One last piece of news... Toyah guested on yesterday afternoon's Daily Cooks Challenge. This will be available to view at ITV Catch Up soon. Click on the picture to go there.

She will guest on ‘The 80’s Show’. It's usually available to listen to live (and via their "listen again" feature) at www.bbc.co.uk/devon/local_radio/, or click on the BBC Radio Devon logo.

They also mentioned she was on the station a few weeks ago talking about an adult learning project she is backing, and that she’ll be talking about her upcoming appearance at Powderham Castle during this evening's interview.

They talked about Vampires Rock, with Toyah enthusing about her character, the Devil Queen. She also talked about how she got involved with the musical.

Toyah mentions she will perform 'Lesser God', as well as songs by Alice Cooper ('Schools Out'), Billy Idol and Twisted Sister.

Click on the Xfm logo or here to listen to the interview.

They played ' I Want To Be Free' and 'Heal Ourselves', and Toyah talked about 'In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, Shugborough Music Festival, Vampires Rock, her blackberry, 'Latex Messiah' and much more.

THE CRIMSON QUEEN BEGINS HER REIGN

Toyahwillcox.com can exclusively reveal details of Toyah's hotly-anticipated new studio album, In The Court Of The Crimson Queen. The 10-track album will initially be available for purchase on the forthcoming UK tour of musical stage play Vampires Rock, (beginning 12 September) ahead of further releases. 

Written by Toyah Willcox and Simon Darlow, In The Court Of The Crimson Queen is Toyah's first studio album release in five years and follows last autumn's digital single Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel In You). The album also includes Heal Ourselves, Sensational and Lesser God - all of which have accompanying videos created exclusively for The Official Toyah Youtube Channel. Toyah will perform Lesser God in the nationwide UK tour of Vampires Rock, in which she guest stars as The Devil Queen. Vampires Rock opens on 12 September at the Majestic Theatre, Retford and tours nationwide until December 2008.

Tune in online at www.smoothradiowestmidlands.co.uk or listen at 105.7fm if you are in the Midlands. 

She was a human dynamo, leaping up and down pogo-style during her popular number Danced, dancing across the stage and even descending the steps to be closer to the estimated 5,000-strong crowd at one point.

Toyah had taken to the stage at 9.30pm with her own lively opening number Good Morning Universe, and followed it with the Alice Cooper hit School’s Out for Summer.

Having mellowed a little from the rebel status of her heyday, the 50-year-old star told the audience: “Don’t worry, I’m going to behave myself – there are a few children here I realise.”

Her set included other numbers from her career of 30-plus years, during which she has had 13 hit singles and 20 albums. 

They included Echo Beach, It’s a Mystery, Thunder in the Mountains, Jungles of Jupiter and Latex Messiah.

Toyah concluded the main set with the Guns N’ Roses classic Sweet Child O’ Mine but, having wowed the crowd with her enthusiasm and verve, was called back for a well-deserved encore.

Her finale was the Osmonds’ number Crazy Horses and then her own I Want To Be Free, during which the generator broke down a third time. On restarting, she said: “I love the unpredictability of this gig!”

During the show, she told the crowd: “I have had such a nice day in King’s Lynn – it’s been beautiful. It’s a really fantastic town. I love it.”

And in an email to the event organisers afterwards, she said: “King's Lynn is doing something that every town in the UK should be doing – offering free live music to everyone, with their unique festival, Festival Too.

“I played Festival Too and had the time of my life... The atmosphere is truly magical and all ages are welcome.”

Earlier in the evening, KL.FM Battle of the Bands' runners-up The First entertained the early arrivals with a lively 45-minute performance of their own rock numbers. 

They were followed by four-piece blues, rock and rhythm and blues band After Hours playing some classic covers from the ’60s,’70s and ’80s.

Please check out dozens more of PJ's photos by visiting his MySpace here, or by clicking the above photo.

Toyah also played a 'Here & Now - Best of the Eighties' gig at the Grand Theatre, Leeds on Friday night. Toyah's next gig is Saturday 12th July, another 'Here & Now' show, at The Quarry, Shrewsbury.

• 'Good Morning Universe - The Very Best Of Toyah' has been available for a week and still figures highly in Amazon's sales chart.

• The 39 track 2CD set has also been spotted in various music stores across the UK, as well as in an HMV store in Tokyo.

