Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

Quatermass: Talking Pictures TV: Fri 10th Dec: 8pm
Chapter Three: What Lies Beneath. Quatermass is rescued by a group of elderly people living in a scrap yard who doctor his injuries. At the hospital, the doctors are shocked when Isabel levitates off her bed and explodes in a cloud of dust. Elsewhere, the devastated Kapp is left alone in the ruins of his cottage and observatory. More and more young people are joining the Planet People, including the gangs that have been terrorising the cities and the soldiers assigned to keep them away from the Megalithic sites. Contact is restored with Chuck Marshall and with the Russians in the form of Gurov (Brewster Mason). Quatermass theorises that this is not the first time this has happened; megalithic sites such as prehistoric stone circles are in fact markers where beacons have been left by the people living then as a sign that something terrible happened there, and that there are some kind of alien markers buried underground at these sites. Quatermass believes there is a sphere of energy surrounding the Earth. The Russians and the Americans send a space shuttle, commanded by Marshall, to make contact with the force. Quatermass is sceptical; he believes they are dealing not with an intelligence but with a machine constructed to harvest human protein. The space shuttle reports a giant beam of light stretching from somewhere in deep space to the Earth, just missing them. A second beam just afterwards destroys them.

Meanwhile, the Planet People are gathering at Wembley Stadium in the tens of thousands. Annie and Quatermass travel to the stadium but are powerless to prevent the Planet People from gathering. When they are attacked, Annie drives their car into the underground car park beneath the stadium where she crashes the vehicle and is killed. The lightning strikes the stadium and Quatermass underground, huddles against the wall to try and survive.

This episode originally aired on 7th November 1979 on the ITV network and was watched by 10.5m viewers in the UK. The 1979, four-part, mini series Quatermass (also known as The Quatermass Conclusion or Quatermass IV) is airing weekly from Tuesday 19th May. Stars John Mills, Simon McCorkindale, Barbara Kellerman, Ralph Arliss, Rebecca Saire, Toyah Willcox, David Yip, Alison Dowling.

• Talking Pictures TV is An Archive Film & TV Channel. Available on the following platforms/channels: Freeview 81, YouView 81, Freesat 306, Sky 328 and Virgin 445. (Photos © ITV)

Quadrophenia – Our Generation: Sky Arts: Thursday 2nd December: 9pm
Quadrophenia – Our Generation: Sky Arts: Sunday 5th December: 4am
Quadrophenia – Our Generation: Sky Arts: Thursday 9th December: 2.45am
Celebrity fans and cast members come together to shed light on the making of Quadrophenia and explore the legacy that the cult film has left behind, 40 years after its release. (Photo © Sky Arts)

80s Stars – Then & Now!: NOW 80s: Sunday 28th November: 4pm
80s Stars – Then & Now!: NOW 80s: Wednesday 1st December: 9am
Where are they now? Classic hits, followed by some recent songs – Including Pet Shop Boys, Kylie, Toyah, The Stones, Gary Numan, The Pretenders, New Order, Rick Astley & T’Pau!

Toyah’s Sack The Stylist?! Top 30: NOW 80s: Tuesday 30th November: 4pm
Pop legend Toyah brings 30 memorable videos featuring a cavalcade of clothing calamities from superstars including Visage, Five Star, Divine, Cher, The Jam, Bananarama, Dead Or Alive, Bucks Fizz, ABC, Depeche Mode, David Bowie, Madonna, Adam & The Ants, A Flock Of Seagulls, Roxy Music, Kajagoogoo, Duran Duran, Grace Jones, Su Pollard, Toyah herself and more in this crazy countdown!

Who Won Wot? 1980 – 1989: NOW 80s: Friday 3rd December: 9am
From Smash Hits “Most Unwanted Person of 1980” to the Brits “Best Group” of 1989 – Mark Goodier’s 10 hour marathon of 80s award winners lasts nearly as long as the Oscars. (The first artist played from 1981 is Toyah, with the Thunder In The Mountains video. Mark said: “We begin 1981 with a 4ft 11 pop star who had the biggest hair of the entire decade, here’s the Most Fanciable (as voted by Smash Hits magazine readers) Toyah Willcox with Thunder In The Mountains“).

