Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

2019 has been an amazing 40th Anniversary year for Quadrophenia, with documentaries, reunion events, special screenings and more to celebrate. Rounding off the year is a revised “Complete Guide” book:

Quadrophenia (At 40) The Complete Guide by Layne Patterson | Specially revised & updated film only edition | Foreword by Franc Roddam. Afterword by Gary Shail

A percentage of royalties are being donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Following on from the book’s previous incarnation two years ago a new (film only) edition is now available to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the iconic film!

The new larger format is packed with many new pictures and newly gleaned information about the film that refuses to grow old gracefully! Following on from the previous book a further donation from the author’s royalties will be donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

The author: Layne Patterson is based in Norfolk, having relocated from London in 2001, and is married to Liz, with three grown up sons and six grandchildren. This is Layne’s second solo book although he has previously contributed to two titles on his beloved Wealdstone FC.

• See further info/Buy the book at Amazon.

A selection from the numerous Invasion Planet Earth press clips, interviews and reviews published over the last few days. Stay updated by following Simon Cox at Twitter.

• Flatpack Festival: Interview – Simon Cox: Two decades ago, Nuneaton based filmmaker Simon Cox had an idea for a science fiction film called Kaleidoscope Man. Filmed on a shoestring budget with limited resources at locations across the Midlands, what ultimately became Invasion Planet Earth finally screens to audiences this month. We talked to Simon about an epic twenty year journey to pay homage to the sci-fi films he loved as a child – Continue reading…

• Britflicks Reviews: BritFlicks Reviews Simon Cox’s Imaginative Sci-Fi Invasion Planet Earth: A true one off from a very wide imagination… Coming from the mind of writer/director, Simon Cox, Invasion Planet Earth, is one of those films that is a true original. It was also made over 17 years, which by anyone’s standards is a long production line! However, the film is set very much in the here and now, but of course, the question does arise, ‘how much’ of it dates from 17 years ago – Continue reading…

• Midlands Movies: Invasion Planet Earth: A number of children in the 1980s recreating their favourite TV show ‘Kaleidoscope Man’ (this film’s previous title in fact) opens new sci-fi feature Invasion Planet Earth from Midlands director Simon Cox. This clever parody is a fun way to start a feature that contains more than its fair share of disaster and peril – Continue reading…

• Nevermore: Invasion Planet Earth – Review: Reading the history of this film made me more apprehensive than it did excited – Continue reading…

• Film Stories: Invasion Planet Earth review: Invasion Planet Earth review is a sci-fi movie made in the UK over the course of a decade – and it’s worth seeking out too – Continue reading…

• Dark Eyes Of London: Invasion Planet Earth (UK 2019: Dir Simon Cox): Imagine. You’re a filmmaker, maybe not in the first flush of youth. You’ve had one not very well publicised feature made years ago, but you have a project within you so ambitious in scope that it becomes an all consuming passion. But you have little resources, financially or technically, at your disposal, to realise the vision. So what do you do – Continue reading…

• Filmuforia: Invasion Planet Earth (2019): Director Simon Cox (Driven) has spent seventeen bringing this labour of love to the big screen, and his perseverance has paid off – Continue reading…

Toyah with Simon Cox at the screening of Invasion Planet Earth last night at The Electric Cinema, Birmingham. She tweeted “can’t wait to see Invasion Planet Earth“. (Photo © Electric Cinema)

Toyah chats about Halifax gig and Jubilee Q&A – Featuring a live on stage Q&A with Toyah Willcox, hosted by BBC Radio 6 Music presenter, Chris Hawkins. See our previous post on this here.

Invasion Planet Earth – in which Toyah has a role and also performs the end credits title song, Step Into The New World – available now as a digital single – is showing in numerous cinemas around the UK today. The film project has been a labour of love for its creator, Simon Cox. for many years. Click below for details on where you can see Invasion Planet Earth.

A four star review for Invasion Planet Earth, the film which is showing in cinemas for one day only this Thursday.

Almost a decade from script to screen, the labour of love that is Invasion Planet Earth is bold, ambitious, with tongue in cheek humour that occasionally pops up in an otherwise solid science-fiction drama. It will appeal to fans of the science fiction genre from all eras, particularly. It may be pitched, by marketing people, as a British Independence Day (there’s a nod to that in the dialogue), but it’s far from that as Simon Cox, writer and director, flits between drama, science fiction and action with deft awareness of just how preposterous his story is. The story does deliver a tale that has depth and weight amongst its familiar “aliens attack earth” trope, especially as the truth is revealed.

• Continue reading at Vulture Hound. Browse our Invasion Planet Earth news.

Quadrophenia: Film 4 HD: Friday 13th December: 1.10am
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.

A soundtrack album will be released for the British indie sci-fi adventure Invasion Planet Earth. The album features the film’s original music composed by Benjamin Symons. The soundtrack will be released digitally this Friday, November 22 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon, where you can also check out audio clips.

Invasion Planet Earth is co-written and directed by Simon Cox and stars Simon Haycock, Lucy Drive, Julie Hoult, Danny Steele, Toyah Willcox and Michael Bott. The movie follows a couple’s struggle to survive as the UK comes under attack from an alien mothership.

