Why was Toyah Scarlett at Christmas? … Who would be her dream dining companion? … Just how many town’s lights did Toyah switch on at Christmas 2003?… What were Toyah and Tony Robinson doing at Christmas 1988? … Which other programmes were aired the Christmas Eve night that Toyah’s legendary Theatre Royal, Drury Lane concert was watched by millions on BBC2?
Discover the answer to these and much more in our Toyah @ Christmas information overload! Completely and utterly unnecessary but a lot of festive fun nonetheless!
Toyah & Robert have a virtual Christmas stocking of upcoming festive cheer for Christmas 2023, with an Upbeat Moments this evening, a brand new Christmas Sunday Lunch – Merry Xmas Everybody – premiering on Christmas Eve, and Toyah & Robert’s Christmas Day Message To You on Monday. Click below to browse at You Tube.
Christmas 2023, the Saturday 9th December edition of Toyah At Home was a Christmas Special – Toyah introduced the show saying “Hello everybody, Happy Christmas, it is December, it’s that magical time of the year, I hope you’re ready and have your plans all in hand for what should be, and will be, I promise you, a spectacular four weeks...”.
Toyah briefly summarised what’s to come in 2024: New music (“at least an EP“), the reissue of Love Is The Law, two movies, a radio show, tours for Toyah and Toyah & Robert, and more.
The festive Toyah At Home consisted of various clips, photos and memories, mostly with a Christmas connection: Relax/Trevor Horn; past Christmas times and memories; Toyah’s TVAM Christmas fantasy shopping trip to Liberty in London (accompanied by Messenger the Horse), to the soundtrack of The Vow; Toyah receiving her Walk Of Fame star in Birmingham in 2016 – featuring Toyah’s only ever live performance of I Believe In Father Christmas; Reminiscing about recording Love Is The Law while simultaneously starring in Trafford Tanzi, and the fans who camped outside the Mermaid Theatre; Christmas Eve at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane for The Old Grey Whistle Test‘s annual concert – Big hair, big sound, fabulous theatre“; The New Year’s Eve Radio 2 concert; and ending with I Believe In Father Christmas from the 1982 ITV show, Pop Goes Christmas.
• Watch this festive edition of Toyah At Homehere or by clicking below.
Christmas 2018, Toyah became a Mastermind! She won Episode Two of Series 17 of Celebrity Mastermind, which aired on BBC1 on Saturday 22nd December.
John Humphrys put four celebrities to the test in another episode of the classic quiz, which aired across Christmas 2018 in ten episodes on BBC1.
Taking part were comedian Joe Pasquale, Newsround presenter Ricky Boleto, singer Toyah Willcox and Olympian Jeanette Kwakye. They answered questions on werewolf films, 1990s number one singles, Boudica and Disney animations.
This week’s Toyah At Home is a Christmas Special… Airing at 11am this Saturday (9th December) at You Tube and Facebook.
Toyah has the Christmas trees up, the presents are about to be wrapped and some Christmas memories to share. There’s extra music and a look back to a few momentous Christmases gone by, plus a peak into what’s coming up in 2024. Crack open the mince pies and take a seat for a festive half hour with Toyah.
We are rollercoasting towards December, and you know what that means… Yep, we are reprising our Christmas Countdown/Run Up to the 25th.
This is Dreamscape’s 24th Christmas, and we will be digging out some of our old, but treasured, decorations – posts, really, but I think of them as decorations in December! – to celebrate the festive season.
Just like every December for the past two and a half decades, Dreamscape will be counting down every day until Christmas Eve with festive Toyah posts. There will be lots of past Christmassy bits & pieces but some new content too.
It’s going to be tinseltastic and yule be nutcrackers to miss it. Please join us every day in December for Christmas related updates – photos, info, trivia, memories and news. As well as details on any TV appearances for Toyah during December.
Christmas 1996, Toyah contributed a festive recollection of Christmas past to the charity publication Once Upon A Christmas (Memories and Recipes From Your Favourite Celebrities). The book is now long out of print and unavailable.
In this delightful Christmas book, a host of our most popular and well-known celebrities from all walks of life have contributed stories, memories, recipes and thoughts about Christmas to make this the most irresistible festive anthology there is… Once Upon A Christmas will help to put – and keep – you in the Christmas spirit.
