The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) has today announced Sandi Toksvig OBE as its new President with immediate effect.
The announcement was made at a special AGM at the Unicorn Theatre to mark the 60th anniversary of the trade union, which represents professional writers in TV, film, theatre, radio, books, comedy, poetry, animation and videogames. Members also include emerging and aspiring writers.
Toksvig joins a long line of prestigious presidents of WGGB which works on behalf of writers in the UK - negotiating better pay and conditions, and lobbying and campaigning on a broad range of issues to ensure writers’ voices are heard in a rapidly changing digital landscape.
The Danish-British star and long-term member of the union, is a well-known broadcaster, actor, comedian, novelist and producer, familiar to audiences fronting shows including QI, The Great British Bake Off and 15 to 1. Her writing credits span theatre, TV, radio, and she has written more than 20 fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults. In 2019 her adaptation of Mamma Mia the Party will open at London’s 02.
Toksvig’s experience as a political activist and longstanding champion for gender equality, including co-founding the Women’s Equality Party, stands her in good stead to continue to build on the union’s legacy of campaigning for equality and diversity. Last year saw WGGB launch the Equality Writes campaign following an independent report which sent shockwaves through the screen industries when it revealed that only 16% of working film writers in the UK are women, and only 14% of prime-time TV is written by women. The union is also taking part in Breaking The Glass Ceiling, a Parliamentary inquiry into the lack of working-class writers,performers and musicians.
WGGB has a strong track record in this area. In the 1980s it also became one of the first organisations to lend its support to the Organisation for Lesbian and Gay Action, critics of the Section 28 amendment to the 1986 Local Government Act, which stated that a local authority should not intentionally promote homosexuality.
As well as supporting WGGB’s Equality Writes campaign, in 2015 Toksvig hosted the relaunch of the Writers’ Guild Awards, a prestigious, red-carpet event, which throughout its history has been frequented by high-profile writers including Heidi Thomas, Russell T Davies, Kay Mellor, Tom Stoppard, Caryl Churchill and Steven Moffat.
Sandi Toksvig commented; “I am honoured to take my place at the end of such a long line of illustrious Presidents – JB Priestley, Maureen Duffy, David Edgar, David Nobbs and Rosemary Anne Sisson, to name but a few. They were all leading writers and campaigners of their times and I pick up the baton from Olivia Hetreed who worked tirelessly to stamp out the bullying and harassment and gender inequality that blights the screen and other industries in which we writers work. I also join the Writers’ Guild as it celebrates its diamond anniversary and I look forward to playing my own part in helping to write the next chapter of its important history.”
Toksvig has stepped into the role vacated by Olivia Hetreed, who held the position for the last six years. During her tenure, Hetreed was instrumental in the Equality Writes campaign, and helped to negotiate the BFI Locked Box deal, securing access to vital funding for writers and directors in the UK. She also campaigned to make screenwriters more visible at film festivals, and was responsible for revamping the annual Writers’ Guild Awards in 2015, raising the profile of writers, and WGGB, in the process. She spoke out loudly against bullying and harassment in the screen industries, in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, and helped to shape industry-wide principles to tackle the problem.
OutgoingWGGB President Olivia Hetreed said; “It's been a real honour to represent the Guild over the last six years and to see how it's developed from strength to strength as a powerful campaigning union that is really effective in fighting for its members - but also knows how to have fun. I could not be more delighted to welcome the next President, Sandi Toksvig, herself a brilliant campaigner and a seriously funny woman, to carry the fight forward.”
Toksvig joins other senior elected officers, including Call the Midwife writer Lisa Holdsworth, who was also announced as the union’s new Chair at the AGM, effective immediately.Holdsworth commented; “I am beyond proud to become Chair of the Guild. I hope to build on the success and hard work of my predecessor [Gail Renard] who has left me with some very big shoes to fill. I will continue our campaign for equality and diversity in our industry including better access to opportunities for writers from working class backgrounds. I will work to protect the livelihoods and rights of writers in this time of change. And I will continue to call out bad working practices that damage writers’ careers, confidence and mental health.”