Rebel Run – Toyah Willcox proves she is still a musical powerhouse at 63 in Cabaret All Stars

Toyah Willcox might be 63 years old but she is still a musical powerhouse who doesn’t drop the ball for a second.

The original punk rocker has started her stint at Proud Cabaret as one of their resident celebs for the All Star shows.

She comperes in between the burlesque, circus and magic acts and takes the time to share some of her favourite moments in her career spanning more than 40 decades.

Toyah doesn’t hold anything back, cracking jokes including “These are the feet that ran away from Jimmy Saville” and did her best imitation of Princess Margaret and the Queen mother. The singer also shared that she wrote an early draft of her song I Want To Be Free when she was nine and had jailers telling her lags were singing it behind bars.

When she sang it live, it was hard to tell that it had been decades since she first sang it on record. She was accompanied by the dazzling Katrina Louise who was doing aerial work suspended by chains – her first time back with this prop since giving birth.

Each time Toyah came on stage she had a new getup from a different coloured breast plate to her hair in a new style – the singer certainly got into the spirit of cabaret.

• Continue reading at The Sun.

How I Spend It: Toyah Willcox on rocks, hag stones and meteorites

The musician reveals what lies behind her lifelong fascination with crystals

I collect crystals, and I’m not talking about crystals you keep in your pocket. These are museum-quality collectors’ pieces. My fascination is that these are timeless things. They have been there since the Big Bang. All around the house we have crystals, along the skirting boards, in cupboards, in the cutlery drawers. My computer sits on a piece of rose quartz that is at least 10kg in weight. It’s the size of a Bible you’d see in a church.

Meteorites are full of potential. They’re what’s put us here

I remember clearly the first stone that meant something to me. I was about seven years old. I was on a sandbank on the River Avon and picked up a pebble with a hole in it. My father said it was a “hag stone”, one with a naturally formed hole in it. I could not put it down. I was instantly in love with it, the smoothness of it, the history of it, what it’s been through, what it’s survived, that it’s outlived all of us and will outlive all of us. I’ve had this particular hag stone since I was seven – I’m now 63, and it’s been a point of conversation with virtually everyone I’ve known. A lot of musicians feel the same way about stones; we collect pebbles and send them to each other.

• Continue reading at ft.com. (Thanks to Kelly and Michael)

Toyah resumes the Posh Pop Tour on 2nd December at St Mary Magdalene Church, Cobham, Kent. Book tickets by clicking below. See Toyah’s full tour schedule, including the few rescheduled dates, at toyahwillcox.com.

Singer Toyah Willcox has had to postpone tour dates including Worcester because she is unwell.

The 63-year-old It’s a Mystery singer revealed to fans that she had tested positive for covid so would have to reschedule four dates to 2022.

Pershore’s Toyah was due to perform at Huntingdon Hall on Saturday (November 20) but has not rescheduled for Saturday, January 15 next year.

In a video, she said: “Firstly, I want to let you know I’m okay I’ve tested positive for covid.

“Last night during soundcheck at the Robin in Wolverhampton. I realised I’d lost my sense of taste and my sense of smell. I took three tests on the spot and two were positive and one was negative which led to a lot of discussions about whether the show could go on.”

• Continue reading at Worcester News. See Toyah’s full tour schedule, including the few rescheduled dates, at toyahwillcox.com.

Toyah axes live shows after testing positive for Covid

The punk icon has moved four shows to 2022 so she can isolate for 10 days following the positive test result.

Toyah has been forced to delay a bunch of live shows after testing positive for coronavirus. The singer has moved a handful of dates to 2022 after being struck with Covid during a soundcheck this week.

“I’ve tested positive for Covid. Last night during soundcheck at The Robin in Wolverhampton,” she explained in a video shared to social media.

• Continue reading at Retro Pop. See Toyah’s full tour schedule, including the few rescheduled dates, at toyahwillcox.com.

Backstage Tales : BBC Radio Four Extra
Mon 6th/Tues 7th December : 2.30pm/2.30am

Midge Ure reveals the bizarre world of musicians on tour

He spills the beans on ‘the rider’, tour catering, tricky artists and overprotective managers and the most eye-watering examples of rock ‘n’ roll excess, and frugality, backstage. Getting a rock tour on the road is a massive undertaking, particularly if the star has a large entourage. Just feeding the crew is a military operation.

