Photos from Sleeping Beauty at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury. The panto and Toyah have received great reviews since opening at the end of November. It runs right through until the 20th January. Details here. Click below to view more photos at Facebook. (© Marlowe Theatre)
We’re having a Toyahtastic 70s and Festivefabulous 80s pre-Christmas knees-up! The non-alcohol mulled wine and mince-free pies are going down a storm! Click to zoom on the cards.
Two Christmases ago Toyah was part of The Hazel O’Connor Collective. They recorded ‘Re-Joyce (In The Bleak Midwinter)’. Proceeds from the single went to Myton Hospice in Coventry where Hazel’s late mum (Joyce) received care and treatment for cancer.
‘Fragile’ by This Fragile Moment, who include Toyah in their line-up, is one of the songs on Unsung Records free Merry Christmas Compilation 2012.
This special limited edition compilation contains one track each from 19 of the label’s 20 x CD releases to date, and it’s available to download free of charge until Boxing Day (26th December 2012).
Please share the page link with your friends and spread the word online, but respect the copyright of the individual artists by not posting the actual MP3 files. Thank you and enjoy. “Merry Christmas” from the Unsung Records family! Immediate download of 19-track album in your choice of MP3 320, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire.
• Go here for more information on the album. (Thanks to Stephen Bennett Troake)
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments airs for the first time this year tonight on More4. Toyah appears sporadically discussing various Christmas-related topics. There’s also a short clip of Toyah’s ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’ performance from Pop Goes Christmas.
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments: More4: Saturday 15th December: 9.00pm
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments: More4 +1: Saturday 15th December: 10.00pm
Jimmy Carr reveals the greatest Christmas moments of all time. From when George Bailey’s guardian angel earns his wings in It’s a Wonderful Life to Dawn and Tim’s long-awaited kiss under the mistletoe in The Office, this programme counts down the 100 festive moments that remain indelibly stuck in the nation’s memories.
Toyah will be one of the guests on Bev Meets on ‘BBC Radio WM’ over Christmas.
Bev Meets is a series of eight shows during which Bev Bevan of ELO meets up with West Midlands stars to discuss their lives and careers. Lots of music as well.
Bev Meets: BBC Radio WM: Sun 23rd Dec: 12pm
Toyah Willcox and Tony Christie. Bev meets West Midlands’ stars Toyah Wilcox and Tony Christie to discuss their lives and careers.
Bev Meets: BBC Radio WM: Thursday 27th December: 2pm
Jasper Carrot and Toyah Willcox. Bev meets West Midlands’ stars Jasper Carrot and Toyah Willcox to discuss their lives and careers.
These will air online at BBC WM.
It’s the artwork for the UK DVD release of Doctor Who: The Legacy Collection box set.
The release contains the unfinished 1979 story Shada and the 1993 BBC documentary More Than 30 Years in the TARDIS (in which Toyah appears), both previously released on VHS. The version of Shada on the DVD is a remastered version of the 1992 VHS release (including the Tom Baker linking scenes, the Keff McCulloch score) and contains no extra footage.
The other extras in the set include:
Shada – Flash version (2003 Paul McGann animated webcast)
Taken Out of Time
Now and Then
Strike! Strike! Strike!
Being a Girl — Women in Doctor Who
Remembering Nicholas Courtney
Doctor Who Stories – Peter Purves The Lambert Tapes – Part 1
Those Deadly Divas
Plus Photo Galleries, Radio Times Listings and Production Note Subtitles
• View more info on The Legacy Collection here.
Toyah’s Christmas Countdown is well and truly under way at toyahwillcox.com, with the third reveal today. There’s a new box to open every day at around 1pm right through until Christmas Eve… Not only that but to celebrate its 30th anniversary ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’ is to be released as a digital single very soon.
The Eighties are coming to Falkirk Stadium next year, with a series of music concerts planned at their stadium to
raise money for the club’s academy.
