Len Goodman takes celebrities back in time to recreate their childhood holidays. Len takes singer, actress and presenter Toyah Willcox back to the Llangollen Canal in North Wales to reminisce about a wonderful narrow boat holiday she had back in 1968. First up Len surprises Toyah by picking her up in the Golden Lark – a beautiful narrow boat similar to the one she would have holidayed in back in 1968. As they drift along at a very civilised pace they start chatting about how her time on the canal was very different to her home city of Birmingham. For Toyah the holiday meant freedom and fun. Along the way they test their artistic side by painting trays just like ones that adorn the sides of the narrow boats, they tuck into a vintage picnic with the all-important pork pie and they visit an antiques shop like the ones her father would have taken her to whilst on holiday. One of the highlights is Toyah manning the tiller to negotiate the boat across a 127 feet aqueduct. (Duration: 45 minutes, Series 2 Episode 10)
As TV favourite Len Goodman celebrates the return of his nostalgic travel series Holiday Of My Lifetime, Gemma Dunn finds out about his latest batch of celebrity guests and why the lively host thinks staycations will never lose their appeal.
If you’re struggling to think of a holiday partner, why not try former professional ballroom dancer Len Goodman out for size? He’s humble, fun, proactive – “This morning I’ve put the washing on, got a bit of salmon out of the freezer, and now I’m putting the kettle on” – and, above all else, he’s picked up some top tips from his BBC One series, Holiday Of My Lifetime.
Returning for a second season, the daytime show, which sees the popular TV personality lead a line-up of willing celebrity guests down memory lane, to relive their favourite British childhood summer holidays, will air a total of 25 episodes over a five-week run.
Another retro Top Of The Pops appearance from 1981 for Toyah, airing 35 years later on BBC4 in February. There’s more info at the BBC website.
Top Of The Pops: 1981: BBC4: Thursday 11th February: 7.30pm/11pm
Peter Powell introduces the pop programme, featuring Sharon Redd, Bucks Fizz, Colin Blunstone and Dave Stewart, Toyah, the Who, Phil Collins, Shakin Stevens, Visage, Roxy Music and Duran Duran, and a dance performance from Legs and Co.
• Look out for further retro Toyah on Top Of The Pops appearances this year on BBC4 – In 1981 Toyah guested in the Top Of The Pops studio six times, performing ‘It’s A Mystery’ (three times), ‘I Want To Be Free’, ‘Thunder In The Mountains’ and ‘Good Morning Universe’.
Virtual Festivals: The world’s biggest ’80s music festival is back: Get ready to change the clocks, this summer we’re going back to British Summer Time 1980. Rewind Festival returns with three unique editions across the UK: Rewind Scotland in Perth, Rewind North in Cheshire and Rewind South in Hanley-on-Thames – Continue reading…
Festival Insights: 80s music festival Rewind to return this summer: Rewind, the world’s biggest 80s music festival, will return with three UK festivals during July and August 2016 – Continue reading…
Holly Johnson and Adam Ant lead line-up for Rewind Festival Scotland 2016
It’s time to dig out your fluorescent leg warmers for the retro music event of the year. Come July 22-24, the normally tranquil grounds of Scone Palace will once again be rocking to the soundtrack of iconic 80s hits as Rewind Scotland returns for 2016. As with previous Rewind festivals at Scone Palace, this year’s extravaganza is guaranteed to raise the roof (if there was one) with the crème de la crème of classic ‘80s pop music including headline performances from Holly Johnson (Relax, Two Tribes) and Adam Ant (Stand and Deliver, Prince Charming).
The festival includes a star-studded 80s line-up featuring Rick Astley, ABC, Tony Hadley, Marc Almond, Go West, Roland Gift, China Crisis, Toyah, The Beat, Annabella’s Bow Wow Wow, plus many more big names, including legendary Scottish artists Midge Ure (Live Aid, Ultravox), The Bluebells and Average White Band. Meanwhile, Living In A Box, Leo Sayer, Snap, and Slim Jim Phantom From Stray Cats are making their Rewind Scotland debuts.
Toyah is playing two of the three Rewind Festivals this Summer – Rewind Scotland (Scone Palace, Perth: July 22 – 24, 2016) and Rewind South (Temple Island Meadows, Henley-On-Thames: August 19 – 21, 2016). Visit the Rewind Festival website by clicking below.
Len Goodman returns in nostalgic travel series Holiday Of My Lifetime
As TV favourite Len Goodman celebrates the return of his nostalgic travel series Holiday Of My Lifetime, Gemma Dunn finds out about his latest batch of celebrity guests, and why the lively host thinks staycations will never lose their appeal
Returning for a second season, the daytime show, which sees the popular TV personality lead a line-up of willing celebrity guests down memory lane, to relive their favourite British childhood summer holidays, will air a total of 25 episodes over a five-week run.
