Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

Toyah is also interviewed by Worcester News. This was published yesterday.

‘I feel so much better, – I have more energy, my brain’s more alert’

“When I was young I just regarded not sleeping as a fantastic way to pack more into my days. I always reasoned that life’s so short, it seemed crazy to waste it sleeping,” she says.
 
But eventually it turned into a “nightmare”, raising her stress levels and making her vulnerable to worry.

She’s talking at her London home – she also has a home in Pershore – about the tricky path which has now led to a transformation in her sleep – and it’s thanks to acupuncture.

• Continue reading at Worcester News.

A new interview with Toyah, this one from the Manchester Evening News, published online on Sunday.

Sweet dreams at last for Toyah Willcox: ‘It’s a wonderful release from a life-long problem’

Singer, songwriter and actress Toyah Willcox battled chronic insomnia for years, but she tells Gabrielle Fagan how her life has been transformed

Toyah Willcox has tried everything from sleeping pills to herbal remedies to enjoy what many of us take for granted – a normal night’s sleep. From the age of 14, the 54-year-old has suffered from chronic insomnia, surviving on as little as four hours of sleep a night – a couple of hours after midnight and only two more between 7-9am.

• Continue reading at the Manchester Evening News.

A new syndicated Toyah article, published by numerous online news resources, including the Press Association and the Belfast Telegraph.

Toyah Willcox has revealed she suffered from chronic insomnia for 40 years, until she tried acupuncture.

The singer, songwriter and actress, who’s released more than 20 albums, took sleeping pills for a time in her twenties but disliked feeling sluggish and drowsy.
 
“I was trying to be creative and write and perform, which was impossible when I was on those. I gave them up very quickly,” she said.
 
Last year, Toyah, who will star in a three-month tour of the sketch show Hormonal Housewives, became anxious about the potential health risks arising from her insomnia and so tried acupuncture.

• Continue reading at the Belfast Telegraph.

Kings Heath star reveals how acupuncture finally relieved sleeplessness torment

Birmingham singer Toyah Willcox is sleeping soundly for the first time in decades – after revealing her 40-year battle with insomnia.
 
The star, who was born in Kings Heath, said she had tried everything from sleeping pills to herbal remedies in a bid to overcome the condition. But she only saw an improvement after turning to acupuncture, she said.
 
“When I was young I just regarded not sleeping as a fantastic way to pack more into my days. I always reasoned that life’s so short, it seemed crazy to waste it sleeping,” Willcox said.

• Continue reading at the Birmingham Mail.

Another report on the Media Molecule story, this one also published yesterday by, the mighty, Digital Spy.

Media Molecule teases mystery new game announcement with Toyah video

Media Molecule is teasing a mystery new game announcement on its website. Under the games section of the Media Molecule site, the LittleBigPlanet developer has a page marked with a question mark. Clicking on the question mark launches a YouTube video of Toyah song ‘It’s a Mystery’.

With Sony expected to unveil the PlayStation 4 on February 20, Media Molecule’s mystery game could be a next-generation release.

• Continue reading at Digital Spy.

Who would have thought a few days ago that ‘It’s A Mystery’ would be being mentioned all over the internet this week? Media Molecule using Toyah’s, second, Top Of The Pops appearance from 1981 on their “teaser” page for a new, highly anticipated, game project has led to mention of the song, and Toyah going sorta “viral”. Here are a few more of the many websites reporting the story:

• Gamezone: The new project is listed as “?”, and the dedicated page contains a YouTube video of Toyah Willcox singing “It’s a Mystery.” Attempting to scour the source code for any hints, Media Molecule has cleverly teased the keywords: “what are we doing at the moment, exactly, mystery, new game, how awesome will it be?, who knows.”

• Gameranx: In place of further information about what the game entails (or whether it’s a game or not at all), right now all they’ve posted is a video of early 80s UK New Wave artist Toyah singing her song “It’s A Mystery” on a classic episode of Top Of The Pops.