“Rock The Stadium” kicks off over the weekend of 22-23 June with the line-up featuring 80s favourites Five Star, Altered Images, The Real Thing, Toyah, T’Pau, Paul Young, Curiosity Killed the Cat and Midge Ure.
The club are hoping to attract a crowd in the region of 25,000 over the weekend following the success of Elton John’s gig at the stadium in June.
• News Source: Scotsman.com.
It’s Slade: BBC Four: Friday 21st December: 9.00pm
It’s Slade: BBC Four: Saturday 22nd December: 00.20am
It’s Slade: BBC Four: Christmas Eve: 1.50am
Top pop documentary, narrated by Radio One’s Mark Radcliffe, about one of Britain’s greatest and best-loved bands. Slade scored six number ones in the 70s, a feat rivalled only by Abba. Apart from Noddy and his bandmates – Dave Hill, Jim Lea and Don Powell – the cast here also includes Noel Gallagher of Oasis (who covered Cum On Feel the Noize), Status Quo, Toyah Willcox, Suzi Quatro and Ozzy Osbourne. Altogether now “Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall……….?”.
• Sensational: Toyah tweeted earlier today: “Just learned SENSATIONAL off Crim Queen is being used 4 national ad campaign 4 next 12months from 26th dec, fronted by national actress”
• Read a transcript of Toyah’s ‘BBC 6Music’ Steve Lamacq’s Rock College “Guest Lecture” (broadcast on 22nd November, more info here) at The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive.
• There are now even more chances to watch Toyah’s Christmas at the Zoo on Vintage TV. As well as airing tomorrow at 5pm and twice on Saturday (1.30pm/11pm) it is also on next Tuesday (18th Dec @ 7.30pm), as well as 21st Dec @ 9pm, 22nd Dec @ 1am and another seven times between 23rd and 29th December!
• Brookside Most Memorable Moments: The newly released DVD celebrating the 30th anniversary of Britain’s finest soap – Toyah is namechecked in a review by The Guardian. Not only that but the mention is related to Karen Grant, one of the best characters.
Toyah was featured in ‘Weekend’ magazine’s “My Tube” last Saturday (8th December).
Singer and actress Toyah Willcox, 54, lives in Worcestershire with her husband, musician Robert Fripp.
My favourite programme when I was about five was FIREBALL XL5, a Thunderbirds-style puppet show. Some of it was a bit scary for me at that age though, and I remember Mum having to cuddle me when she was meant to be cooking dinner.
I was so gripped by SKY – a children’s drama about a boy who’s really an alien stranded on Earth – when I was at drama school in my late teens I wrote to the producers asking for a part. They called me in for a chat but I didn’t get the job.
Joanna Lumley was brilliant in THE NEW AVENGERS. I was 18 when it started in 1976 and a hair model at a department store, and I remember having the Purdey ‘Pudding Bowl’ cut. But then I discovered punk rock…
In my 20s I was a big fan of Trevor Eve’s private eye SHOESTRING, so I was delighted when I got to appear in an episode as a singer called Toola. Six of my songs were featured, and soon after my single It’s A Mystery entered the charts.
I’M A CELEBRITY is unmissable. When I was on it in 2003 we only had nasty trials towards the end, but now they get them from the start. I’d be too terrifird to do it today.
• As told to Richard Webber | Toyah is in Sleeping Beauty at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre until 20 Jan, tel: 01227 787787 (Thanks to Ann-Marie Farran)
Yesterday’s Pointless Celebrities is now available to watch at BBC iPlayer. The programme, which included Toyah and Cheryl Baker, will remain online until next Tuesday. Host, Alexander Armstrong revealed that ‘Anthem’ was the second album he bought. Click below for iPlayer.
The second issue, with Madness on the cover, of Classic Pop magazine has just gone on sale. Here’s hoping for a Toyah feature at some point!