Toyah Willcox: Broadcaster and Singer
“Childhood Christmasses were the most magical. It was the appearance of the Christmas tree that cued two weeks of sheer all-encompassing joy. I’m talking about being four years old. Just able to talk but unable to comprehend the hidden meanings of the words of wisdom from the giants, the adults…”
• Continue reading Toyah’s Once Upon A Christmas entry at Dreamscape’s Press Archive.
Christmas 2010, and The Hazel O’Connor Collective, which included Toyah as one of the main vocalists, released the charity single – written by Hazel O’Connor – Re-Joyce (In The Bleak Midwinter). Proceeds from the single went to Myton Hospice in Coventry where Hazel’s mum, Joyce, received care and treatment for cancer.
The track was also released on CD, and alongside the main single mix, some special solo versions were also released digitally, including Toyah’s.
Re-Joyce(In The Bleak Midwinter) by The Hazel O’Connor Collective reached the Top 10 of the Amazon UK Music/Singles chart at Christmas 2010.
NB: Sending Best Wishes to Hazel this Christmas. An update to her Go Fund Me page on 15th December said: “Hazel continues to make good progress and is very grateful for everyone’s good wishes, love and support. Merry Christmas to everyone and here’s hoping next year brings good health and happiness.”
Christmas 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984. In the early eighties Toyah’s Official Fanclub – Intergalactic Ranch House – sent out Christmas cards to subscribing members each December, with Toyah taking the time to sign each and every card, which numbered around 6,000 at the height of the fanclub’s popularity.
This tradition was carried on for an extra year, in 1984, when the Intergalactic Ranch House became simply the Toyah Fanclub following Toyah leaving Safari Records after five years and signing to CBS/Portrait Records.
All four cards featured photos of Toyah, showcasing great early eighties imagery and creating a unique set of fanclub memorabilia that became collector’s items. Here’s a snapshot of a feature on the Christmas cards from an issue of Dreamscape’s fanzine.
Christmas 2016, Toyah attended a ceremony and was inducted into the Birmingham Walk Of Stars.
Toyah said: “I am thrilled to be receiving a star on the Birmingham Walk of Stars. Having spent my childhood and teenage years in this great city, I developed my love of music and theatre here, thanks to all the great music venues and theatres available within the one city.“
Christmas 2011, Toyah presented a fantastic, three-hour, music-filled festive spectacular for the, relatively, new music channel Vintage TV.
Toyah’s Vintage Christmas was a constant that Christmas, airing numerous times through December, with Toyah introducing festive pop videos and sharing seasonal trivia. The programme was repeated in subsequent years, and Toyah would go on to present other Christmas shows – including A Very Vintage Christmas, Toyah’s Christmas At The Zoo – right through until Vintage TV ceased broadcasting in 2017.
1. I Believe In Father Christmas; Toyah’s version of the Greg Lake 70s festive classic (which was voted one of the greatest ever Christmas songs in a 2012 poll) has gathered quite a history over the years: It was originally recorded for ITV’s Pop Goes Christmas in 1982, Safari then included it on the Mayhem compilation album in 1985, and later it was also made available on the CD Live & More. Ten years ago, at Christmas 2012, it was released as a standalone digital single. Download at iTunes.2.Winter In Wonderland; One year on and at Christmas 2013 there was another new digital single, make that an EP, for Christmas – Winter in Wonderland… Download at iTunes. 3. Has God Ceased To Dream You; Toyah released this four-song EP in December 2014 as a companion piece to the recently digitally released Take The Leap! album… Download at iTunes. (NB. Only I Believe In Father Christmas is still available at iTunes!)
Christmas 2016, and BBC Four aired a repeat Top Of The Pops, which was originally broadcast in October 1982 on BBC1, which included Toyah’s studio performance of the single, Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard). This website described Toyah’s performance/appearance as “iconic, classic and utterly unforgettable“.
While the retro TOTP aired, BBC Four also tweeted: “In 1982, Toyah was so famous, she even had a lion-tailed macaque named after her on Animal Magic, and appeared on the show to meet it“.
A fascinating look back at the golden years of the UK’s biggest pop magazine of the Eighties. A publication Toyah featured in a lot between 1980 and 1985, and also graced a trio of covers in 1980, ’81 and ’82.
The programme included contributions from Tennant, various Smash Hits editors and writers, and Toyah, talking about Smash Hits in general and herBrave New World coverfrom the Summer of 1982.