• Video Gamer: Click through to the game and you are greeted with a YouTube embed of Toyah Wilcox hit ‘”It’s a Mystery”. It sure is.

• Playstation Universe: The developer behind the critically-acclaimed LittleBigPlanet series has seemingly posted up a teaser for a new project. Media Molecule’s official website notably includes a ‘?’ among its list of games, with the page linking to a clip from Toyah’s ‘It’s a Mystery.’ No further information is given.

• Warp Zoned: The list of games on the developer’s website includes their previous titles as well as a question mark. The question mark links to the music video for “It’s A Mystery,” a minor hit for the UK band Toyah in 1981. Sadly, the lyrics aren’t much help: It’s a mystery, oh, it’s a mystery, I’m still searching for a clue, It’s a mystery to me, A shot in the dark, The big question mark in history, Is it a mystery to you? (minor hit? It was huge Warped Zone ;))

Toyah is included in a new Birmingham Mail article on the Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s 100th anniversary.

Birmingham Rep 100th birthday: Kenneth Branagh leads glowing tributes to venue

The Birmingham Rep celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Famous names who have performed there pay tribute to the venue.

Birmingham’s own Toyah Willcox began her creative life at The Old Rep Theatre School, where she was a teenage drama student.

“My roots are firmly in Birmingham. As a teenager I always idealised the Birmingham Rep and its creative work,’’ she recalled. “I wish the Rep a fantastic centenary year and I look forward to seeing its brilliant new productions under the guidance of the new artistic director Roxana Silbert.”

• Continue reading at the Birmingham Mail.

An article from today’s Birmingham Mail, on Toyah and Hormonal Housewives in Birmingham.

Toyah Willcox joins Hormonal Housewives at to the New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

TV and music star joins comedy show in Birmingham

The irrepressible Hormonal Housewives are back and return to the New Alexandra Theatre Birmingham with Toyah Willcox next month. The show for all the women out there whose man is more James May than Christian Grey, Hormonal Housewives is a comedy written by husband and wife team Julie Coombe and John McIsaac.

• Continue reading at the Birmingham Mail.

Here is the print version of Toyah’s interview with the ‘Mirror’ from Tuesday. It is, of course, the same interview that was published on their website.  This edition also includes the great photo of Toyah from 1981.

‘For 40 years I’ve survived on three hours’ sleep a night’: Toyah Willcox on her battle with insomnia

Born with a twisted spine, a clubbed right foot and one leg shorter than the other, singer and actress Toyah Willcox has also suffered from chronic insomnia for 40 years.

Now the 54-year-old, who lives with her husband, musician Robert Fripp, 66, has finally found relief through having acupuncture.

I’ve suffered from ­chronic insomnia for 40 years. It started when I was a 14-year-old ­dyslexic schoolgirl revising for my exams in ­Birmingham. I experienced the typical ­teenage stress that the pressure of cramming for exams, and then sitting there for hours on end doing them brings.

• Continue reading at the Mirror. Read Dreamscape’s news post on this here. (Thanks to Richard Smith for the scan)

A new interview with Toyah, talking about her lifelong insomnia, in today’s Mirror, accompanied with some great photos.

‘For 40 years I’ve survived on three hours’ sleep a night’: Toyah Willcox on her battle with insomnia

Born with a twisted spine, a clubbed right foot and one leg shorter than the other, singer and actress Toyah Willcox has also suffered from chronic insomnia for 40 years.

Now the 54-year-old, who lives with her husband, musician Robert Fripp, 66, has finally found relief through having acupuncture.

I’ve suffered from ­chronic insomnia for 40 years. It started when I was a 14-year-old ­dyslexic schoolgirl revising for my exams in ­Birmingham. I experienced the typical ­teenage stress that the pressure of cramming for exams, and then sitting there for hours on end doing them brings.

