Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

Toyah’s interview with ‘What’s On’ magazine, published on Saturday, is now also available at Kent Online.

From chart-topping 1980s punk princess to her current racy role as a hormonal housewife, with a stint hosting Songs of Praise along the way, Toyah Willcox has always defied convention. And the feisty 54-year-old has no intention of slowing down, as Kathryn Tye found out.
 
It would be a brave man who ventures out for a night at the theatre with the Hormonal Housewives. The comedy show, featuring an all-female cast, comprises a series of sketches on everything that makes today’s woman tick – or ticked off – from the trials of dealing with teenagers to battling the bulge – and of course the challenges of dealing with the opposite sex.
 
But star Toyah Willcox says that men would be very welcome – and might even enjoy themselves! Toyah, 54, said: “It is a very female-oriented show, but we don’t demonise men in it. We like sex. There is no doubt that most of our audience will be women enjoying a night out together, but it is definitely suitable for men as well. It might even prove educational for them, getting an insight into what we talk about when they’re not there.”

• Continue reading at Kent Online.

The hit comedy ‘Hormonal Housewives’ will bring its latest tour to Southport Theatre next week, starring pop icon Toyah Willcox.

Toyah, who has already performed in the musical ‘Vampires Rock’ as well as a ‘Here and Now’ show in Southport, is looking forward to hitting the venue’s stage once again. “I think this show is going to be a scream,” she told the Champion, ahead of the March 14 show.

Now on its second national tour, Hormonal Housewives is written by husband and wife team John McIsaac and Julie Coombe, who will also appear alongside Toyah.

• Continue reading at Champion News.

Another new interview with Toyah, by EADT24, in which she discusses an event from 1979 that she last spoke about in her autobiography, ‘Living Out Loud’, in 2000.

Regent-bound Toyah on how she ended up in the middle of the street in just her underwear

Toyah Willcox has been hormonal for as long as she can remember. Taken to see The Sound of Music for the seventh time by her even more hormonal mother in the hope it would make her more lady-like, the then eight-year-old just wanted to rebel against the townsfolk below.

As a terrible teen her parents asked her to invite her elusive friends round for tea; imagine their horror when 30 members of the local chapter of Hells Angels roared round the corner. When she was 21, a very bad case of PMS and 15 Babychams led to a massive brawl during which she broke her record company boss’ nose.

• Continue reading at EADT24. Also at the Stowmarket Mercury.

A new interview with Toyah, published today by the Yorkshire Post.

She was an eighties punk pop star who had 13 top 40 singles and recorded 20 albums, she’s written two books, appeared in more than 40 plays, starred in 10 feature films and presented TV programmes as diverse as The Good Sex Guide, Watchdog and Songs Of Praise, but Toyah Willcox is still very much in demand.

She will be taking to the stage again next month in a tour of Hormonal Housewives which takes in Leeds, Halifax, York and Wakefield: “It’s a sketch show with three acts and we play ourselves in between,” explains Toyah. “It’s Loose Women-style talk, with women talking about how things really are. We don’t shy away from issues like PMS, pregnancy and labour.”

• Continue reading at the Yorkshire Post.

Toyah details her daily diet in the latest issue of ‘Natural Health’ magazine.

There is no doubt that actress and singer Toyah Willcox is clean living…

Breakfast: I have the same breakfast every day; a bowl of bran flakes with lactose-free milk and an Actimel and Activa yoghurt.

Lunch: For lunch I have homemade fresh vegetable soup with freshly made wholemeal bread and olives on the side. Or, roast salmon with steamed broccoli and steamed carrots.

Read more…

Toyah is interviewed in this week’s issue of ‘Woman’s Weekly’ magazine.

Having A Cup Of Tea With Singer And Actress Toyah Willcox

Who would you most like to have a cup of tea with?
David Bowie, Helen Mirren and Judi Dench – all British legends.

You’re about to appear in the play Hormonal Housewives. What can we expect?
It’s an all-out comedy about three women. It’s one of those plays where you read the script and you keep thinking, ‘Oh yes, I’ve been through that!’. The madness that comes through PMT is all captured in an evening. It’s very funny, light-hearted and well-observed.

Read more…

A great new interview with Toyah, from yesterday’s Birmingham Mail.

Toyah Willcox leaves behind her Midland home to go on tour with Hormonal Housewives

Don’t mess with punk princess Toyah Willcox when she is feeling hormonal. Marion McMullen finds out about terrible teens, strange food cravings and crying over Love Story.

“I’ve got 67 one-night stands for the next three months,” chuckles Toyah Willcox naughtily.
 
But there’s no need to worry about any X-rated hanky panky. Toyah is about to hit the road and leave behind her Midland home to tour the country with comedy show Hormonal Housewives.
 
“As far as I can remember I have always been hormonal. And I can remember being in my pram,” she says

• Continue reading at the Birmingham Mail.

A new interview with Toyah, by This is Sussex, focusing on the forthcoming Hormonal Housewives tour.

Actress and 80s punk pop star Toyah Willcox has done it all.
 
In a career spanning 30 years she has had 13 top 40 singles, recorded 20 albums, written two books, appeared in more than 40 plays, starred in ten feature films and presented TV programmes as diverse as The Good Sex Guide Late, Watchdog and Songs Of Praise.

Now in her fifties, Toyah still has her rebellious and independent streak – and plans on bringing this to the stage next month when she performs at The Hawth. She will be part of an all-female cast in the show Hormonal Housewives.

• Continue reading at This is Sussex.

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)