Sandi Toksvig says women are 'marginalised' and edited out of TV panel shows

'There are panel shows that struggle to get women on'

Sandi Toksvig, host of the BBC quiz show 'QI' (BBC)

Sandi Toksvig has criticised television panel shows for making women feel “marginalised” and often leaving their scenes on the cutting room floor.

The QI host, who has been a regular feature on panel shows for almost three decades, said she hoped women who appear on her show felt “comfortable” making jokes and being smart.

“There are panel shows that struggle to get women on, and that’s because the women feel marginalised and stupid, and in the edit are often seen just laughing at the boys and not saying anything at all, even though I know for a fact in the recording they were clever,” she told Radio Times.

“I’m not shy at speaking up but even I, on those shows, am silenced. And I sit there and think, ‘I could have been at home eating Chinese. What am I doing sitting here?’ And that’s a shame.”

Over the weekend, Toksvig – who co-founded the Women’s Equality party – revealed that she is paid 40 per cent of what previous QI host Stephen Fry was paid.

“I didn’t know the facts about pay transparency and I also never wanted the argument [to be] about me, because I spent my life trying to fight for the greater good,” the Great British Bake Off presenter said at a conference.

“I have a nice living and I do very well. So I was much keener to focus on the women in supermarkets.”

Before taking over QI, Toksvig hosted various quiz shows including BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz and Channel 4’s 1001 Things You Should Know. She also appeared on the very first episode of Have I Got News for You in 1990.