Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

Local musician Peter Barron is celebrating this week as news comes that the title track from his album “One More Crow” has been optioned to be part of a soundtrack for a new movie. Peter, who lives with wife Jan, in Coast Road, Pevensey Bay, told Bay Life, “the movie placement finally came up trumps and contracts have been signed”. He added, “there may be plans for a soundtrack”.

The film Swiperight is described as “a compelling and frightening horror/ thriller based around the dangers of a dating app”.

A trailer from the film should be available shortly. Filming has finished and the company is about to enter into post production. This story they say “will have you on the edge of your seat. Starring Toyah Willcox, Sophie Ward, Jenny Wu”.

• Continue reading at Bay Life. Browse our other Swiperight news.

Quadrophenia – Our Generation: Sky Arts: Friday 27th September: 11pm
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: Saturday 28th September: 0.00am
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 other surprises.

Tonight sees Sky Arts celebrate the 40th Anniversary of, the mighty and forever enduring, Quadrophenia, with documentaries and an airing of the movie itself. There’s already been a ton of news and comment in the last few weeks and, indeed, over the past year about this significant anniversary. Here’s some more…

• What’s On TV: Happy 40th Quadrophenia! Phil Daniels on scooters, suits and the Sex Pistols…: Forty years ago this month, first-time director Franc Roddam – who would go on to create TV shows Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and MasterChef – presented his eagerly anticipated 1960s-set film Quadrophenia, about an angry young mod, to the world – Continue reading…

• BBC Radio Cornwall: David White Show: Francis Rossi, Mark King, Toyah Willcox, Leslie Ash (20/09/2019) Francis talks Quo, Mark chats Level 42 while Leslie and Toyah talk about Quadrophenia – Listen at BBC Sounds for the next four weeks…

• Radio Times: Quadrophenia Reunited: 40 Years On – Released in 1979 but set in 1964, Quadrophenia is a fascinating period piece within a period piece. And, thanks largely to the incredibly authentic performances of its young actors, it’s aged really well over the past 40 years. Members of that cast – including Leslie Ash, Toyah Willcox and, of course, Phil Daniels – reassemble at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire tonight for a good-natured chinwag about the making of the film, including some readings from the script – Continue reading…

• Belfast Telegraph: Stars reunite to celebrate 40 years of Quadrophenia: To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of cult British film Quadrophenia, there’s a brand new documentary – Continue reading…

• Financial Times: Quadrophenia: Our Generation — Phil Daniels and Sting reflect – Continue reading (registration required)…

• ATV Today: One to Watch: Quadrophenia: Our Generation and Quadrophenia Reunited: 40 Years On, Sky Arts: At 9pm the celebration kicks off with Quadrophenia: Our Generation. Sky Arts celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 1979 cult classic Quadrophenia with a series of special films – Continue reading…

• Pirate FM: Quadrophenia at 40: Stars reminisce about the film for ‘every generation’: Released in 1979 and loosely based on The Who’s album of the same name, Quadrophenia’s coming-of-age tale of a young mod is very much a cult classic – Continue reading…

• Sunday Post: Quadrophenia, 40 years on: Roy’s generation and his priceless scooter brought a bit extra to film: The year 1964 was a noisy one, especially if you were in the seaside towns of Brighton or Hastings caught up in fights that famously broke out between Mods and Rockers – Continue reading…

• Gigwise: Quadrophenia 40 Years On: The cast on Blur, Oasis and representation in music: In celebration of the Sky Arts documentary being released to mark its 40th anniversary, we speak to the cast to investigate the legacy and impact Quadrophenia holds – Continue reading…

• BT: Johnny Rotten ‘nearly brawled’ with Phil Daniels after Quadrophenia snub: Sex Pistols singer Johnny Rotten came close to brawling with Quadrophenia star Phil Daniels after the actor beat him to the role of Jimmy in the cult film. However, the role went to Daniels, who earned plaudits for his depiction of a scooter-riding mod in the 1960s escaping his humdrum life through a heady mix of parties, amphetamines and fights – Continue reading…

• Official Toyah: Qquadrophenia 40th Anniversary Evening: On 21 September, a special evening on Sky Arts celebrates the 40th anniversary of iconic Brit flick Quadrophenia. Several new programmes will be broadcast including the premiere of Quadrophenia Reunited – 40 Years On and Quadrophenia – Our Generation – Continue reading…

Mods, rockers and teenage dreams – The making of Quadrophenia

Forty years after Quadrophenia, the cast have reunited for a documentary

“I don’t think any of us have changed, we are still very much the same people, but obviously time has affected us, and to watch the documentaries and the work we have done in the last 12 months, I find it profoundly moving,” confides Toyah Willcox, 61, who plays Monkey.

Did they have a sense at the time that the relationships they formed on set would last four decades?

“We were all very passionate, and protective,” recalls the Birmingham born actress, who’s also a Brit Award-nominated musician, famous for songs such as I Want To Be Free.

