Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

There are still some Toyah appearances on TV over the next few days as the year draws to a close.

Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV
Saturday 29th December: 8.00pm
Cosy up with family and friends as Toyah Willcox brings you 30 of the finest Christmas songs and a sprinkling of festive stories, surrounded by an extraordinary variety of creatures great and small.

100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross: 4Seven
Sunday 30th December: 1.05am/5.55pm
A countdown of the nation’s favourite games, gadgets and playthings, as decided by a Channel 4 online poll. Inventors and toymakers tell the inside stories of their creations and successes – including Action Man, Yahtzee, Barbie and Trivial Pursuit – while the children of yesteryear, namely today’s celebrities, authors, actors and journalists, take a nostalgic look back at the toys they loved.

Best Of: My Vintage Part 1: Vintage TV: Sunday 30th December: 5.30pm
Our very special guests, including Toyah Willcox, Lol Creme, Thomas Dolby, Suzi Quatro, Hazel O’Connor and Mark King share their superb music selections and the stories behind them for this annual round-up of the best on this, your favourite, TV channel.

The 100 Greatest Musicals: More4: New Year’s Eve/Hogmanay: 8.15pm
Part One, 100 – 51. Denise Van Outen presents the first in a two-part rundown of the 100 best musicals as voted for by viewers, featuring 42nd Street, 8 Mile and The Sound of Music. The first show counts down from 100 to 51 and features memorable clips from film, stage and TV, interspersed with interviews given by performers, directors, writers and choreographers. Also airing on More4 +1.

The 100 Greatest Musicals: More4: New Year’s Day: 6.15pm
Part Two, 50 – 1. Denise Van Outen concludes the rundown of viewers’ favourite musicals, counting down from 50 to number one. Including memorable clips from film, stage and TV productions, plus contributions by celebrity fans, Hollywood movers and shakers, critics and journalists. Also airing on More4 +1.

There’s one final opportunity to catch the three-hour festive filled Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo, tonight on Vintage TV.

Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Saturday 29th December: 8.00pm
Cosy up with family and friends as Toyah Willcox brings you 30 of the finest Christmas songs and a sprinkling of festive stories, surrounded by an extraordinary variety of creatures great and small.

For the second year in a row Toyah presented a mammoth Christmasfest on Vintage TV. This year’s was Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo, which ared on the channel around 20 times through December, recorded at ZSL LondonZoo. The full playlist was:

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (Andy Williams), The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole), Last Christmas (Wham), Merry Christmas Everyone (Shakin’ Stevens), Wonderful Christmas Tine (Paul McCartney), I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (Wizzard), Walking In The Air (Aled Jones), Frosty the Snowman (The Ronettes), Silent Night (Bros), All Alone On Christmas (Darlene Love), Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree (Mel Smith & Kim Wilde), The Millenium Prayer (Cliff Richard), It Doesn’t Often Snow At Christmas (Pet Shop Boys), I Believe In Father Christmas (Greg Lake), When A Child Is Born (Johnny Mathis), Mary’s Boy Child (Harry Belafonte), Stay Another Day (East 17), All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey), Winter (Tori Amos), This Christmas (Gloria Estefan), White Christmas (Bing Crosby), Santa’s List (Cliff Richard), A Winter’s Tale (David Essex), Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt), Driving Home For Christmas (Chris Rea), Best Christmas Of Them All (Shakin’ Stevens), Winter Wonderland (Scott Weiland), Have Yoursefl A Merry Little Christmas (Frank Sinatra), Please Come Home For Christmas (Aaron Neville), Merry Christmas Everybody (Slade).

• Bev Meets… Toyah Willcox, which aired on ‘BBC WM’ yesterday, is now available, until Sunday 30th December, at BBC iPlayer. It’s a great hour-long special with Toyah talking about her early life, growing up and her career, as well as choosing some of her favourite songs. She also talks about her plans for 2013. Toyah chose tracks by T-Rex, Lou Reed, Roxy Music, Nirvana, David Bowie, Lana Del Ray, Muse, Tasmin Archer and The Rolling Stones. Listen here.

• It’s Slade, the 1999 documentary that’s been repeated several times on ‘BBC Four’ over the past few days, is also available to view at BBC iPlayer for the next week. Toyah pops up sporadically talking about the band. Watch here.

• Today sees the final box to open at Toyah’s Christmas Countdown at toyahwillcox.com – Check out Twenty Four From Toyah at Soundcloud.

• A third clip from The Resurrection Live Sessions has been uploaded to ‘Vimeo’. It’s Brave New World. ‘Angel and Me’ and ‘Danced’ are also available.

