BBC’s warning is a bit of a Brum do for pop star Toyah
Singer Toyah Willcox, who had a hit in the Eighties with It’s A Mystery, is baffled as to why the BBC slapped a warning on episodes of Brum, the harmless BBC children’s show she narrated.
A notice on iPlayer repeats told viewers the series may reflect out-of-date ‘language and attitudes of the Nineties’.
The flame-haired singer tells me: ‘I can’t think why they did that. Was it because of the Birmingham accent? Is it sexist in some way? I’m sure we never impersonated a black person.’ Toyah adds: ‘I always refused to do anything if it was offensive. Brum was written by Anne Wood who made Teletubbies and she was on top of all that sort of thing.’
The BBC says the notice was added in ‘error’ and has been removed from Brum episodes. Perhaps it is the BBC, with its determination to censor TV classics, that is out of touch with today’s audiences?
Toyah’s debut Top 10 hit It’s A Mystery (from the 1981 Four From Toyah EP) is included on the forthcoming The 80s Pop Annual 2 double-vinyl compilation album.
The 80s Pop Annual 2 is the Latest Exclusive to Vinyl release on Demon Records. 4 Sides of Vinyl containing 30 Tracks of Essential Classic Pop of The Eighties. Housed in a Gatefold Sleeve with Original Artwork & Pressed on 2x 180G Heavyweight Vinyl. Hits from artists such as; Cyndi Lauper, Belinda Carlisle, The Bangles, The Jacksons, Adam & The Ants and many more.
Release information Label: Demon Records
Format: Vinyl • Date: 09/11/2018
Cat#: DEMRECOMP020 • Genre: Pop
• Further info on The 80s Pop Annual 2here. Last year I Want To be Free was included on the first vinyl release – The 80s Pop Annual.
Over the past 40 years Toyah has provided the world with numerous “Iconic Images” (good name for a fanzine, that!) but has there ever been imagery as mesmerising as that which Toyah adopted for Thunder In The Mountains in 1981? The book ‘Pop Styles’ seemed to think so even back in 1984…
Pop Styles, by Ted Polhemus & Lynn Procter (1984) An A-Z Guide To The World Where Fashion Meets Rock’N’Roll
Crazy Colour: Perhaps the most important pendulum swing in the history of pop styles is that between nature and artifice. One of the best ways to join the against-nature school of thought is to dye your hair a bright colour or better still a whole collection of colours which nature never intended to appear on the head of a human being. Historical examples are few, however, as the technology has only been widely available a short time. Only impermanent vegetable dyes were available before the seventies and it was punks who first combined an anti-natural attitude with the new chemicals. Special credit therefore goes to Wee Willie Harris who caused a furore in the fifties when he dyed his hair so pink it dripped down his collar in the rain, Roy Wood who fronted Wizzard behind a mass of multicoloured locks and of course David Bowie. Ultimately, however, the first prize must go to post-punk Toyah Willcox who with dyes and hair spray has resculpted her head into a homage to artifice which even the most daring of science fiction films have failed to equal.
• Toyah’s Offical website/social media spaces will be counting down to Toyah’s Birthday with Forty From Toyah– 40 classic images spanning Toyah’s amazing career.
There’s another chance to see one of the greatest pop images in modern music history – brought to life in Toyah’s iconic Brave New World 1982 promo video – very soon on BBC4′s re-airing of classic editions of Top Of The Pops.
Top Of The Pops: BBC4: Tuesday 6h March: 1.30am 17/06/1982. Simon Bates presents the weekly pop chart show, first broadcast on 17th June 1982. Includes appearances by Natasha, Roxy Music, Echo and the Bunnymen, Duran Duran, ABC, Bow Wow Wow, Queen, Toyah and Adam Ant.
A pop icon and star of stage and screen will perform an acoustic set at Newark’s RAFA Club.
Toyah Willcox, who is also a TV presenter, will bring her Acoustic, Up Close and Personal show to Newark on Friday, June 30.
The pop star is known for hits such as It’s A Mystery and Thunder In The Mountains and acting roles in Calamity Jane, Cabaret, Peter Pan, Jubilee and Quadophenia. Her show will be a chance to experience the star in an intimate setting where music and stories will take centre stage. Toyah will perform an unplugged set of her hits and classic songs, alongside recalling stories from her colourful 35 year career.
• The Comeback: The original Pop Quiz returned to the BBC last night with a great episode.
• Bring it Back!: Reaction to the first of two new episodes has been overwhelmingly positive, with some already calling for a full series. There’s also been a a number of press reports on the revival.