Having spent nearly 30 years on the road, Midge is perfectly placed to reveal the reality of musicians on tour. Fascinated by this bizarre backstage world, Midge goes on a mission to track down music promoters, tour managers, caterers, roadies, record company employees and the stars themselves to gather together the most intriguing and amusing backstage tales. The programme also hears from Jason Donovan, Boy George, Kim Wilde, Toyah Willcox and Martin Kemp.

• Listen at the BBC Radio 4 Extra website. (This originally aired in November 2011)

Who Won Wot? 1980 – 1989: NOW 80s: Friday 26th November: 9am
From Smash Hits “Most Unwanted Person of 1980” to the Brits “Best Group” of 1989 – Mark Goodier’s 10 hour marathon of 80s award winners lasts nearly as long as the Oscars. (The first artist played from 1981 is Toyah, with the Thunder In The Mountains video. Mark said: “We begin 1981 with a 4ft 11 pop star who had the biggest hair of the entire decade, here’s the Most Fanciable (as voted by Smash Hits magazine readers) Toyah Willcox with Thunder In The Mountains“).

• Brooklyn Vegan: Watch Toyah and Robert Fripp Get in the Holiday Spirit with “Silent Night”: Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp’s Sunday Lunch video series has hit the holiday season and it looks like they’re going to be offering Sing Alongs through the end of the year. Dressed in their Christmas best — Robert has “Grinch” written across his forehead — they lead us through a rendition of classic hymn “Silent Night.” Robert starts it off, Toyah can barely keep a straight face – Continue reading…

• Guitar.Com: Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox Kickstart the Holidays with Singalong Series: The holidays are upon us once again, and Robert Fripp and Toyah are getting in the festive spirit. The latest episode of the couple’s Sunday Lunch series is the first in what appears to be an upcoming series of Christmas singalongs. For yesterday’s (21 November) upload, Fripp and Toyah invited viewers to sing with them to Silent Night – Continue reading…

• Metal Sucks: King Crimson’s Robert Fripp & Toyah Willcox Sing “Silent Night”: King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp and his wife, the actress and singer Toyah Willcox, have unveiled the latest entry in their “Sunday Lunch” series of cover videos that have captured the Internet’s attention in recent months. The duo’s new video finds them shifting into holiday mode with a cover of the Christmas classic “Silent Night.” – Continue reading…

• Sunday Lunch Singalong: Sing Along week 1: Its that crazy time of year, and its no exception in the FrippCox household, are we ready for a singalong? – Continue watching… (Images © Toyah Willcox)

• Toyah At Home & On The Road – Thunder In The Mountains: Toyah delves into the story behind Thunder In The Mountains, with an exclusive look at a live version recorded last month. You will also get a sneak peek in the ITV dressing rooms! – Watch here…

• Toyah & Robert’s Burning Question – 20th November: More of your social, emotional and music tuning predicaments are addressed with care and attention by the deeply unqualified Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp in this Saturday’s Burning Questions – Watch here…

• Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch – Sing Along week 1: Its that crazy time of year, and its no exception in the FrippCox household, are we ready for a singalong? – Watch here… (Images © Toyah Willcox)

Toyah Willcox pulls out of Stratford Music Festival concert with Orchestra of the Swan after coming down with Covid-19

Toyah Willcox has pulled out of her appearance in Stratford tomorrow (Sunday) after coming down with Covid-19. The pop star and TV personality was due to narrate the Orchestra of the Swan’s performance of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf as part of the Stratford Music Festival at the Play House.

The concert is still going ahead with the narrator being taken on by much-respected RSC actor David Troughton, who is also well known for playing Tony Archer in The Archers on Radio 4.

Toyah announced she had Covid-19 in a video on her Facebook page. She explained that she realised during a soundcheck at another gig in Wolverhampton on Thursday that she had lost her sense of smell and taste, and following a positive test has had to pull out of several engagements, including Sunday’s concert in Stratford.

She offered her apologies, and said that she had few symptoms expect those mentioned.