During what felt like a solid month of exam papers, I just stopped sleeping. Once the pattern set in, it became a habit and I never really addressed it because back then no one really talked about insomnia. You’d just had a bad night’s sleep.

• Continue reading at the Mirror.

BBC Sport presenter Clare Balding and Pershore singer and actress Toyah Willcox were the special guests at Croome Court as they promoted its new walking book.

The historic National Trust mansion, situated near Pershore, was the host venue for an upcoming episode of BBC Radio 4 show ‘Ramblings’ on Thursday (January 31). Ramblings, which is presented by Ms Balding, features interviews with notable and interesting people during walks through the countryside.

Amy Forster, house and visitor services manager at Croome Court, said: “Toyah is a strong supporter of Croome and has been kind enough to promote our walking programme and walking events in the past. BBC Radio 4 interviewed Toyah because of the real need she has to walk in order to keep fit.”

• Continue reading at the Evesham Observer. Read all of our Ramblings news here.

A new article, by the Hereford Times, on Toyah recording Ramblings earlier today with Clare Balding. Looking at the photos, it may have been a windy walk!

Clare Balding and Toyah Willcox Enjoy A Stroll at Croome Park

TV presenter Clare Balding and pop icon Toyah Willcox shared their love of the countryside when they met up for a chat at Worcestershire beauty spot.
 
The pair met up at Croome, near Upton, when Ms Balding brought he popular Radio 4 programme ‘Ramblings’ to the National Trust property today. The chat with Ms Willcox, who is a regular visitor to Croome, will be broadcast at 3pm on Thursday, February 28 and repeated the following Saturday at 6am.
 
• Continue reading at the Hereford Times and Worcester News.

Here is the print version of Toyah’s interview with the ‘Daily Express’ from last Tuesday. It is, of course, the same interview that was published on their website but this edition also includes a great photo of Toyah from 1980.

Singer and actress Toyah Willcox says a course of acupuncture ended 40 years of insomnia.

After struggling with insomnia since she was 14, Toyah Willcox is an expert at surviving on little sleep. The singer, 54, who found fame as an orange-haired punk in the Eighties, says: “I had just started revising for my GCEs and the anxiety I felt made me stop sleeping.

• Continue reading at The Express. Read Dreamscape’s news post from last week on this here. (Thanks to Richard Smith for the scan)

An interview with Toyah, from last October by Glasgow’s Evening Times, which was previously only viewable to subscribers is now available to all.

Toyah’s performing her classic album, 30 years on

It’s her fans’ favourite record – but it’s taken 30 years for Toyah Willcox to face up to playing The Changeling album again.

The popular singer, actress and TV personality released the album in 1982, and it captured a dark, stressful time in her life. It’s only now that she feels she can perform it.
 
“The important thing about The Changeling and now is that I feel I can face it again,” she says ahead of her show at Classic Grand in Glasgow on Friday. “It was a pretty intense time making it, and being extremely famous is not a comfortable place to be, especially when you’re trying to write an album.

“I found the pressures of that one difficult, especially with the demands on time and the technology was very new as it was being made on digital.It brought back difficult memories revisiting it, as it was so intense at the time and I was just trying to remain true to myself. Being the most commercial female pop star at the time and wanting to write really dark material doesn’t go hand in hand.”

• Continue reading at the Evening Times.

Some people seemed quite excited yesterday that Pop Justice ran an article on Toyah and ‘Sensational’.

Toyah was a fairly big popstar in the early 1980s. It’s probably overstating things slightly to say that she was the Lady Gaga of her day because she didn’t really have the tunes, but you can’t argue with magazine covers like the one you see to your right. We reckon Toyah could probably have pulled off a fairly successful comeback on the back of this Weight Watchers ad appearance. You know the sort of thing – you find one or two up-and-coming acts who might be prepared to drop her name as an influence, Radio 2 play the single quite a bit, broadsheets do the usual ‘she was there at the dawn of the pop age now the original Gaga is back and she’s as colourful as ever’ pieces…

• Continue reading at Pop Justice.

