said: 'It's so wonderful to share this experience with Sandi. 'Together, we travel across the UK to join archaeological teams as they uncover astonishing stories from our collective past. 'We're both thrilled to bring archaeology back to the heart of Channel 4 – engaging audiences in a fun, approachable and compelling format that offers real insight into how people lived and the communities helping to rediscover their stories.' Production company Salamanda Media has been commissioned to make the series. In a second announcement on Friday, Channel 4 said the Rev Richard Coles will voyage around the British isles to four of the 31 areas mapped out by the shipping forecast, in a new series for More4. The broadcaster and writer will discover the beauty of estuaries, oceans, channels and coastlines and meet residents of the Faeroes, Lundy, Thames and Wight to learn about life at sea and by the waterside, during the series titled Sailing The Shipping Forecast. The 64-year-old said: 'For years I've listened to the shipping forecast with only half an idea of where these exotic-sounding places are. 'I'm very excited to be a part of this journey around the country and feel privileged to meet just some of the maritime communities of our coasts.' The four-part series has been commissioned by Channel 4 from Glasgow-based Strawberry Blond TV.
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Sandi Toksvig to hunt for undiscovered treasures in new archaeological series
The former Great British Bake Off presenter and comedienne will meet Britain's professional and amateur history hunters to capture the stories of treasures as they are unearthed for the first time in hundreds of years. Toksvig, 67, will be joined by archaeologist Raksha Dave and a team of experts excavating the sites and meeting local experts to help share the history of the most remarkable finds. The show, titled Sandi Toksvig's Hidden Wonders, will be aired in four parts, Channel 4 said. Toksvig said: 'This is the dream job for a history and archaeology enthusiast like me. 'It is a total privilege to be given access to professional archaeological dig sites and to join Raksha and the teams as they dig to reveal the history of our country from right beneath our feet.' Dave, an author and TV presenter, said: 'It's so wonderful to share this experience with Sandi. 'Together, we travel across the UK to join archaeological teams as they uncover astonishing stories from our collective past. 'We're both thrilled to bring archaeology back to the heart of Channel 4 – engaging audiences in a fun, approachable and compelling format that offers real insight into how people lived and the communities helping to rediscover their stories.' Production company Salamanda Media has been commissioned to make the series. In a second announcement on Friday, Channel 4 said the Rev Richard Coles will voyage around the British isles to four of the 31 areas mapped out by the shipping forecast, in a new series for More4. The broadcaster and writer will discover the beauty of estuaries, oceans, channels and coastlines and meet residents of the Faeroes, Lundy, Thames and Wight to learn about life at sea and by the waterside, during the series titled Sailing The Shipping Forecast. The 64-year-old said: 'For years I've listened to the shipping forecast with only half an idea of where these exotic-sounding places are. 'I'm very excited to be a part of this journey around the country and feel privileged to meet just some of the maritime communities of our coasts.' The four-part series has been commissioned by Channel 4 from Glasgow-based Strawberry Blond TV.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sandi Toksvig on shortlist to be Cambridge chancellor
Sandi Toksvig is among the final 10 candidates in the race to become the next chancellor of the University of Cambridge. The comedian and former host of the Great British Bake Off is on the shortlist alongside an anti-Brexit campaigner and the former chief of BP to replace Lord Sainsbury of Turville. Toksvig and Gina Miller, a business owner who led two successful legal challenges against the Government relating to Brexit, are the only two women on the shortlist. Success for either of them would result in Cambridge's first female chancellor in the role's 800-year history. Toksvig said in her candidate statement: 'The first known chancellor of Cambridge was Richard of Wetheringsett, who served sometime between 1215 and 1232. After that, we have had a plethora of other Richards, many Johns and an awful lot of Stephens. 