The film will be released in the UK in early December. No word on a domestic distribution deal.

1. This Is Kaleidoscope Man (3:03), 2. Our New Hope (1:31), 3. Vision of the Apocalypse (2:04), 4. Is This God? (1:24), 5. It Wasn’t a Dream (2:18), 6. Russian (2:47), 7. The Crash (1:43), 8. Washed Up (0:43), 9. It’s Beautiful Isn’t It (2:48), 10. I’ve Hated Every Man (1:59), 11. A Heroic Leap (3:20), 12. Point and Shoot (1:11), 13. I Am Kaleidoscope Man (3:14), 14. 20 Minutes (1:12), 15. The ISS (0:57), 16. They Are Attacking (4:03), 17. The Battle of Birmingham (5:32), 18. Nuclear Strike (1:27), 19. The End of the World (1:17), 20. Sending a Message (2:24), 21. I’ll Never Be Alone (8:14)

• Continue reading at Film Music Reporter.

• Invasion Planet Earth – DVD: The DVD includes: The movie in 5:1 surround sound, The Making of Invasion Planet Earth – Documentary, Commentary by writer & director, Simon Cox, Deleted scenes, Step into the New World. Song promo featuring Toyah Willcox – Continue reading…

• Starburst Magazine: Invasion Planet Earth / Release Date: December 5th / DVD: December 30th – Run! The bug-like alien spaceships are raining down on Earth zapping anyone and everyone. What in the name of all that is holy is going on? Yes, we assume it is an alien invasion to suppress humanity and turn us into their slaves. It is the kind of thing we have done for centuries to our own Earthly neighbours – Continue reading…

• All Events: Invasion Planet Earth (12 TBC) + Documentary Short: Starring Simon Haycock, Lucy Drive, Julie Hoult and Toyah Willcox. For ONE NIGHT ONLY, Invasion Planet Earth will be followed by FROM DREAM TO SCREEN, a short documentary ‘making of’ featurette from filmmaker Simon Cox – Continue reading…

• Comicon 2019: Invasion Planet Earth live on stage: Check out this great Q&A hosted by Chris Jones at this years Comicon with the team behind the new British sci-fi movie, Invasion Planet Earth – Continue watching…

• Darlington FC: Come and be an extra in Give them Wings – and then play bingo with Toyah Willcox! – Continue reading…

• Daily Record: Airdrie artist shows unique guitar to cast of cult movie Quadrophenia: David McDonagh, 34, blew the cast of the movie away with his artwork – Continue reading… (Photo © Daily Record)

Toyah is taking part in a special Jubilee event at Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax in early 2020.

The event consists of a screening of the film, an onstage Q&A with Toyah – who played pyromaniac Mad in Derek Jarman’s late 1970’s epic – and later, a full band Toyah gig.

GIG, JUBILEE SCREENING + Q&A
1st February 2020
Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax

This special evening at Square Chapel Arts Centre includes a special screening of Derek Jarman’s cult classic punk movie Jubilee.

Featuring a live on stage Q&A with Toyah Willcox, hosted by BBC Radio 6 Music presenter, Chris Hawkins.

Toyah will then perform a live gig with her band spanning over 40 years of her music career. Ticket deal available for both screening and the gig.

• Full details of the Jubilee screening + Q&A event here, and details of the Toyah gig which follows it, here.

Toyah’s new single, Step Into The New World, was released last week – 8th November. The song has received much positive feedback over the past couple of weeks.

Step Into The New World is available to buy as a digital single and can also be streamed online. The promo video can be viewed at You Tube.

Toyah performs the end title song for what’s been described as the biggest indie sci-fi movie of all time, Invasion Planet Earth. Toyah also has a role in the film.

Invasion Planet Earth is in selected UK cinemas for one day on 5th December 2019. A digital/ DVD release on 30th December follows, available to pre-order now at Amazon.

• Buy the digital single at iTunes. Stream the song at Tidal. Read more about Step Into The New World and Invasion Planet Earth at toyahwillcox.com.

Flickering Myth: Exclusive trailer and poster for British sci-fi Invasion Planet Earth: Flickering Myth is delighted to exclusively debut the poster and trailer for Invasion Planet Earth, a new sci-fi thriller from British filmmaker Simon Cox, which is set for release this December – Continue reading…

Film Stories: Invasion Planet Earth: trailer for new British sci-fi movie: Heading to the big screen soon is a new British sci-fi thriller by the name of Invasion Planet Earth. The movie looks an ambitious one, too. Directed by Simon Cox, who co-wrote the script with Simon Bovey, it features Simon Haycock, Lucy Drive and Julie Hoult in its cast. And there’s no shortage of special effects on offer too – Continue reading…

Pop Horror: New Trailer and Poster For Sci-Fi Film ‘Invasion Planet Earth’: A new trailer and poster have been released for the new British Sci-Fi thriller directed by Simon Cox (Driven): Invasion Planet Earth. The film stars Simon Haycock (Last Respects), Lucy Drive (Dead End), Julie Hoult (Bundy and the Green River Killer), Danny Steele (Chicken), and Sophie Anderson (Night Bus) – Continue reading…