• ITV/Good Morning Britain: Mike Read and the pop quiz comeback: Mike Read was live in the studio this morning talking about bringing back his iconic Pop Quiz with a host of 80s pop stars. Mike looked back on his 40-year career as a DJ on Radio 1, host of the 1980s Saturday morning children’s show Saturday Superstore and the original 1980s music panel game Pop Quiz which he’s bringing back – Continue reading…
• Classic Pop Magazine: Toyah thought last night’s Pop Quiz was a whole heap of fun. Hopefully BBC Four will commission a full series – Continue reading…
• Scottish Daily Mail: Music Show Revived: Pop Quiz – The Comeback, 9.30pm, BBC4: The delight of Mike Read’s Eighties series was that it brought together so many famous musicians who loved talking about music. The delight is intact for this revival, for which Read returns as host along with former conteestants Toyah Willcox, Nick Heyward and Cheryl Baker.
• BBC Four: Episode One is repeated tomorrow night, late – at 1.05am on BBC Four…
• Pop Quizzing at Dreamscape: Browse all of our news on PQhere…
Broadcast details for Pop Quiz: The Comeback have now been confirmed, with the first show airing on BBC4 on Wednesday 28th December, and the second on Wednesday 4th January.
Both editions of the revived classic pop programme are being recorded tomorrow at Media City, Salford, with tickets to attend being allocated earlier this month.
Pop Quiz: The Comeback: BBC4: Wednesday 28th December: 9.30pm Pop Quiz: The Comeback: BBC4: New Year’s Eve/Hogmanay: 1.05am 1/2. The music quiz that proved to be a Saturday night hit in the early 1980s is back, hosted by the original presenter Mike Read. He’s joined by a host of pop stars from the era, including Toyah Willcox, OMD’s Andy McCluskey, Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins and Spandau Ballet’s Steve Norman, who’ll be going head to head as they put their musical knowledge to the test.
Pop Quiz: The Comeback: BBC4: Wednesday 4th January: 9.30pm Pop Quiz: The Comeback: BBC4: Saturday 7th January: 1.05am 2/2. Guests include Nick Heyward (Haircut 100), Carol Decker (T’Pau), David Grant (Linx), Cheryl Baker and Jay Aston (Bucks Fizz) and Ranking Roger (The Beat).
• BBC Media Centre: Pop Quiz returns packed full of 80s stars: It’s time to dig out your leg warmers, ra-ra skirts and grab your Walkmans as BBC Four revives the classic 80s programme, Pop Quiz: The Comeback, for two specials in celebration of 80s pop music – Continue reading…
• ATV Today: Pop Quiz returns to the BBC: 1980s music based game show Pop Quiz is being revived by the BBC once more. The series has previously seen short-lived revivals in the 1990s and 2000s – Continue reading…
Another airing on BBC4 for the retro episode of Top Of The Pops with Toyah performing the euphoric Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard)…
Top Of The Pops: BBC4: Thursday 8th December: 7.30pm Top Of The Pops: BBC4: Friday 9th December: 1am Top Of The Pops: BBC4: Saturday 10th December: 10.30pm 21.10.1982. Peter Powell presents the weekly pop chart show, first broadcast in October 1982. Includes appearances from The Piranhas, Toyah, The Kids from Fame, Imagination, Kool and the Gang, Bauhaus, Spandau Ballet, Culture Club, Sharon Redd and Shakin’ Stevens.
Toyah’s timeless and iconic Brave New World, via the still mesmerising 1982 promo video, is featured very soon on BBC4’s repeats of classic editions of Top Of The Pops.
Top Of The Pops: BBC4: Thursday 20th October: 7.30pm Top Of The Pops: BBC4: Friday 21st October: 1am
Simon Bates presents the weekly pop chart show, first broadcast on 17th June 1982. Includes appearances by Natasha, Roxy Music, Echo and the Bunnymen, Duran Duran, ABC, Bow Wow Wow, Queen, Toyah and Adam Ant.
Toyah was included alongside Blondie, Iggy Pop, Culture Club, Kate Bush, Simon & Garfunkel and a host of music icons in one of the Daily Mail’s daft, and badly photoshopped, photo features yesterday…
Phil Collins broke new ground when he re-released his back catalogue of albums earlier this month — complete with recreations of the classic covers using up-to-date photographs of his face. Collins, 65, seems to have weathered fairly well since he first stormed the charts as a solo artist 35 years ago, barring a few inevitable wrinkles.