She then explains her co-stars Wingett and Shail were like her “bodyguards” when they’d go and watch her gigs. “I was a punk rocker. I was the subject of quite a lot of physical aggression… Punks always got beaten up by teddy boys or whatever. Even as a woman on my own… a gang tried to throw me through a chemist window on King’s Road, when I was 20.

“It was quite interesting back then because fights did break out, but no-one pulled a knife on you, no-one pulled a gun on you. I think there was a pride back then in using your physical strength, using your fists or being able to run quick enough to get away.”

• Browse our Quadrophenia 40th Anniversary archive.

Phil Daniels, Toyah Willcox, Trevor Laird and Mark Wingett talk Quadrophenia 40 years on!

Watch the Sky Arts Quadrophenia Night launch trailer…

Quadrophenia at 40: Stars reminisce about the film for ‘every generation’

Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Willcox and other stars of Quadrophenia speak to Sky News about the film’s 40th anniversary.

Released in 1979 and loosely based on The Who’s album of the same name, Quadrophenia’s coming-of-age tale of a young mod is very much a cult classic. Forty years on, a new documentary for Sky Arts, Quadrophenia – Our Generation, explores the style of filmmaking and the movie’s themes.

But for the cast, who reunited at a screening for the documentary, the film’s wider impact could never have been predicted.

… Toyah Willcox, who played Monkey in the film, says it was emotional to look back at when it was being made. “You’re just thinking, ‘my God, it was so special’,” she says. “It was such an opportunity and a privilege because we were treated as serious actors at a time when we could have been treated very differently. “So watching the documentary, I just thought, ‘wow, I’m just so pleased that was in my life’.”

• Continue reading at Sky News. (Photo © Sky Arts)

Quadrophenia‘s big anniversary weekend on Sky Arts is fast approaching. Here are a couple of very recent Quad related photos – At London Film Fair on Sunday, and a great shot of four of the legendary cast! Thanks to Paul. (Photos © Toyah Willcox and Gary Shail)

Toyah Willcox didn’t realise feminist aspect of Quadrophenia but now calls movie ‘liberating’

Toyah Willcox didn’t realise the feminist aspect of Quadrophenia while filming the cult classic. The 61-year-old played Monkey in the 1979 hit – a party animal who was in control of her sex life as well as being a constant supplier of drugs to her friends.

When chatting to Metro.co.uk, the star reflected on the character and how liberating it was to play her. She told us: ‘At the time I wasn’t aware of the feminist aspects of it. It was quite a schizophrenic time. I got signed to a record label was working on another movie, then working on Quadrophenia.’ She laughed: ‘Everything was going absolutely ballistic.’

• Continue reading at the Metro.

Quadrophenia: Our Generation – Sky Arts
Airs at 9:00pm on Saturday 21 September 2019

Quadrophenia: Our Generation sees Phil Daniels, Sting, Toyah Willcox, Leslie Ash and the rest of the cast look back at a definitive British film of 40 years ago.

A weekend of programming to mark the 40th anniversary of cult movie Quadrophenia includes Quadrophenia: Our Generation, an excellent documentary in which first-time director Franc Roddam and cast members Sting, Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Willcox and Ray Winstone share memories of making the film.

There are some great anecdotes – including a phone call to Malcolm McLaren about the possibility of the Sex Pistols’ John Lydon starring as Jimmy (the scooter-riding Mod eventually played by Phil Daniels), and The Who’s late drummer Keith Moon asking to co-direct – plus an interesting history of the Mod movement.

• Continue reading at What’s on TV.

Quadrophenia cast threatened strike as Trevor Laird ‘couldn’t be seen with white girl’

The cast of Quadrophenia are currently celebrating the cult film’s 40th anniversary. But while the classic was progressive for its time, it turns out the movie could have been a whole lot more radical. Opening up on what went down behind the scenes, Trevor Laird, who played Ferdy, recalled the moment he was told he couldn’t be seen with a white girl.

Yes, that actually happened.

… Toyah Willcox who was sat next to Trev and played Monkey in the 1979 movie, chirped up: “I don’t know if you know, but we talked about going on strike because of that. All these walls were being knocked down, and here we were having to keep to a really bad tradition.”

• Continue reading at the Metro.

Quadrophenia cast speak of ‘no star treatment’ received on set 40 years ago

They endured freezing weather while shooting on location in Brighton and didn’t even get dressing rooms

There was no star treatment for the cast of classic Mod movie Quadrophenia 40 years ago. They endured freezing weather while shooting on location in Brighton and didn’t even get dressing rooms.

Ahead of the anniversary, Leslie Ash, 59, said of filming: “There were no Winnebagos or anything fancy like that. We had to huddle together to keep warm. We’d sit in people’s cars or in shop doorways between scenes. No-one could say, ‘I’m going off to my trailer’. I think that’s why we all got on so well.”

Toyah Willcox, 61, added: “We were wet the whole time. It was freezing. Half the time we were stood on street corners.”