Seen It: Munro Films and Lightbulb Film Distribution have released the trailer and poster for their latest Sci-Fi thriller, Invasion Planet Earth: After the death of his young daughter, Tom Dunn is a broken man. When his wife falls pregnant again, he cannot believe their luck. However, his joy is short lived, as on the very same day, the people of Earth become plagued with terrifying visions of the end of the world – Continue reading…

English woes – Derek Jarman’s apocalyptic visions of England are as relevant as ever

In The Last of England, a collection of autobiographical sketches, diary entries and script notes published in 1987, Derek Jarman offered a ferocious state of the nation address:

Young bigots flaunting an excess of ignorance. Little England. Criminal behaviour in the police force. Little England. Jingoism at Westminster. Little England. Small town folk gutted by ring roads. Little England. Distressed housing estates cosmeticised in historicism. Little England. The greedy destruction of the countryside. Little England.

It’s a passage that encapsulates many of Jarman’s most persistent concerns: national identity, reactionary politics, the representation of the past, architecture, landscape and ecology.

… Jarman’s shoots were renowned for their sense of camaraderie. Toyah Willcox, who starred in Jubilee, said, ‘the whole thing about Derek was that he allowed everyone to learn. He was the most fantastic teacher. There was no elitism, there were no closed doors.’ The emphasis placed on collaboration, thrift and imagination was partly a matter of necessity. For the majority of his career, his films had tiny budgets, though public money from the BFI and Channel 4 was forthcoming from his fourth feature onwards. Jarman’s cinematic ambitions were, however, constantly hindered by battles with producers and funding bodies. ‘The money required to make a film, let alone a consistent cinematic career, can evaporate like snow in June,’ he noted.

• Continue reading at Apollo Magazine.

Quadrophenia – Our Generation: Sky Arts: Friday 15th November: 10.15pm
Quadrophenia – Our Generation: Sky Arts: Sunday 17th November: 11.45pm
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)

The poster/artwork for, the forthcoming, Invasion Planet Earth.

Toyah performs the end title song for what’s been described as the biggest indie sci-fi movie of all time, Invasion Planet Earth. Toyah also acts in the film. Step Into the New World is released digitally on 8th November. Invasion Planet Earth is in selected UK cinemas for one day on 5th December 2019.

The Quadrophenia celebrations continue! Toyah will take part in the Skamouth Weekender Event on Saturday 23rd November doing a Q&A and a few songs (playback). On stage at 10am. Tickets are available by clicking below. See the official tweet about this here.

Quadrophenia is showing at the Sherbourne Cinema, Gloucester with four chances to catch the all time classic on the big screen. Airings begin this Saturday (26th October).

*SPOILERS* Okay, this is officially being kept under wraps currently and I don’t want to be a spoilsport, but as there have been set reports in at least half a dozen UK tabloids over the past few days I thought it made sense to include something…

Leslie Ash, 59, goes back in time on set of Quadrophenia sequel as she sports vintage houndstooth dress alongside co-star Toyah Willcox, 61

The stars of Quadrophenia celebrated the 40th anniversary of the cult classic last month at Coventry’s Comic Con. And now Leslie Ash, 59, was spotted on set of To Be Someone, a follow-up based on the original, in Stevenage earlier this week alongside her co-star Toyah Willcox, 61, who were both clad in threads inspired-by yesteryear. Men Behaving Badly star Leslie, who played Steph in the 1979 drama, slipped into a monochrome houndstooth mini dress and wrapped up in a padded black jacket in between takes.

Following Leslie’s lead, Toyah, who played Monkey in the original, looked chic in a maroon floral midi dress, which she teamed with a pink pointed pump. The eighties singer, who is set to play Bunny in the new installment, continued her retro-inspired appearance with a pair of cat-eye black shades and worked her shoulder-length hair into a sleek style.

Also filming on set was Mark Wingett, who played Dave in the original, while surprisingly Dr Alex George was seen on set, clad in his sixties-inspired wardrobe.

• Continue reading at the Daily Mail.

The film formerly known as Kaleidoscope Man is now titled Invasion Planet Earth. There will be a digital single release of the theme song Step Into The New World from the British sci-fli film. Toyah provides vocals for this song in addition to acting in the film. Click below to visit Invasion Planet Earth‘s official website.

Micro-Budget UK Sci-Fi 20 Years In The Making Lands Distribution Deal Against The Odds

As UK studios and cinemas fill up with mega-budget U.S. superhero movies, here’s a rare David and Goliath story from the other end of the spectrum. Micro-budget UK sci-fi film Invasion Planet Earth, a passion project 20 years in the making, has secured UK distribution.

… Cast is largely made up of unknown actors but the pic includes an end title song by UK singer and actress Toyah Willcox (Quadrophenia) who also stars in the film. Matt Allsopp, whose credits include Godzilla: King Of The Monsters and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, provided original concept art.

• Continue reading at Deadline. Browse all of our previous Kaleidoscope Man news.