Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

Flatpack Monthly: Aaaaaaaah!
+ Q&A with Steve Oram & Toyah Willcox
Wednesday 26th November, 2025

The Mockingbird Cinema – Screen 1 | 19:00 – 21:10

It’s been 10 years since Aaaaaaaah!—the wild directorial debut from Sightseers star and co-writer Steve Oram—and we still haven’t seen anything else quite like it.

In a world where the line between human and ape is blurred, Oram creates a wild blend of bedlam and the bizarre as a suburban family goes full primate. When a visitor crashes the Ryan family’s pad, the domestic pecking order gets a hilarious, dialogue-free shake-up (communicating purely in grunts). Oram and his stellar cast (Tom Meeten, Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Toyah Willcox, Holli Dempsey, and Alice Lowe) go full-on bananas, delivering a gleefully unhinged and animalistic film that’s a true one-of-a-kind.

• Continue reading/Buy tickets at Flatpack Festival.

BFI will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Steve Oram’s horror comedy, Aaaaaaaah!, with a special screening – on Wednesday 20th August.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Steve Oram & (work permitting) Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Toyah Willcox.

Debauchery, chaos and the jarringly mundane unfold in weird ways, and amid drab suburban contexts, in actor-comedian Steve Oram’s strange and unpredictable feature directorial debut. Humans act like apes and physical, dialogue-free powerplays remap the Ryan family household when a visitor challenges the precarious hierarchy. Oram and his cast go ape in this wildly original, gleefully animalistic film – a true one-off for 21st century British cinema. The Q&A will be hosted by the BFI’s William Fowler and Ruby McGuigan.

• Continue reading/Book tickets here. Browse our huge Aaaaaaaah! archive.

Quadrophenia: Sky Cinema Drama: Thursday 24th July: 00.20am
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.

Quadrophenia: Sky Cinema Greats: Monday 14th July: 10.15am
Quadrophenia: Sky Cinema Greats: Tuesday 15th May: 2.35am
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.  (Photo © Sky Arts)

We Are The Mods: BBC Radio 4: Saturday 21st June: 8pm
A New Documentary. Pete Townshend, Phil Daniels and film director Franc Roddam look back on the Who’s 1973 concept album Quadrophenia and the 1978 movie adaptation. They are joined by their modern-day successors on a new ballet adaptation – lead dancer Paris Fitzpatrick, ballet director Rob Ashford, and Townshend’s partner Rachel Fuller, who has orchestrated the music for a new era.

In 1973, The Who released Quadrophrenia, an ambitious rock concept album that told the story of Jimmy, the compelling young mod struggling through the hot summer of 1964. Five years after the record release, Quadrophenia was adapted into a cult classic film. Combined, Quadrophenia defined more than one generation.

Did any of us anticipate a Quadrophenia return more than 50 years later – but this time as a ballet?

This edition of Archive on 4 compresses the many iterations and eras of Quadrophenia to consider its enduring cultural legacy. Music writer Alexis Petridis assembles conversations between the past and present: The Who’s principal songwriter Pete Townshend sits down with his partner Rachel Fuller, who has orchestrated Townshend’s music for the modern era; Phil Daniels, who famously played Jimmy in the movie, meets dancer Paris Fitzpatrick, who performs the lead in the ballet; And Franc Roddam, film director, meets Rob Ashford, ballet director.

Quadrophenia: Sky Cinema Greats: Tuesday 10th June: 4.10pm
Quadrophenia: Sky Cinema Greats: Wednesday 11th June: 00.30am
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.

Quadrophenia: Sky Cinema Drama: Friday 23rd May: 1.55am
Quadrophenia: Sky Cinema Drama: Saturday 24th May: 00.15am
Quadrophenia: Sky Cinema Drama: Sunday 25th May: 3.25am
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.

Quadrophenia: Sky Cinema Drama: Sunday 4th May: 1.45am
Quadrophenia: Sky Cinema Drama: Monday 5th May: 00.45am
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.

Filmed on the Isle of Wight: Weightless garners success at Soho London Independent Film Festival

A short film shot on the Isle of Wight, Weightless, has added another prestigious accolade to its growing collection.

The film, starring the renowned Toyah Willcox, won the award for Best Experimental Drama at the Soho London Independent Film Festival over the weekend.

Exploring a powerful story: Directed by Lois Norman, Weightless tells the poignant story of Maureen, a woman confronting her inner demons alone on a beach. As she steps into the water, the film explores themes of resilience and personal transformation.

