Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

There’s been an abundance of press for The Great British Sewing Bee – Celebrity Christmas Special, and I have endeavoured to collect and compile as much of it as possible for this post (Photos © BBC):

• The Independent: Great British Sewing Bee crowns 2023 celebrity winner: The winner of the Great British Sewing Bee Celebrity Christmas special has been crowned – Continue…

• Telly Mix: The Great British Sewing Bee Celebrity Christmas Special 2023: This year’s special promises to be a vibrant showcase of sewing prowess, featuring four celebrities under the watchful eyes of judges Esme Young and Patrick Grant – Continue…

• iNews: The Great British Sewing Bee review: Kiell Smith-Bynoe is its last hope: With more charm on display than sewing skill, this festive edition of the competition was more watchable than the usual series – Continue…

• AOL: Great British Sewing Bee crowns 2023 celebrity winner: The winner of the Great British Sewing Bee Celebrity Christmas special has been crowned: Toyah Willcox, Kerry Godliman, Jessica Knappett, and Hammed Animashaun, battled it out in Christmas-themed challenges during Thursday night’s show (21 December) – Continue…

• The Guardian: TV tonight: cheese, chips and cookies – it’s Nigella’s Amsterdam Christmas: The Great British Sewing Bee: Celebrity Christmas Special 9pm, BBC One – Continue…

• Digital Spy: Great British Sewing Bee reveals celebrity winner of 2023 Christmas special: “I’ve loved every minute, the stress included.” – Continue…

• The Sun: Famous Four: The Great British Sewing Bee Celebrity Christmas Special: Who is taking part, when is it on and how can I watch it?: A group of famous faces will show off their sewing skills – Continue…

• Radio Times: Who Is In The Great British Sewing Bee Christmas 2023 line-up: Four celebrities are ready to take on the challenge – Continue…

• TV Guide: Celebrity Christmas Special 2023: Former Christmas special sewer Kiell Smith-Bynoe takes over as host as musician Toyah Willcox, comedian Jessica Knappett and actors Kerry Godliman and Hammed Animashaun are put to the test – Continue…

• Yahoo! News: The best Christmas 2023 TV to watch on ITV, BBC, C4 and more: The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have an array of festive specials airing this December – Continue…

• BBC iPlayer: In this year’s Christmas Sewing Bee, punk icon Toyah Willcox, actor Kerry Godliman, comedian Jessica Knappett and actor Hammed Animashaun put their sewing skills to the test – Watch for the next 12 months…

• Sharp Dressed Man: Toyah performs the ZZ Top hit – Watch…

TV loves to wheel in a celeb, but it was a shock to see Dion Dublin tour houses with a punk princess of the 80s

TV review: As Homes Under The Hammer celebrates its 20th anniversary with the help of Toyah Willcox, there are unruly throngs of celebs queuing up for festive specials

The joy of working shifts is that you have mornings to do things.

Butterfly collecting, going roller-blading with the dog or helping the elderly and infirm are just three things that I could do, but let’s face it, I don’t…

• Continue reading at the Belfast Telegraph. (Subscription required)

Homes Under The Hammer’s Dion Dublin says ‘I’m out of a job’ as ’80s music legend co-hosts show

Cue the music of the 1980s and the Toyah puns as the BBC show steps back in time

It’s no mystery that BBC’s Homes Under the Hammer is one of the most popular property programmes on TV – it’s been on for 20 years and has been celebrating this landmark anniversary by inviting celebrity fans onto the show to co-host a visit to an auction property.

Presenter and retired professional footballer Dion Dublin’s invited guest to a three-bed, semi-detached house on the outskirts of Birmingham was 1980s pop legend Toyah Wilcox, who was born less than 20 minutes away from the property in Rubery that went to auction with a guide price of £49,000.

Dion was over-excited, not because he managed to find a way to weave a football gag or reference into the show, but because he was joined by someone he really admires. He said: “You are not going to want to miss this! Sit tight, tea and toast on the lap, and you’re going to love it. You can call her a pop icon, you can call her a punk icon, but I’m just going to call her – I’m so excited – a music icon.”

