Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

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)

A reminder the Second City Firsts episode “Glitter” airs tonight on BBC Four. Starring Toyah in the lead and in her first professional screen role. It is being repeated, for the first time since originally airing in November 1976, alongside two other Second City Firsts‘ episodes.

Second City Firsts: BBC Four: Wednesday 20th July: 10.35pm
Glitter. Series 1, episode 2. Drama from 1976 about Sue, a teenage singer whose dream is to perform on Top of the Pops. Toyah Willcox stars in her first professional role, with Phil Daniels and Noel Edmonds. Director: Tony Bicat. Also features: Doremy Vernon and Bilbo Baggins.

Happy 40th to Blue Marigold! The episode of Tales Of The Unexpected, starring Toyah in the lead role, aired on ITV 40 years ago this month (25th April to be precise). Here’s the original promotional magazine advert… (Thanks to Paul)

Further press for Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted (Photos © Discovery).

• Classic Rock/Louder: Ghost hunter ‘strangled’ in Toyah Willcox’s haunted home: On a recent episode of Celebrity Help! My House is Haunted, ghost hunters investigated Toyah Willcox’s home with unexpected consequences – Usually featuring self-proclaimed psychics and supernatural investigators shrieking hysterically into night vision lenses every time their camera crew bump into furniture, ghost hunting shows on TV have largely been disappointing. This was not the case last month, however, when paranormal experts visited Toyah Willcox’s home in Pershore, Worcestershire, for Celebrity Help! My House is Haunted, to find out whether the pop star’s abode was supernaturally troubled, as she suggests – Continue reading…

• Birmingham Mail: My House is Haunted cleaner ‘had a bad feeling in the en suite’ of eerie home: Toyah’s Pershore haunted house has further ghostly revelations from its former cleaner – Further spooky revelations have surfaced about the Worcestershire haunted house where TV ghost hunter Barri Ghai was filmed being ‘strangled’ by an evil spirit in the loft. Now the former cleaner of the historic Pershore property has come forward revealing there were public hangings in the attic. The Georgian house is owned by 1980s pop icon Toyah Willcox, who got the TV Help! My House is Haunted team in to help her after experiencing “persistent paranormal activity” since she moved in 20 years ago. Former cleaner Chrissi Rock, from Evesham, said: “I used to clean Toyah’s house in 1997 before she bought it – Continue reading…

• Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted: Browse Dreamscape’s news/press archive – Continue reading…

Ghost hunter strangled by spirit in Toyah Willcox’s Pershore home

A ghost hunter was left gasping for air by an evil spirit in the Worcestershire home of 80s icon Toyah Willcox.

In scenes filmed for a new series, Celebrity Help! My House is Haunted, paranormal expert Barri Ghai was seemingly strangled whilst carrying out an investigation in the attic of Willcox’s Pershore home. Ghai was joined by colleagues Ian Shaw and Jayne Harris, who had set up a special ‘REM’ recording device in the attic.

The team were trying to speak with a ghost named George, which they believed to be a soldier who fought during the English civil war in the 1600s.

• Continue reading at Worcester News. Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted is streaming now on Discovery +

80s pop legend Toyah Willcox terrorised by violent ghost who strangles people

Toyah Willcox says she was left was petrified after witnessing plenty of paranormal activity from a number of spirits at her Worcestershire home as part of a new TV show

Toyah Willcox has been terrorised by a violent ghost.

The pop legend, 63 was petrified after witnessing plenty of paranormal activity from a number of spirits in her Worcestershire home.

And when she staged an exorcism in a bid to scare them off, things turned nasty when one of them strangled someone.

evealing her torment, Toyah said: “I’ve always experienced haunted properties because I’ve constantly lived in very old places. This house is absolutely extraordinary. It is a very active house.”

“There are two obvious ghosts that are sisters and they’ve always been around. The evidence is mainly a whiff of cigarette smoke and perfume.”