The cast didn’t even get a hefty pay packet despite the film’s big budget. Director Franc Roddam, 73, said: “I wasn’t being paid very much and nor were the cast.” Phil Davis, 66, added: “It wasn’t about the money. There was such a buzz about this film.”

• Continue reading at the Daily Star.

The full schedule for Sky Arts’ special evening of celebration for the 40th Anniversary of Quadrophenia has just been made available – *Updated* with further air dates and times!

Quadrophenia – Our Generation: Sky Arts:
Saturday 21st September: 9pm
Monday 23rd September: 1.45am
Wednesday 25th September: 10.30pm
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.

Quadrophenia Reunited – 40 Years On: Sky Arts:
Saturday 21st September: 10pm
Monday 23rd September: 0.15am
Wednesday 25th September: 9pm
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 other surprises.

Quadrophenia: Sky Arts: Saturday 21st September: 11.30pm
Quadrophenia: Sky Arts: Sunday 22nd September: 10pm
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.

This New York City Playwright’s Music Video Puts a Fantastical Spin on the Tutu

When New York artist Leah Hennessey starts describing some of the influences of her band’s first official video, “Sleeping Beauty,” you can tell straight away that she’s a pop culture fanatic.

She references comic books like Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles, old fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty—unsurprising, given the song’s title—and deeper cuts like cult director Derek Jarman’s 1979 film The Tempest.

…The ballet look, on the other hand, was loosely based on Toyah Willcox’s costumes in Jarman’s The Tempest. “I was going for a feral balletic ethereality to evoke the fairy-tale aspect of the song,” she describes. Plus, she never before had an excuse to wear a tutu.

• Continue reading at Vogue.com. Browse our archive dedicated to The Tempest.

Toyah will appear at the London Film Fair on Sunday 15th September 2019, alongside many of the actors from Quadrophenia.

The Film Fair will be held at the Congress Centre (Great Russell Street, WC1B 3UB)

The London Film Fair will appeal to avid film buffs, collectors, archivists researchers and students. A must for anyone with an interest in cinema and cult television!

• Further info at the London Film Fair website. (Thanks to Graham Bashford) – See our previous news on this here.

A past behind the scenes still with Toyah playing Dr Bennett in Swiperight. The film is currently in post production. See our previous Swiperight news here. (Photo © GabrielNita.com)

Quadrophenia Our Generation: Sky Arts: Saturday 21st September: Time TBC
A new documentary, marking the 40th anniversary of Quadrophenia. Includes a recording of the live read through with the cast in which Toyah participated.

Quadrophenia cast spill BTS antics as they reunite to celebrate 40 years of cult film

The cast of Quadrophenia have reunited to celebrate 40 years since the cult movie was released. And what an evening it was.

Returning to Shepherds Bush, where the much-loved classic was filmed, the likes of Leslie Ash (Steph), Garry Cooper (Peter), Phil Daniels (Jimmy) and Toyah Willcox (Monkey) joined Lauren Laverne to talk all things mod. Phil Davis (Chalky), Trevor Laird (Ferdy), Gary Shail (Spider) and Mark Winget (Dave) were also in attendance to discuss the key themes of the plot, as well as spilling a number of backstage antics.

• Continue reading at the Metro. (Photo © Metro/Joe Newman/PinPep)

Toyah will be appearing in the film Give Them Wings directed by Sean Cronin. The film is raising funds to complete production. Find out how to donate and about the film including Toyah talking on camera about her role in the video above.

Give Them Wings will follow in the footsteps and the success of the incredible biopic true story of Christy Brown, My Left Foot which in 1989 at a budget of $600,000 grossed $15m at the box office, Billy Elliot at a budget of $5m grossed $99m at the box office and The Full Monty at a budget of $3.5m grossed $257m at the box office. Untouchable, with a very similar narrative to Give Them Wings at a budget of $10.5m and grossed $366m.

• Continue reading at toyahwillcox.com.

Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of one of Britain’s greatest cult movies, Sky Arts presents one-off night brings the stars of Quadrophenia together on stage for a unique table read. Hosted by Lauren Laverne it will also feature a series of interviews with the cast, some special surprises and an audience Q&A.

Sunday 14 July 2019 | Shepherd’s Bush O2 Empire

The event will be filmed for a special TV broadcast. Click below to book tickets.

Toyah will be appearing at the London Film Fair, a Showmasters event, on Sunday 15th September at the Royal National Hotel in Russell Square. Leslie Ash is also guesting.

This event is the continuation of a legacy that started back in the early seventies. The conventions presents dealers from all over the UK, Europe, US, Canada, Australia and South America that specializes in vintage and modern film memorabilia. Items cover the history of cinema from the silents to the present day blockbusters.

The London Film Fair will appeal to avid film buffs, collectors, archivists researchers and students. A must for anyone with an interest in cinema and cult television!

• Further info at the London Film Fair website. (Thanks to Graham Bashford)