Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

Christmas 2006, Toyah was interviewed in Somerfield magazine. Somerfield was a supermarket chain which traded for almost 140 years before closing in 2011 after being bought over by the Co-op.

Toyah Willcox gets into the festive spirit

What does Christmas mean to you?
For the last 15 years, I’ve been doing panto. So to me, Christmas means entertaining families. On Christmas Day itself, I eat from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep. It’s the only time of the year where I’ll eat for 12 hours!

Do you have the works on Christmas Day?
Yes we do. I have a restaurant prepare all the food the day before because what I don’t want to do on my one day off is cook. All I have to do is put it all in the Aga!

Do you enjoy cooking?
I do. I think it’s good to make yourself cook.

Your dream dining companion?
It would have to be John Lennon. If he could see the world today, he’d have more to say than ever before.

Quadrophenia plus a Q&A and live music with Toyah Willcox

Here’s a brilliant evening’s entertainment with not only an anniversary screening of iconic movie Quadrophenia, but a Q&A with one of its stars, the legendary Toyah Willcox and a live music set with her too. Toyah who went on to be a music, film and TV star and an author played the character Monkey in the 1979 Who album-inspired film which depicts the Mods and Rockers era of the late 1960s and which is celebrating its 40th year. The film will be screened before Toyah takes the stage to talk about the movie and her career at Square Chapel. The film stars Phil Daniels as Jimmy, a young 1960s London-based Mod who escapes from his dead-end job as a mailroom boy by dancing, partying, taking amphetamines, riding his scooter, and brawling with the motorcycle-riding Rockers. After he and his friends participate in a huge brawl with the Rockers by the seaside in Brighton, he is arrested and his life starts to spiral out of control. Toyah has had eight Top 40 singles and released over 20 albums, Her biggest hits were “It’s a Mystery”, “Thunder in the Mountains” and “I Want to Be Free”.  She has written two books, appeared in over forty stage plays and ten feature films.

• Continue reading at the Halifax Courier.

Christmas 2001, Toyah festively featured in the December/Christmas issue of Woman & Home magazine, in a one-page article.

My Christmas Wish… “My wish is that every calorie consumed is calorie-free and that we all have at least three wishes come true – as long as we all have the sense to wish our lives to be lived to our full abilities, and to be kind and honourable to all our fellow men.”  Toyah Willcox, Actress

Toyah attended the Snow White Gala Night at the London Palladium last night.

Daily Mail: Chic and cheerful: Toyah Willcox opted for a purple theme as she teamed a stylish midi dress with an embroidered duster coat and beige mary janes. (Photos © WENN/BackGrid)

Santa and his Elves have been working very hard with The Old Rep team over the past few weeks spreading the Christmas cheer with Pinocchio. And with only two weeks to go until Christmas, we have some amazing gift ideas. There really is something for everyone!

Name a seat at The Old Rep
Naming a seat at The Old Rep is the perfect Christmas gift. For just £150 for 5 years you will play a role in securing the future of the theatre and help us continue creating opportunities for young people and emerging artists.

Each plaque featured in our auditorium is unique and inscribed with a personal message. Your plaque will be installed amongst our patrons Brian Cox, Brian Blessed, Toyah Willcox, June Brown and Albert Finney.

• Continue reading at The Old Rep Theatre. (Photo © Toyah Willcox)

Christmas 2002, Toyah was the cover star of Festival City Theatres brochure, in anticipation of Calamity Jane playing at The Festival Theatre in Edinburgh in January 2003.

Calamity Jane was a great success for Toyah in the early 2000s. The musical toured the UK from September to November 2002, and January to June 2003 (with a break in late April/early May for Toyah’s stint in the second series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!), then transferred to London West End’s Shaftsebury Theatre from June to September of 2003. There was speculation that Toyah would reprise her role as Jane for a further tour but this never happened.

Here are the acts that have been announced so far

With preparations for next year’s Brentwood Festival well underway, a number of acts appearing in the line-up have been announced.