• Continue reading at Wales Online. See also The Sun.

Toyah guests on a Celebrity Christmas Special episode of The Great British Sewing Bee this coming Thursday (BBC1, 9pm) – see previous posts from the past couple of weeks on this below – and the programme is featured in a variety of this week’s television magazines. (Thanks to Paul and Ray)

Homes Under The Hammer, 20th Anniversary special, with Toyah and Dion Dublin aired yesterday morning on BBC1, and will be repeated this Friday on BBC2. It’s also availabe for the next year at BBC iPlayer.

Homes Under The Hammer: BBC2: Friday 22nd December: 6.15am
Toyah Willcox. Dion Dublin is joined by Toyah Willcox in a 20th anniversary celebrity special, to look around a three-bed semi in her native Birmingham. Jacqui Joseph is in Lincolnshire to see a ground-floor flat. Plus, a look through the series archives to remember one of Dion’s early appearances, where he shows off his dance moves at a former nightclub in Burnley. (Photo © Toyah Willcox)

Christmas 1983, and a little, albeit unconventional, festive retail therapy at one of London’s most legendary department stores – Liberty on Regent Street – made the fourth festive season of the 1980s a very memorable one for Toyah fans and viewers of Good Morning Britain on TVAM.

Toyah sporting her late 1983 – most associated with the promotion of The Vow – look, and her Brave New World video co-star Messenger (the beautiful horse), went early Christmas shopping in November…

Pop singer and actress Toyah Willcox has always wanted to do her Christmas shopping on horseback! With a little help from TV-am’s ‘Fantasy Time’, and Liberty London in Regent Street, Toyah rode a white horse called Messenger through the store.

• Watch the full TVAM clip at Toyah’s Official You Tube channel and click below to see larger versions of the screen captures of Toyah and Messenger.

Homes Under The Hammer, 20th Anniversary special, with Toyah and Dion Dublin aired this morning on BBC1, and will be repeated this Friday on BBC2. It’s also available to watch for the next year at BBC iPlayer.

Toyah is currently receiving a lot of praise for her performance in the, just released,  Doctor Who related audio drama, Children Of The Circus, in the role(s) of The Band of Infinite Harmony.

Sci Fi Bulletin: Toyah Willcox is spectacular as the Band of Infinite Harmony, a gestalt musician maimed into something approaching harmonious perfection by the Gods of Ragnarok

Warped Factor: Joining them is 1980s icon Toyah Willcox, who plays The Band of Infinite Harmony, a multi-voiced role that she relishes, culminating in a solo song featured as a bonus track.

• So, here’s that question again – When is RTD (Russell T. Davies, Doctor Who showrunner) going to get his arse in gear and cast Toyah in the main, BBC, series? (Image/Logo © BBC/Disney)

Christmas 2023, and Toyah is one of four celebrity guests appearing on The Great British Sewing Bee – Celebrity Christmas Special – airing on Thursday 21st December on BBC One at 9pm. It’s sure to be a seriously festive and fun programme, and a great way to spend an hour a few days before Christmas Day.

Former Christmas special sewer Kiell Smith-Bynoe takes over as host as musician Toyah Willcox, comedian Jessica Knappett and actors Kerry Godliman and Hammed Animashaun are put to the test by judges Esme Young and Patrick Grant. The celebrities begin by putting their own twist on a pattern for a stocking then turn the humble puffer jacket into food-themed children’s fancy dress. In the final challenge, the competitors create an outfit perfect for their dream Christmas Day.

Here is a newly released solo shot of Toyah from The Great British Sewing Bee. See a few more (group) photos from the programme, here. Read features on the Christmas special at Prima and TV Zone. (Photo © BBC/Love Productions)

Esme Young reveals her touching childhood connection to this year’s Sewing Bee Christmas special

The perfect festive viewing

The Great British Sewing Bee Celebrity Christmas Special is going to be back this year with a new celebrity line-up ready to follow those tricky patterns and transform festive materials into something fabulous – and the release date for the episode has also been revealed.

