Sandi Toksvig fronts Channel 4 literary series

Sandi Toksvig is to front an ‘empowering and uplifting’ two-part series about illiteracy.

Statistics show that five million people in the UK are considered functionally illiterate, so The Write Offs aims to teach those vital skills to a group of eight adults.

They include a 66-year-old town crier who hopes to one day write a thank you letter to all those who’ve supported him and the young mum who wants to be able to help her kids with their homework.

Gilly Greenslade, commissioning editor for factual entertainment at Channel 4 said: ‘The Write Offs is a joyous way of tackling this important issue and will enable our learners to experience some of the pleasures that come with being able to read and write.’

Toksvig added: ‘Working on The Write Offs has been one of the great honours of my working life.  I have had the extraordinary pleasure of spending time with eight courageous people who have approached their deepest fears with humour and determination. 

‘Like me, I just know not only will everyone fall in love with them, they will review what they think they know about reading and writing. I believe the ripple effect from these eight will be astonishing.’

The Write Offs will air on Channel 4 later this year.

Published: 14 Jan 2020