• Toyah mentions in her July blog that the BBC were interested in using some of her music in the "back to the 80s" series Ashes To Ashes that aired recently in the UK. A second series is in production at the moment so let's hope we get to hear something off 'Anthem' or 'The Changeling' (if they move it forward a bit!). This series was criticised but I really enjoyed the retro feel and thought Keeley Hawes was really good in it. A bit of Toyah would have made it even better.

• Please visit Dreamscape's Forumfor some interesting retro French Toyah adverts, articles and photos (including the one to the right) [Thanks to franck]

In the 1980s Toyah Willcox was a punk queen. Today she's a stockmarket and property magnate - and says she learned hard lessons about money from her father. He lost almost everything when she was only seven and his manufacturing shares went belly up during a slump.

She says: "It made me terribly insecure about money. I now never trust a single stock but spread my investments as wide as possible and only put money into something I believe in for the long-term. I spread the risk among shares, bonds, property and even think about the value of the clothes I wear."

Toyah is far more than a colourful punk pop star. Since her 1980s It's a Mystery heyday, the 50-year-old has turned herself into a multi-millionaire thanks to shrewd investments.

Please click here to read the full interview at Dreamscape's Forum.

Toyah Willcox, who scored her biggest hit with It's a Mystery in 1981, will team up with rock horror king Steve Steinman for Vampires Rock Christmas! at the Futurist on Friday, December 12.

Ms Willcox, who has been married to well known musician Robert Fripp for more than 20 years, will star as the Devil Queen in the spectacular show.

The bubbly 50-year-old also provided some of the voices for the Teletubbies TV phenomenon before being stranded Down Under for "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me out of Here!"

Nearly 9,000 tickets have been sold for the big outdoor concert due to take place in the town’s Quarry on July 12.

Organisers hailed ticket sales as the best for any of the shows they have promoted at the Quarry.

The concert will welcome Rick Astley, Bananarama, Shropshire singer Carol Decker, Midge Ure, Heaven 17, Toyah and Nick Heyward.

The artists are visiting the county for the three-hour Here and Now: Magic of the 1980s concert.

Chris Bailey, from organisers IML Concerts, said: “We have been overwhelmed with the response from the public and thank them for their support. There are approximately 200 tickets remaining.”

The Shropshire Star is the official media sponsor for the concert.

The final tickets, which cost £32.50, are available only to personal callers at the Music Hall, The Square in Shrewsbury, from 9.30am to 7.30pm.

Please click on the picture above to visit Dreamscape's Forum for links to 22 photos by Angie and a video clip of Toyah performing 'I Want To be Free'.

Living With The Dead : Living 2 - Sunday 29th June : 9.00pm 
Living With The Dead : Living 2 - Monday 30th June : 1.00am

Most Fertile Man In Ireland: Sky Movies Comedy- Mon 30th June: 6.15am

Secret Diary Of A Call Girl : ITV1 - Wednesday 2nd July : 11.40pm

In Your Dreams : Channel 4 - Friday 4th July : 11.45am

Jubilee : ITV4 - Saturday 5th July : 2.00am

Daily Cooks Challenge : ITV1 - Thursday 10th July : 3.00pm

Living With The Dead : Living - Tuesday 24th June : 9.00pm 
Living With The Dead : Living +1 - Tuesday 24th June : 10.00pm
Living With The Dead : Living - Wednesday 25th June : 1.00am 
Living With The Dead : Living +1 - Wednesday 25th June : 2.00am
Living With The Dead : Living 2 - Sunday 29th June : 9.00pm 
Living With The Dead : Living 2 - Monday 30th June : 1.00am 
Children of The Plague. Chilling brand new series featuring a quest through the most haunted homes in Britain. Mediums Johnnie Fiori and Ian Lawless team up with paranormal investigator Mark Webb to drive out the demons who plague petrified homeowners across the country. The team head to the village home of Toyah Willcox and attempt to exorcise some menacing spirits. (Last in series)

• 'Good Morning Universe - The Very Best of Toyah' is doing well on Amazon's "pre-release" and "album" charts. Latest reports had it at number 15 on the former (steadily climbing all day yesterday) and number 315 on the overall album chart at Amazon. (Thanks to Marcus & Dean)

• Toyah will NOT be appearing on two of the Vampires Rock UK tour dates. These are 13th September and 1st November. Click here for a large version of the flyer for the show.