The Christmas episode of the Sewing Bee will air on Thursday 21 December at 9pm on BBC One.

The BBC has also revealed which celebrities have been confirmed to taking on the sewing challenges for the Christmas special. This year we can look forward to seeing actor, musician and punk icon Toyah Willcox, actor and comedian Kerry Godliman, comedian and writer Jessica Knappett and actor Hammed Animashaun.

Judge Esme appeared on BBC’s Morning Live to discuss the upcoming Christmas special. In a clip of the show, contestant Toyah showed Esme a necklace she bought from Esme’s brand Swanky Modes. Toyah said she wore the piece of jewellery when she went out for lunch with Princess Diana.

• Continue reading at Prima. Follow The Great British Sewing Bee at Instagram. (Photo © BBC/Love Productions)

Toyah Guests on Homes Under The Hammer Monday 18 December on BBC One

Pop superstar Toyah Willcox joins Dion Dublin on a special 20th anniversary episode of Homes Under the Hammer. Explore a house in Birmingham and revisit Dion’s early appearances.

Celebrity Special 3: Homes Under the Hammer Series 26, Episode 74 of 80

Homes Under the Hammer is celebrating its 20th anniversary with some special celebrity editions. Pop superstar Toyah Willcox joins host Dion Dublin to explore a three-bedroom semi-detached house in her native Birmingham. Additionally, the episode will include a throwback to one of Dion’s early appearances on the show, as well as a segment featuring Jacqui Joseph visiting a ground floor flat in Lincolnshire.

This hour long anniversary special is set to air on BBC One on 18th December 2023 at 11.15am.

• Continue reading at Memorable TV.

Celebrities set to unleash their inner property expert as they celebrate 20 years of Homes Under the Hammer

For the first time ever each special episode will contain a celebrity host, a new property, and a memorable moment from the archive with a double-bill due to air on the anniversary

Homes Under the Hammer first aired on BBC One on 17 November 2003 and is set to celebrate in style with celebrity guest presenters on its 20th Anniversary. For the first time ever each special episode will contain a celebrity host, a new property, and a memorable moment from the archive with a double-bill due to air on the anniversary.

The celebrity guests are fans of the programme and will enjoy the opportunity to offer their own individual insight as they share ideas to transform the properties. Martin Roberts will kick off the anniversary celebrations with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen in Bristol, followed by Martel Maxwell and Alex Jones in London. Laurence rivals Martin in the fashion stakes before offering advice on recycling a retro avocado bathroom suite and Alex expresses her love for original features. The celebrities will also present the iconic phrase ‘Let’s find out what happened when it went under the hammer’ before meeting with the new owners who were successful at auction.

Later in the year, Dion Dublin will be joined by Toyah Wilcox in Birmingham, Jacqui Joseph will co-present with Owain Wyn Evans in Wales and Tommy Walsh will get a helping hand from The Traitors favourite, Amanda Lovett, in Buckinghamshire.

• Continue reading at BBC Media Centre. See photos of Toyah and Dion at Twitter/X, and a short preview video clip at Facebook. (Photo © Toyah Willcox)

I’m just catching up with this week’s Richard Osman’s House Of Games, with Toyah guesting.

Highlights, so far: House Of Games host, Richard Osman revealed (on Monday) his first ever gig was seeing Toyah on The Changeling Tour in 1982 at The Brighton Centre.

Toyah was Tuesday’s champion – choosing a decanter as her prize. Richard said: “If you’d said to me at The Brighton Centre, at 11 years old, one day you’ll be presenting Toyah with a decanter with my face on it as a prize in a three-way tie-break, I’d have been like huh? I’d have liked it though. Toyah, well done!”