• Continue reading at Stratford-Upon-Avon Herald. Watch Toyah’s video at Facebook.

Toyah Willcox talks about narrating Peter and the Wolf performance with Orchestra of the Swan at the Stratford Music Festival this Sunday

It’s probably the most powerful way to introduce young people to the delights of classical music – and fresh life will be breathed into Peter and the Wolf in a special production as part of Stratford Music Festival.

The concert on Sunday, 21st November, features the Orchestra of the Swan, with Toyah Willcox as narrator.

Since Prokofiev was commissioned to write a piece specifically for children in the 1930s, it has worked its magic on the generations that have followed. The marriage of the tale of Peter defying his grandfather’s advice with orchestral representations of the various characters, remains a brilliant device to open people’s eyes to the personality and potential of classical music.

And the role of narrator is one that has attracted some extraordinary names – Toyah joins a list that includes the likes of David Tennant, Alice Cooper, Sir John Gielgud, Dame Edna Everage and Patrick Stewart among many others.

• Continue reading at Stratford-Upon-Avon Herald. NB. Toyah has been replaced by David Troughton – See above!

Quatermass: Talking Pictures TV: Fri 3rd Dec: 8pm
Chapter Two: Lovely Lightning. The Planet People’s leader, Kickalong (Ralph Arliss), believes that the Planet People gathered at Ringstone Round have been transported—as promised—to “the planet”, but it is clear to Quatermass and Kapp that they have been reduced to ashes. One badly burnt survivor – a girl called Isabel (Annabelle Lanyon) who deliriously talks about “lovely lightning” – is found and is brought back to the Kapps’ cottage. Making contact with NASA scientist Chuck Marshall (Tony Sibbald), they learn that thousands of young people have disappeared in similar incidents at similar sites all around the world. Quatermass, aided by District Commissioner Annie Morgan (Margaret Tyzack), decides to bring Isabel to London for tests. As they make their journey, Quatermass speculates as to whether there is any connection between recent events and the decline in society.

Reaching London, they are attacked by a gang. Quatermass is yanked from the car but Annie and Isabel manage to escape. Meanwhile, a large number of Planet People arrive at the radio telescope, congregating at the stone circle on its grounds. Working some distance away, Kapp is horrified to see the light strike the area where his home is and rushing home, he finds his family gone as it was caught in the radius of the deadly light. His two friends and dog died too.

This episode originally aired on 31st October 1979 on the ITV network and was watched by 10.8m viewers in the UK. The 1979, four-part, mini series Quatermass (also known as The Quatermass Conclusion or Quatermass IV) is airing weekly from Tuesday 19th May. Stars John Mills, Simon McCorkindale, Barbara Kellerman, Ralph Arliss, Rebecca Saire, Toyah Willcox, David Yip, Alison Dowling.

• Talking Pictures TV is An Archive Film & TV Channel. Available on the following platforms/channels: Freeview 81, YouView 81, Freesat 306, Sky 328 and Virgin 445. (Photos © ITV)

Just want to say …

Great shots of Toyah at Proud Cabaret on Wednesday night. These were taken during performances of These Boots Are Made For Walkin’, I Want To Be Free, and Sweet Child O’ Mine. Hoping to add a new Proud Cabaret Gallery to this website soon with more great photos. Click below to zoom! (Thanks to Ian | Photos © Ian Davis)

Toyah is interviewed in this week’s OK! magazine (Issue 1315, 22nd November 2021). Talking about Proud Cabaret, her career, the Sunday Lunch/You Tube videos and more.

• Read the interview at The Toyah Willcox Interview Archive. (Thanks to Minna and Kelly)

Classic Casualty: Drama
Tuesday 30th November: 10.55am
Comfort Zone. Series 24, Episode 6. Ruth’s pregnancy fears are confirmed, leaving her torn between her ambition to be a surgeon and strengthening feelings for Jay. Jeff takes an instant dislike to his new paramedic partner, who spends the shift making inappropriate comments about Polly, while Zoe abandons work after agreeing that Jordan can be discharged into her care. Toyah Willcox guest stars as a woman who accidentally injures her baby son. (Photo © BBC)