Jubilee : ITV4 - Saturday 5th July : 2.00am
Director Derek Jarman's controversial portrait of early British punk which imagines Elizabeth I paying a visit to the future of her sceptred isle, with the aid of an astrologer and Shakespearean fairy Ariel. Somewhat overshooting the present, she finds herself in a land of chaos and decay in which the punks have inherited the Earth. Made in the year of Elizabeth II's silver jubilee. Director: Derek Jarman. Starring: Jenny Runacre, Nell Campbell, Toyah Willcox, Jordan, Hermine Demoriane, and Ian Charleson.

Music legends Paul Weller, Toyah Willcox and Ocean Colour Scene visit a Birmingham art gallery tonight (Friday 20th June) to view portraits of them by a city painter.

Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, Rick Wakeman, keyboard player for Yes, and T’Pau singer Carole Decker will also attend the private opening of the RockFace exhibition at St Paul’s Gallery after being captured on canvas by Yardley artist Melissa Mailer-Yates.

The 50-year-old has spent the last six months getting up close and personal with the musicians for her latest collection of paintings, which are expected to sell out within minutes and cost £10,000 each.

The mum-of-three said it was vital she spent time with the celebrities before putting paintbrush to canvas.

“It’s really important to get to know the subject first,” explained Melissa, who grew up in Solihull and now lives in Herefordshire.

“Merely painting from a photograph without time meeting the subject would make the painting lifeless.

“I need to know the person, not just their physicality.”

Melissa said she went to the homes of Kings Heath-born Willcox, Birmingham band Ocean Colour Scene and Liverpudlian Decker, while she enjoyed dinner with Weller before he performed in concert and she chatted with Wakeman after he had done a gig.

She met Edgbaston-born Mason at St Paul’s Gallery, in Northwood Street, where her work will be on display to the public from tomorrow until July 4.

“It’s a brave thing allowing someone to paint you,” she added. “You really have to bare your soul. It’s quite fascinating painting celebrities as you get to meet the real person, not the facade they portray in public.

“All of them were really genuine, wonderful people - Paul has an image of being grumpy, but he was incredibly warm, funny and clearly very happy. Toyah was exactly what you would expect, so full of life, and Nick was an incredible character, very deep.”

Now Melissa, who was never formerly trained as an artist, is set to paint the portraits of other music legends, including Aston-born Ozzy Osbourne “Once upon a time it used to be barons and earls that were painted, but I think celebrities and musicians have become the barons of today,” added Melissa, who met the Queen when she commissioned her to paint her Labrador shooting dogs,.

Some of the cash Melissa makes through the sale of the paintings will go to help create a Birmingham centre of the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Trust.

And it just so happens that Toyah is mentioned in a 'BBC News' website article, focusing on the longest day and insomnia.

On the longest day, no sooner has the sun dipped below the horizon than it peeks around the bedroom curtains. A curse or a blessing for the insomniac, asks a sleep-deprived Lucy Kellaway. 

The longest day of the year falls this weekend, and with it comes the shortest night. At about 3.45am robins, wrens and thrushes start their infernal chirping in raucous anticipation of the sun, which peeps above the crust of the earth at the ungodly hour of 4.43am...

...Occasionally I have dragged myself from my sleepless bed, sat at the computer and written something in an hour that might have taken six in the day. The novelist Gautam Malkani only writes at night, while the actress and singer Toyah Willcox has built up a multi-million pound property empire overseas and traded stocks and shares in the small hours - all because she couldn't sleep.

Click here to read the full article at the 'BBC News' website.

Check back over the weekend for scans of these mini articles.

Toyah’s still loud and proud!
By Emma Clayton 

As a young teenager I prided myself on being a bit of a Toyah Willcox fan. 

While her first commercial success, the It’s A Mystery EP, was climbing up the charts, I was hunting out early records like Danced, Ieya and The Blue Meaning. I listened to them endlessly. The Toyah! live album got me through exam revision. My fan worship was short-lived, but I’ve still got my Toyah records – they’re part of my youth, and those early songs remain somewhere in my subconscious. 

So when I recently came to interview Toyah, I had mixed feelings; when someone has had an impact on your formative years, maybe it’s best not to break the spell by talking to them. 

As it turned out, Toyah was a pleasure to talk to; friendly, open and thoughtful. This month she has two album releases, and from September she stars in a tour of gothic rock musical Vampire Rocks. Next week she’s headlining the last-night celebrations at Grassington Festival, and this summer she joins other Eighties artists on the Here And Now tour. 