• Continue reading at the Daily Star. Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted is streaming now on Discovery +

More press – from the major UK newspapers – on the spooky events that took place in Toyah’s home in Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted. (Photos © Discovery)

• Daily Mail: Moment terrified ghost hunter is ‘strangled by an evil spirit’ inside the ‘haunted’ home of ’80s pop icon Toyah Willcox in paranormal reality show: Toyah Willcox appeared on discovery’s Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted – The 63-year-old was convinced her Worcestershire home is haunted by ghosts. Paranormal expert Barri Ghai was seen choking and gasping for air in her attic Barri and his fellow ghost hunters confirmed that Toyah’s home is in fact haunted – Continue reading…

• The Sun: Fright Night – I was choked by a violent ghost in Toyah Wilcox’s attic – I was sure I’d collapse and die on camera: A ghost hunter was left gasping for air after being violently attacked “by a ghost” in pop icon’s Toyah Wilcox’s home – Paranormal expert Barri Ghai claimed he was choked as he confronted an aggressive ghost called George in an upcoming scene on Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted – Continue reading…

• Daily Star: Moment ghost hunter is ‘strangled by spirit’ inside haunted home of Toyah Willcox: A ghost hunter says he was throttled by an “evil spirit” in the home of 1980s pop star Toyah Willcox in a terrifying episode of Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted. A spine-tingling video shows a paranormal expert being “throttled by an evil spirit” as ghost hunters investigate paranormal activity inside the home of 1980’s pop icon Toyah Willcox – Continue reading…

Terrifying Moment Ghost Hunter Is Throttled By Aggressive Spirit Living Attic

Sinister footage shows the moment a paranormal investigator was throttled by a suspected ghost while exploring the home of singer Toyah Willcox – spooking him so much that he thought he would ‘die’.

Expert Barri Ghai was looking into paranormal activity in Willcox’s house for the series Celebrity Help! My House is Haunted when the spooky incident allegedly took place.

Ghai was joined by colleagues Ian Shaw and Jayne Harris, having set up a special ‘REM’ recording device.

In the clip, Ghai says: “The REM is going off, I don’t know why.”

• Continue reading at Lad Bible. Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted is streaming from today on Discovery +

Terrifying moment ghost hunter is throttled by aggressive spirit living inside Toyah Willcox’s attic: ‘Get away from him!’

A ghost hunter is throttled by a malevolent spirit while investigating paranormal activity inside the home of singer, actress, and ‘80s pop icon Toyah Willcox. Yes, really.

In a Metro.co.uk exclusive clip from upcoming scenes filmed for Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted, paranormal expert Barri Ghai is left coughing and gasping for air as he’s confronted by an aggressive ghost called George.

It all kicks off when Toyah leaves Barri and his colleagues Ian and Jayne for the night as their investigation starts shaping up to be one of the team’s most active cases yet.

Rigging the house with fixed cameras, the group attempted to reach out to George, who swears at them. After an unnerving start, they go upstairs to the attic when they hear a violent growl on Barri’s recording device. Suddenly, the audio begins picking up snippets of the spirit mentioning Barri by name and telling the trio to ‘get down.’

• Continue reading at the Metro. Celebrity Help! My House Is Haunted is streaming from tomorrow on Discovery +

The final of the third series of The Masked Singer airs this Saturday on ITV. Following press stories a few weeks ago about the possibility of Toyah being, one of the three finalists, Panda, The Sun and Birmingham Mail both published stories yesterday repeating this. (Photos © ITV)

• The Sun: Unmasked? Masked Singer fans convinced Panda is 80s pop legend after spotting ‘clues’ in her voice

Masked Singer fans are convinced the celebrity identity behind Panda is none other than 80s pop legend Toyah Willcox. The ITV show’s grand finale is set to air this Saturday with Panda, Robobunny and Mushroom all battling out to be crowned the winner of The Masked Singer 2022.

