COMIC and TV presenter Sandi Toksvig has settled an old score after some tongue-in-cheek comments made about Weymouth 20 years ago.

Ms Toksvig's light-hearted observations made her almost as unpopular as the rats carrying the Black Death after she sailed into town in 1994 as part of a coastal adventure with former Beirut hostage John McCarthy.

In a subsequent book she described the town as 'tacky' and its residents 'bad tempered' – comments which were not given a warm Weymouth welcome.

Ms Toksvig, who made light of the spat recently saying she had been 'banned' from the town', has attempted to draw a line under the saga by explaining her comments and apologising.

The presenter and broadcaster, who has recently been announced as the new host of popular BBC panel show QI replacing Stephen Fry, made the original remarks in the1995 book Island Race after travelling around the UK in a boat with Mr McCarthy.

She noted: “Weymouth is British seaside culture in aspic. Along the front, every house in the town seems to have been turned into a hotel of dubious quality.

“The beach was packed with people in the way you only ever see in Pathe News reels....Everywhere chip-fed men with their shirts off displayed their bellies like prizes. We met rather a lot of grumpy people.

“There’s a plaque up at the old harbour which says that it was through the middle of the 14th century that the (plague) first entered Britain.

"Maybe some of the temper is a relic left over from having such a horrid time.”

Ms Toksvig recently claimed during her last appearance of The News Quiz on Radio 4 she had been banned from Weymouth because of the comments, and hadn’t “dared” to return to the town.

Since her appointment as the new host of QI, locals have taken to social media to say they would boycott the show because of her comments.

Speaking to the Echo, Ms Toksvig apologised and asked for forgiveness from the town.

Cllr Jason Osborne, borough council spokesman for tourism, welcomed the apology and invited her back so he could show her the improvements to the town since her last visit.

He added: "When she made the comments she was obviously in quite a bad place and quite fractious.

"But, Weymouth has moved on a lot since 1994, especially with the Olympics and being voted one of the best beaches in Europe."

That apology in full

SANDI Toksvig told the Dorset Echo: “Twenty years ago, I had a rather tricky time sailing for months around the coast of Britain on a very old boat with no shower.

“It is possible the trip did not put me in the best possible frame of mind.

“Whilst in Weymouth I met one or two less than helpful people (who were, I'm certain, not even native to the fine town) and I made a joke about it.

“I have since been back, albeit wearing a false moustache and glasses, and loved it.

“I quite see why King George III was so fond of the place.

“It is a fine slice of the English coast combining glorious history and invigorating sea air.

“Sorry Weymouth. Will you forgive me?"