“I have respect for nostalgia,” says Toyah. “There’s a great atmosphere at these shows. People enjoy going back to a pivotal time in their lives – in the case of my records they remember getting expelled to them! “I like the idea of bands devoting a concert to a particular album – I’d love to see Lou Reed do Transformer – but there’s also a lot to be said for artists celebrating songs that played a big part in people’s lives.

Read the full interview at the Dreamscape Forum. Click on the screenshot to visit the 'Bradford Telegraph & Argus' website.

Toyah’s wild punk rocker days are long gone. She’s just hit 50 and she’s on a healthy note, writes Women’s Editor Maria Cusine.

She may have just turned 50, but age is just a number to Toyah Willcox who says she feels liks she’s just 12-years-old.

“Middle age is a great place to be,” says the singer. “I’m enjoying life immensely and I don’t feel as though I’m growing old. I actually feel as if I’m 12 years old,” she laughs.

The Birmingham-born star, who rose to fame in the 80s for her wild punk hair-dos and hits such as It’s A Mystery, says she feels as healthy as she has in a long time.

Read the full interview at the Dreamscape Forum. Click here to visit the 'Express & Star' website.

The racy drama - based on the Belle du Jour novels - premiered to 949,000 viewers on Monday night. The figure is the largest on record for a new series opener on the cable network, exceeding 936,000 for The L Word in 2004.

Showtime also set its highest audience ever of 1.3m with the first in the fourth season of the drug-themed comedy Weeds. The previous record of 1.2m was set by an episode of Dexter last year.

Call Girl drew record ratings for ITV2 when it began in the autumn and has already been picked up for a third run, to air next year.

• The 'Shropshire Star' say Record numbers expected for 80s gig in a news article at their website. This includes a mention for Toyah. (19th June 2008)

• Toyah's appearance at the Roundhouse Gala last week also garners a mention in the 'Camden New Journal' article on the event. They say Roundhouse night of glamour raises £900,000 for charity. (19th June 2008)

• Toyah was Guest Speaker at Learning South West's 'The Secret of the Crystal Chandelier' on Wednesday in Devon. Click here for further info.

But more than three decades later, the Birmingham-born star revealed how her lifestyle, as well as hair, have made a complete U-turn as she kicked off a campaign to boost Midland women’s health.

Toyah, who turned 50 last month, was crusading for Women Against Cholesterol in Birmingham city centre yesterday, when females were given free tests at Chamberlain Square.

She underwent a live test in front of onlookers and discovered her cholesterol level was a healthy 4.0.

“Five years ago my cholesterol levels were a lot higher so I made a difference to my diet,” said Toyah, who lives in Worcestershire.

“I am 50 now and that is a really important time for women to get tested as they are going through the menopause. I can’t urge women enough to get it done.”

Qualified nurses and dieticians continued to offer their advice between 9am and 5pm todayas part of the campaign by cholesterol lowering food company Benecol.

It comes as a poll of Benecol showed nearly eight in every 10 women in the West Midlands did not realise they have a greater risk of heart disease after going through the menopause due to a decline in oestrogen levels.

The former pop star, who rose to fame in the early 1980s for her wild punk hair-dos and songs, added: “It’s never too late to look after your health.

“When you are in your late teens and 20s, you genuinely believe you are immortal, but now I am older, I believe in making the effort as life is in your own hands to keep fit and eat well.”

The gothic musical will star 80s singer Toyah Willcox as The Devil Queen, who reigns over New York club Live and Let Die.

Set in 2030, Toyah has to battle with a new-comer for the affections of her husband Baron Von Rockula (Steve Steinman).

And the love row is set to classic rock from the 80s and 90s, featuring songs by the likes of AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Meat Loaf, Joan Jett, Suzi Quatro and Queen.

Toyah said: “My husband, the Baron, is on the look out for a new bride, but not if I have anything to do with it. I would say ‘over my dead body’, but then I’m already dead, aren’t I.”

Her love rival is innocent wannabe rock star Pandora (Emily Clark), who stumbles across the club in need of a job. Baron Rockula and his sidekick Stringfellow (Mike Taylor) attempt to convince the singer to lose her soul to rock and roll in the black comedy.

The Baron’s band The Lost Boys play the soundtrack to the event live on stage.

