Grayson Perry and Sindhu Vee

‘Hygge’ (pronounced hoo-ga) along with ‘tak’ (the word for ‘thank you’ that we learnt from watching Borgen and other Scandi dramas) is one of the few Danish words to have become known to us in the UK.

It’s a word that means comfort, contentment and cherishing the simple pleasures in life. In lifestyle magazines it’s faux fur throws, cups of hot cocoa and scented candles; but to the Danish it has simpler and less commercial roots.

As these cold Winter nights draw in after a difficult year of scant comfort, it feels like we all need some hygge and legendary Dane, Sandi Toksvig, will do her best to bring it to you.

Deep in the Danish countryside in her cosy wood cabin Sandi will explore the concept of hygge and the Danish way of life and welcomes celebrity guests who join her in front of the open fire to explore what brings them hygge.

In this episode, artist Grayson Perry talks about how identity might sometimes need an audience and how hobbies and learning new things can bring deep joy, while comedian Sindhu Vee talks about her children's part Indian and part Danish upbringing and how she has come to understand the Danish philosophy.

Additional material from Simon Alcock and Charlie Dinkin.

Producer: Julia McKenzie

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2020.