'After over 800 years, I wonder if it isn't time for a change?' The chancellorship is a largely ceremonial position at the head of the university, representing the institution at events and fundraising initiatives. The role is unpaid, but its extensive foreign travel is paid for by the university. Lord Sainsbury, the former chairman of the supermarket chain established by his great-grandfather, will step down next month after 14 years as chancellor. His successor will inherit Cambridge's figurehead position at a difficult time for the university sector as it grapples with a worsening financial crisis and increasingly polarised debate over free speech issues. While Cambridge University's £4 billion endowment fund and global reputation mean it is largely shielded from financial woes, it has attracted disruptive student protests recently over the war in Gaza. All 10 nominees spoke about the importance of defending free speech or academic freedom in their candidate statements, with Toksvig saying 'the politicisation of free speech' was one of a number of threats facing academia. Lord Browne of Madingley, the former chief executive of BP and a crossbench peer, said he would 'sustain our long-held values, particularly of free speech, intellectual freedom, and fact-based analysis'. The Cambridge physics graduate stepped down from the company in 2007 over speculation about his private life, later writing about the pressures of being a closet homosexual in the world of business. Lord Smith of Finsbury, a former Labour Cabinet minister who is also on the shortlist and is the current master of Pembroke College, said his own experience as the first openly gay MP showed his commitment to 'diversity, openness and ethics'. Mrs Miller also promised to champion academic freedom and open debate at Cambridge 'when trust in institutions is eroding and authoritarianism and anti-intellectualism are on the rise'. The businesswoman became a prominent public figure by bringing a court case against the UK Government in 2016 over its ability to implement Brexit without parliamentary approval, and successfully challenging Boris Johnson's decision to prorogue Parliament in 2019 to push through his Brexit plans. But fellow candidate Prof Wyn Evans, an astrophysics professor at Cambridge, warned that if 'Cambridge needs a high-profile or celebrity chancellor to be noticed, we might as well give up and rebrand the university as a reality TV show.' The other five candidates include a former oil industry executive, an Egyptian-American economist, two consultants and a former Cambridge education professor who has pledged to fight the university's ties to the arms and fossil fuels industries if successful. Voting is open to members of the University Senate, which includes all alumni or former members of staff who hold a qualifying Cambridge degree. More than 34,500 people have registered to vote online when the ballot opens on July 9, with several thousand more expected to cast their vote in person. The winner will be announced in the week beginning July 21 and will serve at least 10 years. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Sandi Toksvig joins Cambridge University chancellor nominations
A presenter and broadcaster has joined the list of nominees for the chancellorship of her former Toksvig is the sixth candidate to be nominated for the University of Cambridge position, the student newspaper Varsity has British-Danish broadcaster, who hosted The Great British Bake Off and QI and co-founded the Women's Equality Party, has been endorsed by Simon McDonald, a Master of Christ's will be the first time that voting for the position of chancellor can take place online and in person. The elected chancellor will become the university's formal and ceremonial head. They have no executive responsibilities, but will be a vital part of public-facing activities, fundraising, and advising senior members of the Sainsbury of Turville, who replaced the Duke of Edinburgh in the position, announced he intended to step down from the role last Cambridge University student newspaper, Varsity, first reported a list of the current candidates vying for the included Cambridge astrophysicist Wyn Evans, former BP chief executive Lord Browne, business owner and activist Gina Miller, education professor Tony Booth and Queens' College president Mohamed person voting will take place in person either 12 July or 16 July with online votes being cast on 9 July and 18 July. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Times
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Times
All set for first female chancellor at Cambridge
The election for chancellor of Cambridge might not have caught Lord Mandelson's eye, but it could be historic. Nominations close on Friday and the smart money is on the university electing a first female chancellor. The anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller is in the race while the comic Sandi Toksvig, who has not publicly declared, has had her nomination papers submitted by the master of Christ's College. The former BP boss Lord Browne and the astrophysicist Professor Wyn Evans are also standing. While Miller and Toksvig have name recognition, they lack a track record of electoral success: both Miller's True and Fair Party and Toksvig's Women's Equality Party were deregistered from the Electoral Commission last year. Toksvig has run to be a chancellor before, though she