Organisers today promised the classic rock of the event would be added to by a few festive favourites and promised gig goers it would be the only show they need to attend this Christmas.

Toyah said: “I’m thrilled to be in the show. This show is so much fun. Where else could you get to dress up in costumes like this and sing your favourite rock songs?”

The Liverpool date of the Vampires Rock show is the only arena gig of the tour. It will take place on Saturday, December 27.

Tickets went on sale today. They cost £25 (subject to a handling / booking fee).

To book tickets, log on to www.accliverpool.com or call the ECHO Arena Box Office on 0844 8000 400.

Toyah Willcox doesn't see her husband for months on end - and says she likes it that way.

The star married guitarist Robert Fripp in 1986, and the couple have lived separately ever since. 

Robert, who is in the band King Crimson, returned to America 7 days after they got hitched.

‘The longest I went without seeing him for was for 11 months in 2000,’ she says.

'I did tell him then it had to stop or our marriage wouldn't work and now we do see more of each other than we did.'

But Toyah, 50, says neither of them worries about infidelity.

'When I met him, he had a reputation for being a womaniser, but that's a 30-year-old reputation, so it's not something I worry about now,' she tells the Daily Mail. 

'As for me, men are terrified of me.' 

The Lee Mack Show : BBC7 - Friday 20th June : 11.30pm
The Lee Mack Show : BBC7 - Saturday 21st June : 4.30am

Proud Parents : Channel 4 - Monday 23rd June : 11.50am

Set in New York in the year 2030, the undead are livelier than ever, especially in club 'Live and Let Die' where the Baron and The Devil Queen reside. Toyah says "I'm thrilled to be joining the show! I've done a lot of theatre in the past and this show is so much fun. Where else could you get to dress up in such great costumes and sing your favourite rock songs?". She's referring to songs made famous by the likes of AC/DC, Guns 'n' Roses, Bon Jovi, Meat Loaf, Joan Jett, Suzi Quatro, Queen and many more, played live by the Baron's hand picked band, The Lost Boys.

The show has an amazing stage set, pyrotechnics to blow your mind, beautiful dancers and, of course, Steve Steinman's famously powerful vocals and sense of humour. The show flies in to Rothes Halls on Thursday 13th November at 7.30.  Tickets are available now at Box Office on 01592 611101 or via www.attfife.org.uk

The RockFace exhibition, staged in Birmingham, will feature paintings created by Melissa Mailer-Yates from Canon Pyon. 

Rick Wakeman, Paul Weller and Toyah are among those who Melissa has sketched, and all are expected to view the end result over the next couple of weeks. 

Last November, Melissa was commissioned by organisers of the Global Battle of the Bands event to paint an image of the late John Entwistle, bass player in rock group The Who. 

The painting, which she called Thunderfingers, was then displayed at Birmingham Town Hall during the competition's UK heat. 

The RockFace exhibition runs at Birmingham's St Paul's Gallery until July 4. 

Toyah Willcox has never been afraid to speak her mind, and, now she’s turned 50, the former high priestess of punk doesn’t show any signs of changing. Married, but without children, Toyah makes a declaration that would horrify some women.

‘I’ve had a face-lift, I’ve had a hormone implant and now I want a hysterectomy,’ she says. ‘My husband doesn’t want me to, but I might just have one and not tell him.’ She also admits she’d like a tummy tuck and, in a shocking revelation, wants her boobs completely removed because she can’t bear them.

Toyah likes to shock. She is, by her own admission, ‘a bit of an attention-seeker’. During her 20s, she was the most successful punk rocker of her age, with her shock of bright pink hair and trademark lisp.

But she had a horrific childhood blighted by illness. Born with a twisted spine, clawed feet, a clubbed right foot, one leg two inches shorter than the other and no hip sockets, she endured years of painful operations and physiotherapy.

Five years ago, she regaled the public with a gruesome account of the cosmetic surgery she’d had done in her book, Diary Of A Facelift. And now she is determined to prove that life begins at 50, which is partly why she wants a hysterectomy, to rid herself finally of the debilitating battle she has had to control hormonal imbalances in her body.

“My 30s were a nightmare because I was so uncomfortable. If I could have unzipped myself and stepped out of my body, I would have done. It is only recently I discovered I had too much oestrogen in my body, which meant I was permanently in physical discomfort. So, last year, I had a progesterone implant surgically inserted and it has made me a happy human being again,” said Toyah.