And while several names such as Natalia Imbruglia and Alesha Dixon have been bounced around, fans of the series now believe the person behind the costume is none other than Toyah, 63, after hearing her distinctive lisp.

Taking to Twitter to share their guess, one fan penned: “Sorry people, Panda is Toyah Willcox. Panda has a lisp. “Toyah also has done theatre, has been in bands as well as solo and is tiny.”

“Watching masked singer for first time. Panda is def Toyah Willcox,” another remarked. “No idea who most of the suggestions even are but Toyah featured heavily in youth tv watching and convinced!!!”

Continue reading at The Sun…

• Birmingham Mail: Panda’s identity rumbled after viewers spot ‘lisp’ on ITV The Masked Singer

The ITV show is set to return for its grand finale this Saturday with three celebrities left in the competition. The Masked Singer viewers think they’ve worked out who Panda is – after they are convinced they have spotted the star lisping.

The ITV show is set to return for its grand finale this Saturday with three celebrities left in the competition. Panda, Robobunny and Mushroom are still battling out to be crowned the winner of The Masked Singer 2022.

Several names have been put forward over the competition for who could be behind the Panda costume. Popular guesses include Natalie Imbruglia, Cheryl Cole and Alesha Dixon, but another name has emerged after viewers heard a distinctive lisp.

They now think it is 80s pop legend Toyah Willcox behind the mask. Taking to Twitter to share their guess, one fan said: “Sorry people, Panda is Toyah Willcox. Panda has a lisp. Toyah also has done theatre, has been in bands as well as solo and is tiny.”

Continue reading at the Birmingham Mail… See previous “Toyah is Panda” press by The Mirror.

Masked Singer fans ‘rumble’ celebrity on show – but for more than one character

The Masked Singer UK fans say they’ve got clues and proof that one star is under the mask, but she’s been named as playing multiple characters

The Masked Singer UK viewers have shared their thoughts on Twitter over the latest batch of characters. One name in particular has been shared constantly with fans believing they have proof she is on the show. However, the particular celebrity has in fact been suggested for multiple characters, while one in particular.

Musician, actress, and TV presenter Toyah Willcox is tipped to be unmasked as Panda on the hit ITV series, with fans convinced it is her. That said, she’s also been thrown into the mix for Rockhopper and Mushroom, as well as Firework.

Basically, fans are convinced the vocals and clues match her for all of the characters, but she can’t possibly be playing all of them can she? While we wouldn’t put it past the double-bluffing bosses on the show, the characters have all appeared on stage at the same time at one point, or at least most of them have. It is also very unlikely they have one celebrity performing as more than one character, meaning someone else has to be the other characters.

It’s Panda that has had the most guesses as being Toyah by viewers, with many convinced the vocals gave the game away.

• Continue reading at The Mirror. NB. The Sun, Express, Independent and others have a similar story but they have Cyndi Lauper as Panda. The Masked Singer continues this Saturday evening on ITV at 7pm. Have a listen…. Definitely not Toyah but it does sound sort of like Cyndi!

From Punk Princess To Cabaret Queen, Toyah Willcox On Joining Proud Embankment | This Morning

She first burst onto the music scene in the 80s. But forty years on, Toyah Willcox is going from punk princess to cabaret queen as she joins the impressive line-up at Proud Embankment. Following in the footsteps of Julian Clary, Bill Bailey and Denise Van Outen, Toyah will be treating fans to a spectacular evening of music, burlesque artists, and award-winning acrobatics. Toyah also discusses becoming a viral lockdown sensation.

Originally aired in 2018 to celebrate The Old Grey Whistle Test‘s 30th anniversary. this mammoth 3hr+ programme is repeated in full this Friday on BBC Four. (Photo © BBC)

The Old Grey Whistle Test Live: BBC Four
Friday 17th September : 9.40pm
For One Night Only. Hosted by Bob Harris, this live studio show features music, special guests and rare archive footage to mark the 30 years since the legendary series was last broadcast. Featuring performances from Peter Frampton, Richard Thompson, Albert Lee and more. Bob also chats to Whistle Test alumni, including Dave Stewart, Joan Armatrading, Ian Anderson, Chris Difford and Kiki Dee, as well as fans Danny Baker and Al Murray.