• Click below to watch Richard Osman’s House Of Games at BBC iPlayer. (Screenshot/Image © BBC)

The Janice Long Review Show “The Changeling” (2013)

This programme excerpt from 2013 sees Toyah discuss the album The Changeling, and its then recent celebration Resurrection Tour, with the late Janice Long for her Album Review Show. Also discussing are Paul Sexton and Trevor Horn.

• Pre-order The Changeling, on 2CD+DVD, neon pink 12″ vinyl LP,  Super Deluxe Limited box set, at Cherry Red.

Toyah’s legendary Live At Drury Lane concert, which aired on Christmas Eve 1981 as The Old Grey Whistle Test‘s annual concert, is now available to watch at BBC iPlayer – after being repeated for the first time by BBC Four last Friday.

Sky Arts aired a new career-spanning feature documentary, Call Me Kate, on legendary Hollywood great Katharine Hepburn last month. Toyah was included, and talks about meeting Katharine, and working with her – on The Corn Is Green (Thanks to Minna)

Gold Wala and Motion Content Group have been commissioned to make a 1×60’ feature celebrating the music of the 1980s for Channel 4’s digital channel, More4.

Legendary presenter Ken Bruce voices Sounds Like The 80s, which brings together icons from the British music scene to select their favourite tracks from the decade to create their ultimate mixtape of the era.

With song selections from a variety of famous faces synonymous with the 80s including Midge Ure, Jazzie B, Toyah Willcox, Pete Waterman and Michaela Strachan, we hear the stories behind the tracks that defined a generation, told by those who truly lived it.

• Read the full press release at channel4.com.

Toyah will be guesting on an upcoming five-episode run of Richard Osman’s House Of Games. Date and time tbc but Toyah will reveal further info on this morning’s Toyah At Home. (Photo © BBC)

During last year’s series of The Masked Singer, there were some, including the national press, who thought the character/masked singer Panda was Toyah. It was eventually revealed that Panda was in fact Natalie Imbruglia.

The new series of The Masked Singer for 2023 started on New Year’s Day and almost immediately fans of the show were speculating the character Otter could be Toyah – though some are also saying it may possibly be Kate Bush, Dawn French or Emma Thompson. Great company to be in!

Time will tell! In the meantime, here’s a photo of Otter. Read press reports mentioning Toyah as Otter: Mirror, Daily Star, and Cornwall Live. (Photo © ITV)

Christmas 1983, and a little, albeit unconventional, festive retail therapy at one of London’s most legendary department stores – Liberty on Regent Street – made the fourth festive season of the 1980s a very memorable one for Toyah fans and viewers of Good Morning Britain on TVAM.

Toyah sporting her late 1983 – most associated with the promotion of The Vow – look, and her Brave New World video co-star Messenger (the beautiful horse), went early Christmas shopping in November…

Pop singer and actress Toyah Willcox has always wanted to do her Christmas shopping on horseback! With a little help from TV-am’s ‘Fantasy Time’, and Liberty London in Regent Street, Toyah rode a white horse called Messenger through the store.

• Watch the full TVAM clip at Toyah’s Official You Tube channel and click below to see larger versions of the screen captures of Toyah and Messenger.

Christmas 1984, The Ebony Tower, written by John Fowles and originally published in 1974, premiered on ITV on the 9th December.

Toyah filmed the 90-minute television drama, which was produced by Granada TV, in the Dordogne region of France during the Summer of 1983.

She starred alongside Sir Laurence Olivier, Greta Scacchi and Roger Rees. In a 1984 interview, Toyah said of the character she plays: “The girl I play in The Ebony Tower may be called ‘The Freak’, and she may even look like a freak, but deep down she is the sanest person in the story“.

View promo shots from the drama here and here. Read an interview with Toyah, published when The Ebony Tower aired, by Outlook magazine, and another from around the same time, by Cosmopolitan magazine. Read Dreamscape’s 2011 DVD review, and view a couple of our fan adverts. (Thanks to andy for the screen cap below)