Lisa Riley, Toyah Willcox, Pam St Clement, Edwina Currie, Jake Wood, Janet Ellis and Dan Walker are among the names to feature in the latest series, with destinations such as Haworth, Llangollen, Dartmoor, Bournemouth, Bude, the New Forest and Aberdeen on the list – Holiday Of My Lifetime begins on BBC One on Monday, February 1
An interview with Toyah from early 1982, by Molly Meldrum, which aired on the Australian music programme Countdown on the ABC channel. Click below to watch.
Toyah’s amazing very first appearance on Top Of The Pops, from February 1981, re-airs 35 years “almost” to the day it was first broadcast on BBC4 early next month…
Top Of The Pops: 1981: BBC4:
Thu 4th Feb: 7.30/11.30pm|Sun 7th Feb: 1.45am
Mike Read introduces the pop programme, featuring Duran Duran, Shakin Stevens, Phil Collins, the Who, Adam and the Ants, Toyah, Motorhead and Girlschool, Joe Dolce, Talking Heads and the Teardrop Explodes, and a dance performance from Legs and Co.
• Look out for further retro Toyah on Top Of The Pops appearances this year on BBC4 – In 1981 Toyah guested in the Top Of The Pops studio six times, performing ‘It’s A Mystery’ (three times), ‘I Want To Be Free’, ‘Thunder In The Mountains’ and ‘Good Morning Universe’.
Get ready to rev up your Vespa and neck that frothy coffee, as an immersive screening of Mod masterpiece Quadrophenia comes to London next month.
This one-off event aims to pull out the stops as it brings to life the London to Brighton rock opera and tells the tale of amphetamine-fuelled teenage rebellion in the 1960s.
Ahead of the screening, there’ll also be a Q&A with director Franc Roddam, plus actors Toyah Willcox, Phil Davis, Mark Wingett, John Altman and Phil Daniels (who apparently nicked the lead role of Jimmy from the uninsurable Johnny Rotten). The night will also include prizes for best Mod outfits, plus a chance to see memorabilia from the film and original Vespas.
• Continue reading at Londonist. Browse all of our Quadrophenia: The Immersive Cinematic Experiencehere.
Toyah’s Gig Diary for 2016 is already filling up with live appearances for this year, including the aforementioned Water Rats/Vintage TV special in February, plus a return to the Vauxhall Tavern and a visit to the Memorabilia signing event at Birmingham NEC, both in March. Click below to visit the Official Gig Diary.
Toyah is confirmed for a special one-off filmed gig on Tuesday 24 February 2016 at London’s Water Rats.
Toyah Unplugged is a one-off intimate concert which will see a four-piece acoustic band perform hits and classics. There will be no storytelling or background visuals in this gig like the Acoustic, Up Close & Personal gigs.
It will take place in the legendary London music pub/venue The Water Rats.
The concert will be filmed by Vintage TV for broadcast at a later date. Marc Almond plays a sold out gig at The Water Rats for Vintage TV on Tuesday 26 January for the same filmed concert series.
Holiday of My Lifetime: BBC1: Friday 12th February: 3.45pm
Len Goodman takes celebrities back in time to recreate their childhood holidays. Len takes singer, actress and presenter Toyah Willcox back to the Llangollen Canal in North Wales to reminisce about a wonderful narrow boat holiday she had back in 1968.
Out of the primordial soup we clambered, dragging our knuckles through the evolutionary steps. Now here we stand: upright, hairless (well, mostly), and with enough rudimentary intelligence to master simple tasks and ask ourselves the age old question, ‘what does it mean to be a man?’
While we go around and around in circles, scratching our heads like chimps as we try to find a purpose for masculinity and avoid extinction, British comedy Aaaaaaaah! manages to lampoon the entire farce in just 79 minutes of scything, armpit-scratching brilliance.
Toyah is guesting on Ian Riches’ show on Sky High Radio this Wednesday – Toyah Willcox plays live acoustically and is interviewed on SkyHigh Radio. Wednesday 20th January 2016 at 8pm on www.skyhighradio.co.uk.
• Aaaaaaaah!: Is released on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 18th January…
• Front Row Reviews: Steve Oram chats Aaaaaaaah!
You’ve said the film is based on nature documentaries but there are a lot of filmic references in there as well, like the opening scene of 2001 in there, and the close ups of the eyes was like something from Sergio Leone’s film
Steve Oram: 2001 wasn’t consciously aped – excuse my pun – nor was Sergio Leone – it was all about the intensity of feeling. It mainly came from the idea of observing and being a voyeur – that was my main vibe with it and we worked really hard on that.
Toyah Willcox’s performance is amazing – did you write her part specially?
I didn’t write it for her, and in the casting process it was ‘can we find a 55 yr old woman who’s up for doing these ridiculous things…?’ and she came to mind – Continue reading at Front Row Reviews.
More detailed info on the forthcoming Holiday of My Lifetime with Len Goodman featuring Toyah, which airs on Friday 12th February at 3.45pm on BBC1. (Photo © BBC)