The curtain closed on Canterbury’s Sleeping Beauty pantomime for the final time at the weekend. And crowds still turned up to the show, despite widespread snowfall across the area. Since its first show on 30 November, nearly 84,00 people turned up to see the pantomime, which starred singers Gareth Gates and Toyah Willcox.

Marlowe Theatre director Mark Everett said: “More people saw Sleeping Beauty than any other Marlowe pantomime. I am absolutely delighted that they enjoyed such a wonderful show and my thanks go to the cast, company and all the theatre staff who worked so hard to make it such a success, especially over the last few, snowy, days.”

• Continue reading at Canterbury People.

British singer Toyah Willcox has credited acupuncture with ending her 40 years of insomnia.

The I Want to Be Free hitmaker began suffering disturbed sleep when she studied for exams as a teenager, and she continued to struggle after finding fame in the 1980s.

Willcox, 54, explored alternative therapies after suffering a bad reaction to medication, and since her first acupuncture session last June (12), she has finally been able to sleep through the night. She tells Britain’s Daily Express newspaper, “I’m teetotal and health conscious so I decided to look into more natural methods of curing my sleep problems. I drink Chamomile tea and use aromatherapy.

• Continue reading at Contact Music.

A new interview with Toyah, published today, by The Express.

Singer and actress Toyah Willcox says a course of acupuncture ended 40 years of insomnia.

After struggling with insomnia since she was 14, Toyah Willcox is an expert at surviving on little sleep. The singer, 54, who found fame as an orange-haired punk in the Eighties, says: “I had just started revising for my GCEs and the anxiety I felt made me stop sleeping.

“I would go to bed around 11 or 12 at night and be awake two hours later. It didn’t help me with my exams as my brain would feel foggy the next day but there was nothing anyone could do for me. No one would give a child a sleeping pill and from that point on I had chronic sleep problems.”

She comes from a family of insomniacs. “My mother never slept,” says Toyah, who was born in Birmingham, the youngest of three. “I remember her doing housework until four in the morning and then she would take me to school a few hours later.

• Continue reading at The Express.

Toyah is mentioned as being a guest, in the line-up for the new series of RTÉ Two’s Wagon’s Den, in an article by the RTÉ Press Centre.

Katherine Lynch’s hit comedy showbiz news show Wagon’s Den returns to RTE Two on Thursday January 10th with its usual thunderous cacophony of female wit and opinion on all the celebrity news issues of the week.
 
Amongst those appearing alongside Katherine Lynch’s anchor Sheila Chic character are wingman Brian Dowling plus model Sarah Morrisey, ‘Gossip Girl’ Siobhan O’Connor, Anthea Turner, ‘Doctor’ Gillian McKeith, Toyah Willcox and Model-turned-Super Injunction Poster Girl Natasha Giggs.

• Continue reading at the RTÉ Press Centre.

The Express have paid tribute to the remarkable Alfie Fripp, Uncle of Robert, who passed away this week.

Obituary: Alfie Fripp, Britain’s Oldest Surviving POW, June 13 1913 – January 3 2013

It was October 13, 1939, and nearly six weeks after Britain declared war on Nazi Germany Alfie Fripp and his fellow Blenheim crewmen found themselves at the mercy of the Luftwaffe who had shot down their aircraft.

• Continue reading at Express.co.uk.

The Express & Star feature a photo of Toyah from this year’s Changeling Resurrection tour in their article on what’s playing at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre in Spring 2013.

Joseph, Cats and Evita coming to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Cats and Evita are among the big shows coming to Wolverhampton as theatre bosses reveal their new spring line-up.

The Grand Theatre in Lichfield Street will also welcome Toyah Willcox, Hormonal Housewives, starring Toyah Willcox on April 2 and 3, features sketches about day-to-day problems that women face.

• Continue reading at the Express & Star.