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.
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.
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.
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.
Christmas 2016, Toyah attended a ceremony to be inducted into the Birmingham Walk Of Stars.
Toyah said: “I am thrilled to be receiving a star on the Birmingham Walk of Stars. Having spent my childhood and teenage years in this great city, I developed my love of music and theatre here, thanks to all the great music venues and theatres available within the one city.“
• See news on Toyah attending the Birmingham Walk Of Stars event here and here. (Photo © Birmingham Mail)
Christmas Eve 1981, Toyah played the final date of the Good Morning Universe European Tour, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. This was Toyah’s third tour of the year, following the College Tour at the beginning of 1981 and the Anthem Tour in the middle of the year.
The gig was broadcast live on BBC2 on The Old Grey Whistle Test as their annual Christmas Eve concert for 1981. Others who were gifted the festive accolade over the years included Elton John (1974), Queen (1975), Rod Stewart (1976), The Kinks (1977), 10CC (1978), Ian Dury & The Blockheads (1980), Elton John (1982), Paul Young (1983).
Toyah would later recall: “I spent one Christmas in complete euphoria after doing the Drury Lane Whistle Test. I can remember driving home to Birmingham that night and it was snowing. Everything was just wonderful and I remained on a high after doing that show for about ten days.“
Christmas 2018. Photos of Toyah onstage at last night’s All Star Christmas Special, with The SAS Band, at GLive in Guildford, including a fantastic shot of Toyah and the band in festive headgear to get Christmas 2018 off to a great start!
Toyah performed Suffragette City, It’s A Mystery and Sweet Child O’ Mine, as well as I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday in the medley at the end of the concert.
Click below to see larger versions of both of these photos, and more, at Dreamscape’s Toyah Gallery. (Thanks to Angus | Photos © Angus Turner)
