December Will Be Magic Again: A Toyah Telly Christmas
The legendary Christmas double issue of ‘Radio Times’ goes on sale this week, signalling that Christmas is well and truly under way (not long till the BBC idents start either ;)). This year’s brilliant cover features The Snowman and The Snowdog, the follow-up to Raymond Briggs’s much-loved classic The Snowman.
Toyah is, as always, part of the festive TV schedules: There are numerous showings of Toyah’s Christmas at the Zoo over the next couple of weeks, The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments next weekend, Pointless Celebrities this Tuesday and Maigret tomorrow. No doubt more will be added to the listings over the next week in the build up to Christmas!
Maigret: ITV3: Monday 10th December: 00.30am
Maigret and the Hotel Majestic. Crime series featuring Georges Simenon’s celebrated Parisian detective. Maigret is called to the scene when a beautiful woman is found dead in the basement of the Hotel Majestic with a gun in her handbag. The Chief Inspector’s investigations initially centre around the staff at the hotel – until he discovers that the woman’s husband booked a trip to Rome that he never made. Starring: Michael Gambon, Geoffrey Hutchings, Michael Shannon, Toyah Willcox (1993). Also airing on ITV3 +1 and ITV3 HD.
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Monday 10th December: 2.00pm
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Tuesday 11th December: 11.00am
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Wednesday 12th December: 2.00pm
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Friday 14th December: 5.00pm
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Saturday 15th December: 1.30pm
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Saturday 15th December: 11.00pm
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.
Pointless Celebrities: BBC1: Tuesday 11th December: 5.15pm
Comedian Stephen K Amos, singer and actress Toyah Willcox, TV presenter Katie Derham and singer Cheryl Baker take part in the unorthodox general knowledge quiz, in which contestants must find the least likely correct answers to a series of questions posed to members of the public. Presented by Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman.
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments: More4: Saturday 15th December: 9.00pm
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments: More4: Monday 17th December: 10.00pm
Jimmy Carr reveals the greatest Christmas moments of all time. From when George Bailey’s guardian angel earns his wings in It’s a Wonderful Life to Dawn and Tim’s long-awaited kiss under the mistletoe in The Office, this programme counts down the 100 festive moments that remain indelibly stuck in the nation’s memories. Also airing on More4 +1.
Neil Tennant’s Smash Hits Christmas: BBC Radio 4: Thursday 20th December: 11.30am
Neil Tennant was a journalist on music’s most poptastic magazine before he was a Pet Shop Boy. Here, with colleagues and stars, he recalls the early 80s golden age of Smash Hits. We hear from founder and legendary magazine-maker Nick Logan, from editors David Hepworth and Mark Ellen, writers Miranda Sawyer and Sylvia Patterson and from regular Smash Hits cover girl, Toyah.
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.