Neil Tennant had a life as a journalist before he became famous as a Pet Shop Boy, interviewing many of the pop stars and bands of the era, including a very early interview with Madonna. In fact, it was on a Smash Hits trip to New York that he had his big breakthrough with the record producer Bobby O.
Neil Tennant’s Smash Hits Christmas, a 30-minute radio docu, hasn’t been available at BBC iPlayer/BBC Sounds since Christmas 2012, but you can click below to listen to a recording of the programme atYou Tube, or download direct from Dreamscape, here.
Christmas 2018, Toyah became a Mastermind! She won Episode Two of Series 17 of Celebrity Mastermind, which aired on BBC1 on Saturday 22nd December.
John Humphrys put four celebrities to the test in another episode of the classic quiz, which aired across Christmas 2018 in ten episodes on BBC1.
Taking part were comedian Joe Pasquale, Newsround presenter Ricky Boleto, singer Toyah Willcox and Olympian Jeanette Kwakye. They answered questions on werewolf films, 1990s number one singles, Boudica and Disney animations.
NB. Last UK ordering date for delivery of the Toyah baubles before Christmas is this coming Wednesday (7th December).
Two brand new designs of limited edition official Toyah Baubles are available for the festivities in 2022.
Anthem and Thunder in the Mountains join the range with Brave New World to offer three dangly wonders for the Christmas tree or anywhere in need of a good baubling!
Each one is boxed with a mini card hand signed by Toyah and numbered on the back. We know some fans like to try and get hold of low numbers, others try and get their lucky number, so we’ve enabled you to select your number when you order.
• Click below to shop the baubles now exclusively online.
Had some requests for a Dreamscape Christmas Countdown.
We haven’t had one for a few years and I was planning on starting one on 1st December but the website went awol for a couple of days, so the 2022 advent/countdown will start on 5th December and run for 21 days… through to Christmas Eve!
Stay tuned for some seriously Toyah festiveness… Beginning Monday!
Christmas Eve 2012, Toyah guested on Marlow FM’s Musical Milestones on The Eclectic Light Show. She discussed her life and career and chose six songs along the way. As this aired on Christmas Eve and the station didn’t have a Listen Again function I recorded it and uploaded to Dreamscape a low quality mp3 of the 30-minute special. Click below to listen/download.
Christmas 2012, BBC Radio 4 aired Neil Tennant’s Smash Hits Christmas on 20th December – a real festive pop treat for everyone who grew up in the 1980s. The programme was an interesting look back at the golden years of the UK’s biggest music magazine of the Eighties. Neil recalls the golden days of, the iconic, Smash Hits magazine, when he worked as a writer in their Carnaby Street office.
There were also contributions and memories 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., talking about Smash Hits in general and her Brave New World cover from the Summer of 1982.
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. Also included is a rare recording from the 1982 Christmas Flexidisc (a message from the stars) and probably Neil Tennant’s first recording – the music for a trailer advertising Smash Hits stickers. (Producer: Susan Marling. A Just Radio Ltd. production for BBC Radio 4). The half-hour programme is no longer available at BBC iPlayer and has also been removed from You Tube. Maybe the BBC will, in their wisdom, one day repeat it.
Christmas 1984, Toyah guested on the Pop Quiz Christmas Special on BBC1. The programme aired at 4.15pm on Christmas Eve.
This was the penultimate edition of the original Pop Quiz. There were four series, plus five specials, 48 episodes in total, with Toyah guesting four times. The final Pop Quiz Special aired a few days later on 28th December 1984. Though there have been a number of revivals since.
Pop Quiz was a British television quiz programme that originally aired on BBC1 from 4th July 1981 to 28th December 1984 with a Top of the Pops special on 4th January 1994 hosted by Mike Read. It was then revived from 21st May to 9th July 1994 on the same channel but this time hosted by Chris Tarrant (Toyah also guested on this series, alongside Pete Burns). It was revived again on Red TV from 14th June to 30th August 2008 with Mike Read returning as host. He also hosted two specials on BBC Four in December 2016 and January 2017.
Christmas 2010, Dreamscape compiled the Toyah Festive 50. A tinseltastic half hundred of Yuletide related Toyah facts, figures and trivia. 
We are rollercoasting towards December, and you know what that means… Yep, we are reprising our Christmas Countdown/Run Up to the 25th.
Christmas Eve 2012, 
