Phil Spalding has wished all of Dreamscape’s visitors a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from himself and his partner Helen.
Thanks to Phil for the great photo. Please click here to view a larger version.
Look out for the launch of Phil’s new website, philspalding.com, which will be launching in early 2013.
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).
Another year over… just about! 2012 has been a fantastic year for Toyah, and a precarious one for Dreamscape, but amongst the confusion and name changes I hope everyone who visits has still enjoyed the updates. Hopefully 2013 will be a calmer year for the site. This is our 13th Christmas and in a couple of month’s time we will enter our 14th year online! As always, a huge Thank You to everyone who has kindly sent photos, news or plain old encouragement over the past 12 months. Thanks too to everyone who has taken the time to type toyah.net and pay us a visit. Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmastime and a Stupendously Successful & Happy New Year.
• 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.
• Toyah’s Christmas Countdown continues at toyahwillcox.com. There are only a few days left until the final window is opened on Christmas Eve. There’s already been an abundance of great live Toyah tracks and photos.
• Hold The Front Page: Reporter cast as naughty schoolboy in pantomime: A weekly reporter took part in a pantomime performance alongside celebrities Gareth Gates and Toyah Willcox – after the team behind the show took exception to an article he wrote.
• Den of Geek: A Christmas Carol: the best and worst adaptations: Toyah receives a namecheck in this article on the much loved Christmas classic. (Thanks to James Armstrong)
• This is Kent: Lacemakers raise cash to help out Dave’s charity: The money for the Dave Lee’s Happy Holidays charity will help book out Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre for an exclusive pantomime performance in January. The theatre will be packed with children and their families watching Gareth Gates and Toyah Willcox in Sleeping Beauty.
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.
Neil Tennant’s Smash Hits Christmas, which aired yesterday on ‘BBC Radio 4’, is now available to listen to online at BBC iPlayer. Toyah is included in the 30 minute programme, discussing ‘Smash Hits’ in the early 1980s and also the memorable and iconic ‘Brave New World’ cover issue .
Neil Tennant had a life as a journalist before he became famous as a Pet Shop Boy. In fact, it was on a Smash Hits trip to New York that he had his big breakthrough with the record producer Bobby O. Here, 30 years after his first stint on pop’s most successful and inventive magazine, Neil recalls the golden days of Smash Hits. We hear from founder and legendary magazine maker Nick Logan, editors David Hepworth and Mark Ellen, writers Miranda Sawyer and Sylvia Patterson, and from regular Smash Hits cover girl, Toyah.
• The programme is available until Thursday 27th December. Listen here.
• Toyah’s 26th UK single was released yesterday. The 1982 recording of the Greg Lake classic ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’ is now available to download from from iTunes and Amazon (it’s also available at Amazon.com for anyone outside the UK). The song was recently placed 24th in the Top 50 Best Christmas Songs Of All-Time by PRS for Music.
• Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: The next airing for the three-hour Christmasfest is today at 7.30pm on Vintage TV.
• BBC Radio 4: Neil Tennant’s Smash Hits Christmas: Neil Tennant had a life as a journalist before he became famous as a Pet Shop Boy. In fact, it was on a Smash Hits trip to New York that he had his big breakthrough with the record producer Bobby O. (Includes a brief clip from the programme)
• The Telegraph: Today’s Radio Highlights: Thursday 20th December: Neil Tennant’s Smash Hits Christmas (Radio 4, 11.30am) makes it an even better day for 6 Music-inclined listeners to start tuning to this network.
• Neil Tennant’s Smash Hits Christmas: Lots more online press and interest on this, including Radio Times, Dummy and The Stage.
• The Resurrection Live Sessions: ‘Angel and Me’, from The Changeling Resurrection II UK Tour. ‘Danced’ is also available here.
We’re having a Toyahtastic 70s and Festivefabulous 80s pre-Christmas knees-up! The non-alcohol mulled wine and mince-free pies are going down a storm! Click to zoom on the cards.
Two Christmases ago Toyah was part of The Hazel O’Connor Collective. They recorded ‘Re-Joyce (In The Bleak Midwinter)’. Proceeds from the single went to Myton Hospice in Coventry where Hazel’s late mum (Joyce) received care and treatment for cancer.
‘Fragile’ by This Fragile Moment, who include Toyah in their line-up, is one of the songs on Unsung Records free Merry Christmas Compilation 2012.
This special limited edition compilation contains one track each from 19 of the label’s 20 x CD releases to date, and it’s available to download free of charge until Boxing Day (26th December 2012).
Please share the page link with your friends and spread the word online, but respect the copyright of the individual artists by not posting the actual MP3 files. Thank you and enjoy. “Merry Christmas” from the Unsung Records family! Immediate download of 19-track album in your choice of MP3 320, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire.
• Go here for more information on the album. (Thanks to Stephen Bennett Troake)
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments airs for the first time this year tonight on More4. Toyah appears sporadically discussing various Christmas-related topics. There’s also a short clip of Toyah’s ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’ performance from Pop Goes Christmas.
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments: More4: Saturday 15th December: 9.00pm
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments: More4 +1: Saturday 15th 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.
Toyah’s Christmas Countdown is well and truly under way at toyahwillcox.com, with the third reveal today. There’s a new box to open every day at around 1pm right through until Christmas Eve… Not only that but to celebrate its 30th anniversary ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’ is to be released as a digital single very soon.
It’s Slade: BBC Four: Friday 21st December: 9.00pm
It’s Slade: BBC Four: Saturday 22nd December: 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……….?”.
Toyah is included in the ‘PRS for Music’, newly updated, Festive 50 countdown, as reported by The Independent.
The 50 Best Christmas songs: Bells continue to ring for the Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’
It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas… Listen to our festive playlist here
‘Tis the season to hear the same songs repeated endlessly on the radio and none has been played more regularly in the last two years than “Fairytale of New York” according to new research.
24. I Believe In Father Christmas, Greg Lake/Toyah Willcox/Elaine Paige, 1975/1982/1986 – Written by Greg Lake/Pete Sinfield.
• Continue reading, and view the full 50 Best Christmas songs (according to PRS for Music) in full, at The Independent.
This year is the 30th anniversary of Smash Hits’ “Free Christmas Record (12 Minutes of Festive Fun)”, a flexi that was attached to the December 9-22, 1982 issue. The full magazine has just been uploaded to the Smash Hits Archive. Click below to listen – Toyah arrives at 4.46, inbetween Martin Fry of ABC and Steve Strange of Visage. Too-de-loo!!
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.
I think I’ve mentioned I Believe in Father Christmas every December for the last 13 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 this week 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!
Toyah’s festive December/Christmas blog is now online at toyahwillcox.com. There will also be a 12 Days of Toyah Christmas Advent Calendar at the official website beginning on 13th December.
Keep an eye on Toyah @ Twitter for updates from pantoland, aka The Marlowe, Canterbury.
Numerous opportunities through December to catch Toyah’s Christmas at the Zoo, a three-hour festive (and animal) filled special from Vintage TV.
Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo: Vintage TV: Saturday 8th December: 11.00am
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.