So we wondered how some of our other music legends would fare if their albums were given the same treatment. Obviously, the music stands the test of time, but what about their faces…
It’s a mystery: Toyah Willcox, 57, just needs make-up to recapture her eighties look
Pop and 80s icon Toyah Willcox was at Bridgwater College last night (Sunday, October 25, 2015) to perform at The McMillan Theatre.
The gig proved a unique opportunity for people to experience Toyah up close and personal.
The evening included Toyah performing an acoustic set of her hit singles and classic songs, alongside recalling stories from her colourful 35-year career.
Even Bridgwater Press photographer Jeff Searle could not resist from going along and grabbing a picture with Toyah.
Pick Of The Pops: BBC Radio Two: Saturday 6th June: 1pm Pick Of The Pops: BBC Radio Two: Thursday 11th June: 3am
Tony Blackburn presents a selection of classic chart hits from 1960 and 1981, including tracks from George Harrison, Toyah, Anthony Newley, Kim Wilde and Vangelis.
The build up to Christmas wouldn’t be complete at Dreamscape without this… I think I’ve mentioned I Believe in Father Christmas every December for the last 14 years, so here we go again… Toyah covers the Greg Lake 1975 classic (which I didn’t realise also features Robert Fripp until Toyah mentioned it a couple of years ago on Toyah’s Christmas at the Zoo) for ITV’s Pop Goes Christmas in 1982. She sounds great, looks amazing and Keith Hale and Joel Bogen are having a right old festive time in the forest of lit up trees. Bravo!
More great Toyah photos from the early 80s, both rarely seen shots from well-known photo sessions. The first is from the famous 1981 “leopard print” shoot and the other from thw ‘Daily Mirror’ British Rock & Pop Awards shoot in 1982. Click below to zoom. (Thanks to Kev Tucker and Ray Sears, and also Andrew York for colouring the 1981 photo)
An interview with Toyah, from last October by Glasgow’s Evening Times, which was previously only viewable to subscribers is now available to all.
Toyah’s performing her classic album, 30 years on
It’s her fans’ favourite record – but it’s taken 30 years for Toyah Willcox to face up to playing The Changeling album again.
The popular singer, actress and TV personality released the album in 1982, and it captured a dark, stressful time in her life. It’s only now that she feels she can perform it.
“The important thing about The Changeling and now is that I feel I can face it again,” she says ahead of her show at Classic Grand in Glasgow on Friday. “It was a pretty intense time making it, and being extremely famous is not a comfortable place to be, especially when you’re trying to write an album.
“I found the pressures of that one difficult, especially with the demands on time and the technology was very new as it was being made on digital.It brought back difficult memories revisiting it, as it was so intense at the time and I was just trying to remain true to myself. Being the most commercial female pop star at the time and wanting to write really dark material doesn’t go hand in hand.”
Quadrophenia, which airs this week and next on ITV4, was filmed 35 years ago! It’s as popular now as it ever has been. Here’s a rare promo photo of Toyah. Click to view the original and a couple of “A Way Of Life!” inspired tributes. (Thanks to Andi for the photo)
It’s her fans’ favourite record – but it’s taken 30 years for Toyah Wilcox to face up to playing The Changeling album again.
The popular singer, actress and TV personality released the album in 1982, and it captured a dark, stressful time in her life. It’s only now that she feels she can perform it.
“The important thing about The Changeling and now is that I feel I can face it again,” she says ahead of her show at Classic Grand in Glasgow on Friday.
• Continue reading at the Evening Times (free registration required).
Three from the 80s: The ‘Anthem Tour’, 1981; Toyah and Hazel O’Connor at The British Rock & Pop Awards, 1982; and Toyah, Maril Wilson and Kim Wilde at the launch of ‘Just Seventeen’ magazine, 1983. Please click on each to zoom. (Thanks to Andi)
Yes ‘It’s A Mystery’ has possibly been uploaded to ‘You Tube’ more times than is necessary but this addition today is quite cool. The video clip looks great thanks to a clever montage of photos and clips from one of the Top Of The Pops appearances. Click below to view.
BBC’s warning is a bit of a Brum do for pop star Toyah
Over the past 40 years Toyah has provided the world with numerous “Iconic Images” (good name for a fanzine, that!) but has there ever been imagery as mesmerising as that which Toyah adopted for Thunder In The Mountains in 1981? The book ‘Pop Styles’ seemed to think so even back in 1984…
Broadcast details for Pop Quiz: The Comeback have now been confirmed, with the first show airing on BBC4 on Wednesday 28th December, and the second on Wednesday 4th January.