So far those that have been confirmed include the singer, songwriter and musician Paul Young, famous for his hit singles such as Love of the Common People, Wherever I Lay My Hat and Everytime You Go Away.

Toyah Willcox will also be taking to the stage. The singer, songwriter, musician, actress, producer and author, has accomplished a lot over her career including eight top 40 singles.

Another act will be Katrina Leskanich, the former lead singer of the pop rock band Katrina and the Waves, famous for the song Walking on Sunshine.

• Continue reading at Essex Live. Visit the Brentwood Festival 2019 website.

A selection of Toyah on TV this festive season. Of particular interest are Celebrity Mastermind. airing on BBC1 on Saturday 22nd December, and the Fleetwood Mac documentary A Musical History, airing on BBC Four on a number of occasions just before Christmas.

Celebrity Fantasy Homes: Home:
Friday 14th December: 1.50am
Toyah (Series 2, Episode 2). Celebrities hunt for a new home. Gaby Roslin helps the original punk-pop princess Toyah Willcox search for a second home, in Richmond upon Thames, with a budget of £650,000.

Most Shocking Christmas TV Moments: Channel 5:
Monday 17th December: 10pm
A merry romp through the most inappropriate, outrageous and appallingly atrocious Christmas television turkeys of all time. These are the kind of disastrous, ill-conceived and downright cringe-inducing moments that it’s a wonder ever made it to air. Among contributors ready to dissect the disasters – many of which they were involved in themselves – are Eamonn Holmes, Toyah Willcox, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Anne Diamond, Steve Punt and Mike Read.

Fleetwood Mac – A Musical History: BBC4: Friday 21st December: 8pm
Fleetwood Mac – A Musical History: BBC4: Saturday 22nd December: 1.25am
Fleetwood Mac – A Musical History: BBC4: Christmas Eve: 00.25am
Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood Mac fan Edith Bowman provides a narrative overview alongside other celebrity fans who all pay tribute to the band in this hit-filled hour. Contributors include KT Tunstall, Travis’ frontman Fran Healy, Toyah Willcox, Sian Pattenden and Emma Dabiri.

Celebrity Mastermind: BBC1: Saturday 22nd December: 5.20pm
Series 13, Episode 2. John Humphrys puts four celebrities to the test in another episode of the classic quiz. Taking part are comedian Joe Pasquale, Newsround presenter Ricky Boleto, singer Toyah Willcox and Olympian Jeanette Kwakye. They answer questions on werewolf films, 1990s number one singles, Boudica and Disney animations.

Quadrophenia: Film 4 HD: Christmas Eve: 1.25am
The Who wrote and produced this energetic story of a young man disillusioned with his life in 1960s London. Phil Daniels excels as the alienated anti-hero Jimmy Cooper. Director: Franc Roddam. Starring: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Willcox, Philip Davis, Mark Wingett, Sting, and Ray Winstone.

Most Shocking Christmas TV Moments: 5Select: Christmas Day: 1.25am
Most Shocking Christmas TV Moments: 5Select: Boxing Day: 0.00am
A merry romp through the most inappropriate, outrageous and appallingly atrocious Christmas television turkeys of all time. These are the kind of disastrous, ill-conceived and downright cringe-inducing moments that it’s a wonder ever made it to air. Among contributors ready to dissect the disasters – many of which they were involved in themselves – are Eamonn Holmes, Toyah Willcox, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Anne Diamond, Steve Punt and Mike Read.

The 100 Greatest Musicals: More4: Christmas Day: 12.20pm
Part One. Denise Van Outen kicks off a sumptuous two-part celebration of the great songs and performers from the best classic and contemporary musicals – as voted for by the British public. From Astaire to Zellweger, from 42nd Street to 8 Mile, Moulin Rouge! and The Sound of Music, The 100 Greatest Musicals is the definitive guide to the musicals that have both stood the test of time and had a lasting impact on viewers’ lives. The first show counts down from 100 to 51 and features memorable clips from film, stage and TV, interspersed with interviews given by performers, directors, writers and choreographers. Also airing on More4 +1 and HD.