• David Hepworth’s Blog: The former Editor of ‘Smash Hits’, commented in his blog yesterday, on something Toyah said in Neil Tennant’s Smash Hits Christmas: The harmless TV fun of today may produce the scandals of tomorrow: Toyah Willcox said an interesting thing on this week’s programme on Radio Four about Smash Hits when talking about the relatively benign world of 80s pop stardom. “Nowadays,” she said, “I think of fame as something dark and abusive.”

• Smash Hits Archive: The December 23, 1982 – January 5, 1983 issue of ‘Smash Hits’ is now online – It includes a brief comment from Toyah talking about her Christmas 1982 plans: It’ll Be Homely This Christmas: Toyah’s off to Italy just before Christmas, because she’s got a hit single there at the moment, but she’s flying back on Christmas Eve. “I always spend Christmas with my parents – it’s the only time I get to spend with them. And I’ll be getting ready for a busy next year.”

• Daily Mail: Ever felt that someone’s watching over you?: Toyah was mentioned in a ‘Daily Mail’ article yesterday on Guardian Angels: Toyah Willcox and Myleene Klass have also talked about their faith in them.

This is brilliant. A huge thank you to, another longtime friend of Dreamscape, Andrew York for taking the time to colour the Toyah @ Pop Goes Christmas in 1982 photo. I’ve added a bit of text and a tree to add to the festive feel of it. (Thanks again to Andi and Andrew)

Toyah is, as always, a significant presence on the UK festive TV and Radio schedules. There are numerous appearances, both new and old, with documentaries, interviews, music, film and more to help you through the festive season.

There are many opportunities to catch Toyah’s Christmas at the Zoo over the next couple of weeks, a one-hour Toyah Special on BBC Radio WM with Bev Bevan, a great Slade documentary from 1999, the classic Quadrophenia and some of those 100 Greatest… retrofests!

Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV
Friday 21st December: 9.00pm, Saturday 22nd December: 1.00am, Sunday 23rd December: 2.30pm, Christmas Eve: 6.00pm, Christmas Day: 6.00am, Christmas Day: 7.30pm, Boxing Day: 11.00am, Thursday 27th December: 2.30pm
Cosy up with family and friends as Toyah Willcox brings you 30 of the finest Christmas songs and a sprinkling of festive stories, surrounded by an extraordinary variety of creatures great and small.

It’s Slade: BBC Four: Friday 21st Dec: 9.00pm
It’s Slade: BBC Four: Saturday 22nd Dec: 00.20am
It’s Slade: BBC Four: Christmas Eve: 1.50am
Top pop documentary, narrated by Radio One’s Mark Radcliffe, about one of Britain’s greatest and best-loved bands. Slade scored six number ones in the 70s, a feat rivalled only by Abba. Apart from Noddy and his bandmates – Dave Hill, Jim Lea and Don Powell – the cast here also includes Noel Gallagher of Oasis (who covered Cum On Feel the Noize), Status Quo, Toyah Willcox, Suzi Quatro and Ozzy Osbourne. Altogether now “Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall……….?”

Quadrophenia: ITV1: Saturday 22nd December: 3.00am
Quadrophenia: STV: Christmas Day: 12.45am
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. Director: Franc Roddam. Starring: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Willcox, Philip Davis, Mark Wingett, Sting, and Ray Winstone. Also airing on the +1 channels.

Bev Meets: BBC Radio WM: Sunday 23rd December: 12pm (12-2pm)
Toyah Willcox and Tony Christie. Bev meets West Midlands’ stars Toyah Willcox and Tony Christie to discuss their lives and careers.

100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross: Channel 4: Sunday 23rd December: 3.00pm
100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross: 4Seven: Boxing Day: 3.55pm
A countdown of the nation’s favourite games, gadgets and playthings, as decided by a Channel 4 online poll. Inventors and toymakers tell the inside stories of their creations and successes – including Action Man, Yahtzee, Barbie and Trivial Pursuit – while the children of yesteryear, namely today’s celebrities, authors, actors and journalists, take a nostalgic look back at the toys they loved. Also revealed is the inspiration behind the design of the Raleigh Chopper, the unlikely individual responsible for the creation of one of the world’s toughest action figures, and why the Vietnam War almost brought Britain’s Matchbox car range to an end.

The Eclectic Light Show: Marlow FM: Christmas Eve: 12pm
Toyah Willcox recalls reaching ‘rock bottom’ personally and professionally in the early 90s. Listen online at Marlow FM’s website.

Bev Meets: BBC Radio WM: Thursday 27th December: 2pm
Jasper Carrot and Toyah Willcox. Bev meets West Midlands’ stars Jasper Carrot and Toyah Willcox to discuss their lives and careers.