“It’s going to be a huge reunion”: Bob Harris reveals live line-up for Old Grey Whistle Test

BBC Music is reviving The Old Grey Whistle Test for a one-off live special on BBC Four. The revival marks 30 years since the legendary music TV show ended – it ran from 1971 to 1988 – and former host Bob Harris will be back at the helm.

Harris presented the show with that famous “whispering” delivery from 1972-78 and his spell included UK TV firsts including the performance from Bob Marley & The Wailers. Forty-six years since he first hosted, Harris will be back for the live three-hour special, which has generated huge excitement among music fans of a certain age.

“I know, it feels very exciting at this end too – the interest has been absolutely incredible,” the Radio 2 presenter told Music Week.

A few screen caps from Toyah’s guest appearance on BBC Breakfast this morning. There were bursts of It’s A Mystery, Thunder In The Mountains (both Top Of The Pops performances), Levitate, and Zoom Zoom. Toyah talked about Posh Pop, You Tube, Sunday Lunch and much more! See a clip from the interview at BBC Breakfast‘s Twitter.

Toyah guests on BBC Breakfast tomorrow to talk about the album Posh Pop. The programme airs on BBC1 from 6am, and runs for just over three hours.

BBC Breakfast: BBC1: Tuesday 31st August: 6am
The latest news, sport, business and weather from the BBC’s Breakfast team.

• Watch as it airs on BBC1, or post-broadcast, on Catch Up at BBC iPlayer.

NB. This news was announced by Official Toyah with another, previously unseen online, new Posh Pop photo. (Photo © Toyah Willcox)

Toyah guested on Sky News this morning, talking about her new album, Posh Pop, and more. Here are some screen caps from the programme. Click on them to view larger versions. (Thanks to Dean Beadle for the caps).

Southampton festival goers ‘back together as a community’ as Let’s Rock returns

One of Southampton’s major music festivals has returned to the city for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. Let’s Rock was back on Southampton Common with 80s legend Toyah opening the proceedings (14 August).

Toyah, like other musicians and singers had to give up live performance during the pandemic, but she’s said that return of live music was “a whole cultural social event.”

“It’s not just about people like me who sing,” she said. “It’s about people who put that stage up, do the sound, do the lighting, sell the tickets, It’s about all the caterers and we are back together as a community and I am so happy.”

• Continue reading/Watch a short interview with Toyah at ITV News.

Toyah guested on BBC Midlands Today yesterday evening. Discussing Posh Pop and much more.

Interviewer, Ben Sidwell tweeted: I’ve spent the morning at home with the lovely Toyah talking about lockdown videos, gaining millions of new fans & her brand new album ‘Posh Pop’. Great cup of tea too! Hear what Toyah has to say on BBC Midlands Today. (Photo © Ben Sidwell/BBC)

Who Believes in Psychics? Filmmaker attempts to lift the veil

What’s the story?
Who Believes in Psychics?

Is that a rhetorical question?
It is the title – and subject – of a BBC Scotland documentary that sees filmmaker Conor Reilly delve into the world of psychic mediums. A staunch sceptic, Reilly sets out to understand why some people are firm believers and turn to mediums for guidance or comfort.

Tell me more.
Reilly meets Mary McCarron in Lanarkshire to learn about her self-proclaimed abilities to talk to the dead.

• Continue reading at The Herald. See directly below for the air date and time info for this programme.

Toyah introduces an amazing appearance from October 1981. We Are, from the album Anthem, performed on German music show Rockpop, a programme that ran from 1977 to 1982. Watch Toyah’s Intro, and then take a trip back to 1981 for We Are.