The 100 Greatest Musicals: More4: Boxing Day: 12.30pm
Part Two. Denise Van Outen concludes the rundown of viewers’ favourite musicals, counting down from 50 to number one. Including memorable clips from film, stage and TV productions, plus contributions by celebrity fans, Hollywood movers and shakers, critics and journalists. Also airing on More4 +1 and HD.

Isn’t it reassuring that some people still listen to, and appreciate, great music. Congratulations to Toyah for her success at Spotify this year. Not forgetting how well the Four From Toyah: Birthday Edition EP did upon its release in May. While on the subject of music, Toyah and Simon Darlow recently signed a new record contract and completed a new song for release in 2019.

Christmas 2010, was an incredibly busy time for Toyah. As well as starring in the panto Sleeping Beauty at the Festival Theatre, Malvern (with great reviews from The Stage and Malvern Gazette: “This is as near the perfect pantomime as can be“), being part of The Hazel O’Connor Collective and the Christmas charity single Re-Joyce (In The Bleak Midwinter), and appearing all over the TV and radio schedules – Toyah also found time to take part in a variety of festive events.

In early December Toyah switched on Bidford Upon Avon’s Christmas lights on a wintery Sunday evening; took part in The Big Switch On in Malvern, turning on the Worcestershire town’s Christmas lights and performing some Christmas classics; and later in December Toyah and her panto co-stars helped launch the Oxfam Unwrapped gift scheme in Malvern. A great festive month!

Full details – day, time and synopsis – of the episode of the Christmas series of Celebrity Mastermind, in which Toyah is participating, has now been confirmed by the BBC.

Celebrity Mastermind: BBC1:
Saturday 22nd December: 5.20pm
Series 13, Episode 2. John Humphrys puts four celebrities to the test in another episode of the classic quiz. Taking part are comedian Joe Pasquale, Newsround presenter Ricky Boleto, singer Toyah Willcox and Olympian Jeanette Kwakye. They answer questions on werewolf films, 1990s number one singles, Boudica and Disney animations.

• The programme will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer after it airs. Visit the dedicated page for this episode at bbc.co.uk.

Christmas 1981, 82, 83 & 84. In the early eighties Toyah’s Official Fanclub – Intergalactic Ranch House – sent out Christmas cards to subscribing members each December.

Toyah took the time to sign each and every card, which numbered around 6,000 at the height of the fanclub’s popularity.

This tradition was carried on for an extra year, in 1984, when the IRH became simply the Toyah Fanclub after Toyah’s Safari Records contract ended and she signed to the CBS/Portrait.

All four cards featured photos of Toyah, showcasing great early eighties imagery and creating a unique set of fanclub memorabilia that became collector’s items.

Hey! It’s Christmas, an ideal time to take one of our, very sporadic, looks at the visitor stats to this website.

In these times of social media essentially becoming the internet for many people, this site is still very busy and continues to receive 100′s of unique visitors each and every day.

Even on the quietest day of the last couple of months, which was Saturday 20th October, there were still 130 unique visitors. I have friends who run well-known Madonna, Doctor Who and U2 fansites and all say social media has seriously affected their visitor stats over recent years.

In the last 24 hours alone there have been visits to Dreamscape from: United Kingdom, United States, Israel, Switzerland, Japan, Italy, South Africa, Canada, Australia, France, Thailand, Sweden, Netherlands, China, Poland, Jersey, Estonia, Germany and Austria.

View a larger version of the stats graphic here.

Christmas 2011, ITV’s This Morning got into the festive spirit with their Big Fat Panto Quiz.

Paul Ross was Quizmaster, with Bonnie Langford, The Krankies, Timmy Mallet, Lynda Bellingham, Kevin Cruise and Toyah, all in full panto dress/character, answering the questions.