The screenplay was penned by Louise Monaghan, with production led by Isle of Wight-based producer Rowena Amos, founder of 9 of Cups Productions. Among other places, it was filmed in Freshwater Bay and Ventnor Bay.

Celebrating the team’s achievement: The film’s success was shared by writer Louise Monaghan, who expressed her delight at the recognition.

• Continue reading at On The Wight.

Congratulations to Weightless – and Toyah, the film was awarded Best Experimental Film at the The Soho London Independent Film Festival – SohoLIFF – on Monday evening.

• See Toyah’s post about this at Facebook. Browse Dreamscape’s Weightless news archive.

It seems to be a tradition over the past few years for BBC Two to air Quadrophenia at Christmas, and 2024 is no different…

Quadrophenia: BBC Two: Sunday 22nd December: 11.45pm
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.

The award winning short film Weightless will have its online premiere this coming Saturday at 9.30pm on YouTube. More details, at Facebook, by clicking below.

For 45 years Toyah has taken to the stage like no other. She has won numerous awards and nominations from singing to writing to acting. In 2001 Toyah was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Central England in Birmingham. This showreel includes extracts from her filmography…

What a great year 2023 was for Weightless! See the collection of awards and nominations the short film received by clicking below.

Quadrophenia – Our Generation: Sky Arts: Sunday 14th July: 0.25am
Celebrity fans and cast members come together to shed light on the making of Quadrophenia and explore the legacy that the cult film has left behind, 40 years after its release.

Quadrophenia Reunited – 40 Years On: Sky Arts: Sunday 14th July: 1.25am
Lauren Laverne hosts a one-off special bringing the stars of Quadrophenia together. Featuring reminiscing, interviews, a table-read of the script and plenty of surprises. (Photo © Sky Arts)

The Footage Detectives: Talking Pictures TV: Monday 1st July: 7pm
Quadrophenia. Featuring a look behind the scenes on Quadrophenia. Plus, rescued cinema advertising slides from the Second World War and memories of Smedley’s Sausage Rolls.

The Footage Detectives: Talking Pictures TV: Sunday 9th June: 5pm
Quadrophenia. Featuring a look behind the scenes on Quadrophenia. Plus, rescued cinema advertising slides from the Second World War and memories of Smedley’s Sausage Rolls.

Quadrophenia Reunited – 40 Years On: Sky Arts: Wednesday 27th March: 00.30am
Lauren Laverne hosts a one-off special bringing the stars of Quadrophenia together. Featuring reminiscing, interviews, a table-read of the script and plenty of surprises. (Photo © Sky Arts)

Quadrophenia – Our Generation: Sky Arts: Tuesday 26th March: 11.30pm
Celebrity fans and cast members come together to shed light on the making of Quadrophenia and explore the legacy that the cult film has left behind, 40 years after its release. (Photo © Sky Arts)

Quadrophenia: BBC2: Sunday 18th February: 00.20am
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.

Far Out Magazine has just published a new article on the 2015 film, Aaaaaaaah!, in which Toyah had a lead role.

‘Aaaaaaaah!’: The surreal British comedy that sees everyone pretend to be monkeys

British cinema has long championed experimental and offbeat ideas, funding arthouse and non-commercially viable films that have gone on to become cult classics. The work of Derek Jarman, beginning in the 1970s, helped to establish the prominence of art cinema in Britain. His transgressive films, establishing him as one of the most important filmmakers in the queer cinema canon, came to inspire many other budding artists.

Of course, Jarman wasn’t the only experimental filmmaker active when the genre began to gain traction. Other notable avant-garde works of art include Jane Arden’s The Other Side of the Underneath and Laura Mulvey and Peter Wollen’s Riddles of the Sphinx, inspiring generations of British filmmakers to lose all sense of cinematic abandon. Britain has since gained a reputation for producing unique, unconventional films, continuing into the 21st century.

In 2015, actor Steve Oram, known for starring in countless British films and television shows, from The Mighty Boosh to Paddington, released his feature directorial debut, Aaaaaaaah! The movie is perhaps one of the most courageously subversive works of cinema released in the past decade, throwing all sense of convention to the wind. The movie, which stars Oram alongside some well-known British faces – Toyah Wilcox, Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Alice Lowe and more – features no dialogue. Instead, the characters all communicate through movement, animalistic noises and facial expressions.

• Continue reading at Far Out Magazine. Browse our comprehensive Aaaaaaaah! news archive.