Classic Pop is the new bi-monthly magazine that finally gives pop music the recognition it deserves. After decades of rock magazines wallowing in the 60s and 70s, Classic Pop truly celebrates the explosion of creativity and diversity that shook up music in the late 70s, defined the sound of the 80s, and continues to influence today. Whether it’s New Wave, synth-pop, indie, ska or the New Romantics, Classic Pop gives the artists and music in-depth coverage in a glossy, high-quality magazine.
• More info on Classic Pop at the magazine’s website.
100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross: Channel 4: Sunday 23rd December: 3.00pm
100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross: 4Seven: Boxing Day: 3.55pm
100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross: 4Seven: Sun 30th December: 1.05am/5.55pm
A countdown of the nation’s favourite games, gadgets and playthings, as decided by a Channel 4 online poll. Inventors and toymakers tell the inside stories of their creations and successes – including Action Man, Yahtzee, Barbie and Trivial Pursuit – while the children of yesteryear, namely today’s celebrities, authors, actors and journalists, take a nostalgic look back at the toys they loved. Also revealed is the inspiration behind the design of the Raleigh Chopper, the unlikely individual responsible for the creation of one of the world’s toughest action figures, and why the Vietnam War almost brought Britain’s Matchbox car range to an end.
The 100 Greatest Musicals: More4: New Year’s Eve/Hogmany: 8.15pm
Part One, 100 – 51. Denise Van Outen presents the first in a two-part rundown of the 100 best musicals as voted for by viewers, featuring 42nd Street, 8 Mile and The Sound of Music. 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.
The 100 Greatest Musicals: More4: New Year’s Day: 6.15pm
Part Two, 50 – 1. 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.
• Just a reminder that Toyah guests on Pointless Celebrities this afternoon on BBC1 at 5.15pm.
• Toyah’s Official Advent Calendar: Anyone for some unheard/unseen Toyah exclusives? Toyah’s Christmas Countdown begins at toyahwillcox.com on 12-12-12.
• Phil Spalding is now at Facebook. An official website will also be online soon. New website PhilSpalding.Com coming soon … Music and Mayhem !!! A lot of music and a lot of MAYHEM !!! Watch this space !!! Phil also told me: I have a load of personal photos from Toyah tours which I will be posting, bit by bit, on FB and my site.
• The Brit Awards @ You Tube: Paul Young wins Best Male presented by Toyah | BRIT Awards 1985 – Just uploaded!
• Read a transcript of Toyah’s ‘BBC Radio Kent’ interview (broadcast on Saturday, more info here) at The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive.
Toyah is included in the ‘PRS for Music’, newly updated, Festive 50 countdown, as reported by The Independent.
The 50 Best Christmas songs: Bells continue to ring for the Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’
It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas… Listen to our festive playlist here
‘Tis the season to hear the same songs repeated endlessly on the radio and none has been played more regularly in the last two years than “Fairytale of New York” according to new research.
24. I Believe In Father Christmas, Greg Lake/Toyah Willcox/Elaine Paige, 1975/1982/1986 – Written by Greg Lake/Pete Sinfield.
• Continue reading, and view the full 50 Best Christmas songs (according to PRS for Music) in full, at The Independent.
This year is the 30th anniversary of Smash Hits’ “Free Christmas Record (12 Minutes of Festive Fun)”, a flexi that was attached to the December 9-22, 1982 issue. The full magazine has just been uploaded to the Smash Hits Archive. Click below to listen – Toyah arrives at 4.46, inbetween Martin Fry of ABC and Steve Strange of Visage. Too-de-loo!!
The legendary Christmas double issue of ‘Radio Times’ goes on sale this week, signalling that Christmas is well and truly under way (not long till the BBC idents start either ;)). This year’s brilliant cover features The Snowman and The Snowdog, the follow-up to Raymond Briggs’s much-loved classic The Snowman.