Panto is a huge Christmas tradition here in the UK. Oh yes it is! A short clip from The Big Fat Panto Quiz is still available online here. Please click on the caps to view larger versions.

Another live date for Toyah’s Gig Diary in 2019. The Forever Young Festival 2019, taking place in Ireland in July with a plethora of bands and artists. Click below for further details.

Christmas 1984. Toyah guested on the Pop Quiz Christmas Special on BBC1. The programme aired at 4.15pm on Christmas Eve.

This was the penultimate edition of the original Pop Quiz. There were four series, plus five specials, 48 episodes in total, with Toyah guesting four times. The final Pop Quiz Special aired a few days later on 28th December 1984. Though there have been a number of revivals since.

Pop Quiz was a British television quiz programme that originally aired on BBC1 from 4th July 1981 to 28th December 1984 with a Top of the Pops special on 4th January 1994 hosted by Mike Read. It was then revived from 21st May to 9th July 1994 on the same channel but this time hosted by Chris Tarrant (Toyah also guested on this series, alongside Pete Burns). It was revived again on Red TV from 14th June to 30th August 2008 with Mike Read returning as host. He also hosted two specials on BBC Four in December 2016 and January 2017 – Please click on the caps below for larger versions.

Celebrity Fantasy Homes: Home: Friday 14th December: 1.50am
Toyah (Series 2, Episode 2). Celebrities hunt for a new home. Gaby Roslin helps the original punk-pop princess Toyah Willcox search for a second home, in Richmond upon Thames, with a budget of £650,000.

Christmas 2012, BBC Radio 4 aired Neil Tennant’s Smash Hits Christmas on 20th December. An interesting look back at the golden years of the UK’s biggest pop magazine of the Eighties. The programme included contributions from Tennant, various Smash Hits editors and writers, and Toyah, talking about Smash Hits in general and her Brave New World cover from the Summer of 1982.

Neil Tennant had a life as a journalist before he became famous as a Pet Shop Boy. In fact, it was on a Smash Hits trip to New York that he had his big breakthrough with the record producer Bobby O. The half-hour programme isn’t currently available at BBC iPlayer but you can click below to listen to a recording of the programme at You Tube.

The Christmas series of Celebrity Mastermind begins airing on BBC1 on Friday 21st December at 8.30pm. Please check your, just about to be published, Christmas Radio Times for exact days and times for the full series.

Toyah is one of the contestants during the Christmas 2018 series.

Visit the BBC Celebrity Mastermind website.

Toyah’s December/Christmas 2018 blog is available to read at toyahwillcox.com.

Saturday 16th February 2019 will be a busy day for Toyah – She plays an Acoustic, Up Close & Personal date at Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax and participates in a Q&A after a 40th Anniversary screening of Quadrophenia prior to her concert, at the same venue.

Square Chapel Arts Centre presents
Quadrophenia + Q&A with Toyah Willcox
Sat 16 Feb, 6:00pm at Red Brick

Join us for an exclusive 40th anniversary screening of the mod classic Quadrophenia. Loosely based on The Who’s 1973 rock opera of the same name, the film has become a cult classic and we are delighted to be joined by one of the stars of the film. Toyah Willcox, who plays Monkey will be here to talk about the film and her career. Toyah Willcox is an icon of stage and screen and will also perform a live acoustic gig with her band to celebrate 40 years of her music career!

To book for the Film Q&A AND the live gig please book a ticket for this event and also for the live gig here. Booking both events saves you 40% with the whole evening just £22.50.

Toyah Willcox Acoustic Gig | Sat 16 Feb, 9:00pm at Red Brick Auditorium

After our exclusive 40th anniversary screening of the mod classic Quadrophenia we are delighted to be hosting a gig by one of the stars of the film, Toyah Willcox. 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of her music career as Toyah released her first ever single and studio album in 1979. This acoustic concert includes hit singles, album classics and fan favourites.

• See further info on both events and book tickets at squarechapel.co.uk.