Toyah is, as always, part of the festive TV schedules: There are numerous showings of Toyah’s Christmas at the Zoo over the next couple of weeks, The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments next weekend, Pointless Celebrities this Tuesday and Maigret tomorrow. No doubt more will be added to the listings over the next week in the build up to Christmas!
Maigret: ITV3: Monday 10th December: 00.30am
Maigret and the Hotel Majestic. Crime series featuring Georges Simenon’s celebrated Parisian detective. Maigret is called to the scene when a beautiful woman is found dead in the basement of the Hotel Majestic with a gun in her handbag. The Chief Inspector’s investigations initially centre around the staff at the hotel – until he discovers that the woman’s husband booked a trip to Rome that he never made. Starring: Michael Gambon, Geoffrey Hutchings, Michael Shannon, Toyah Willcox (1993). Also airing on ITV3 +1 and ITV3 HD.
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Monday 10th December: 2.00pm
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Tuesday 11th December: 11.00am
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Wednesday 12th December: 2.00pm
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Friday 14th December: 5.00pm
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Saturday 15th December: 1.30pm
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Saturday 15th December: 11.00pm
Cosy up with family and friends as Toyah Willcox brings you 30 of the finest Christmas songs and a sprinkling of festive stories, surrounded by an extraordinary variety of creatures great and small.
Pointless Celebrities: BBC1: Tuesday 11th December: 5.15pm
Comedian Stephen K Amos, singer and actress Toyah Willcox, TV presenter Katie Derham and singer Cheryl Baker take part in the unorthodox general knowledge quiz, in which contestants must find the least likely correct answers to a series of questions posed to members of the public. Presented by Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman.
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments: More4: Saturday 15th December: 9.00pm
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments: More4: Monday 17th December: 10.00pm
Jimmy Carr reveals the greatest Christmas moments of all time. From when George Bailey’s guardian angel earns his wings in It’s a Wonderful Life to Dawn and Tim’s long-awaited kiss under the mistletoe in The Office, this programme counts down the 100 festive moments that remain indelibly stuck in the nation’s memories. Also airing on More4 +1.
Neil Tennant’s Smash Hits Christmas: BBC Radio 4: Thursday 20th December: 11.30am
Neil Tennant was a journalist on music’s most poptastic magazine before he was a Pet Shop Boy. Here, with colleagues and stars, he recalls the early 80s golden age of Smash Hits. We hear from founder and legendary magazine-maker Nick Logan, from editors David Hepworth and Mark Ellen, writers Miranda Sawyer and Sylvia Patterson and from regular Smash Hits cover girl, Toyah.
Quadrophenia: ITV1: Saturday 22nd December: 3.00am
Quadrophenia: STV: Christmas Day: 12.45am
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. Also airing on the +1 channels.
Toyah is guesting in a BBC Radio 4 special on Smash Hits this Christmas, hosted by Neil Tennant.
Neil Tennant’s Smash Hits Christmas: BBC Radio 4: Thursday 20th December: 11.30am
Neil Tennant was a journalist on music’s most poptastic magazine before he was a Pet Shop Boy. Here, with colleagues and stars, he recalls the early 80s golden age of Smash Hits.
We hear from founder and legendary magazine-maker Nick Logan, from editors David Hepworth and Mark Ellen, writers Miranda Sawyer and Sylvia Patterson and from regular Smash Hits cover girl, Toyah.
We also sample a rare recording from the 1982 Christmas Flexidisc (a message from the stars) and what’s probably Neil Tennant’s first ever recording.
Toyah guested on Matthew Davies Show yesterday morning on BBC Radio Kent.
Toyah talked all things panto and playing the baddie in Sleeping Beauty at The Marlowe Theatre. She also mentioned her plans for 2013.
The show is available until next Saturday at BBC iPlayer Radio. Toyah appears at approximately 37 minutes into the programme with a play of ‘I Want To Be Free’ and then her interview. It runs for around seven minutes.