Good Morning Universe
Echo Beach
Thunder In The Mountains
It's A Mystery
Sweet Child O' Mine
I Want To Be Free

Please click here for a mini report by Dean from the show. And check back soon for some photographs of Toyah from the gig.

• Toyah mentions in her blog that the interview she gave to the 'Daily Mail' was supposed to have concentrated on Toyah at 50. In her own words she says: "It was to feature the fact at 50 I am busier than ever and setting standards for all lucky enough to reach this magic number."

Unfortunately the 'Daily Mail' have latched onto a few throwaway comments Toyah made and have completely sensationalized them - hence the articles below from 'Now' and 'Digital Spy'.

• The 'Daily Mail' feature was published online on Thursday (12th June) but wasn't included in their print edition until Friday. By this time they had changed the original title of the article: Toyah Willcox: I don't see my husband for months on end ... and that suits us both fine, to Toyah Willcox: I've had a facelift... now I want a tummy tuck and my boobs removed because I can't bear them. They also updated the article with a photo of Toyah, taken at the Roundhouse Gala.

• Anyone wondering why I'm including these articles here? This is Toyah news and this is a Toyah news page. I always try to mention just about everything Toyah related in the current media, good, bad or indifferent.

• Toyah also informs us in her June blog that she appears in just the first episode of the second series Secret Diary Of A Call Girl but that there is already the possibility of a third series.

• She confirms that 'In The Court Of The Crimson Queen' is now complete, and that she and Simon Darlow have already started writing songs for the next album!

• Toyah also mentions that some of the songs from her new album will be performed in Vampires Rock.

• She may be appearing in a film, to be filmed in August. And for the first time in 14 years she won't be appearing in panto this Christmas.

The '80s punk icon, who has just turned 50, said she is keen to have the surgery to help combat a life-long hormonal imbalance.

She told the Daily Mail: "I've had a face-lift, I've had a hormone implant and now I want a hysterectomy. My husband doesn't want me to, but I might just have one and not tell him."

She said she would also like to have a tummy tuck and wants her breasts "completely removed" because she "can't bear them".

Willcox, who was a contestant on I'm A Celebrity... in 2003, said: "My 30s were a nightmare because I was so uncomfortable. If I could have unzipped myself and stepped out of my body, I would have done. 

"It's only recently I discovered I had too much oestrogen in my body, which meant I was permanently in physical discomfort.

"Last year, I had a progesterone implant surgically inserted and it has revolutionised my life. It has made me a happy human being again."

She added: "That's why I'm begging my husband (guitarist Robert Fripp) to let me have a hysterectomy because it would completely get rid of all the bad memories I have of my problems with my hormones."

Toyah Willcox has revealed that she hates her breasts and wants to have an op to get rid of them.

The I'm A Celeb star is also planning to have a hysterectomy.

The actress has suffered ill health for years and recently discovered it was because she has too much oestrogen in her body. 

But although she's received hormone therapy to correct the imbalance, she doesn't feel it's enough.

‘I had a progesterone implant and it has revolutionised my life,’ she tells the Daily Mail. 'It has made me a happy human being again. 

'That's why I'm begging my husband to let me have a hysterectomy. It would get rid of all the bad memories I have of my problems with my hormones. 

'I would [also] have my boobs completely removed because I can't bear them. But [my husband] says no.'

Toyah, 50, is married to musician Robert Fripp. 

Bags of laughs when Lee is joined by Angela McHale, Noel Britton and special guest Toyah Willcox. First heard in 2005. Episode 6 of 6.

The Lee Mack Show : BBC7 - Friday 20th June : 11.30pm
The Lee Mack Show : BBC7 - Saturday 21st June : 4.30am

• Toyah's Official website has been updated with news on the new CD 'Good Morning Universe - The Very Best Of Toyah' and Vampires Rock.

• Toyah is namechecked in this article in the 'Illford Recorder', Big names rev up for Motor Show - Win tickets. [5th June 2008]

• The 'Fort Worth Star Telegram' (believe it or not) ran a small news article on Secret Diary Of A Call Girl on 1st June, as the show is about to air on the Showtime channel in the US. They give Toyah a mention too.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: British actress Billie Piper stars in this new comedy as Hannah Baxter, a 27-year-old college graduate who lives a double life as a high-priced escort-service worker named Belle. Supporting characters include Belle's materialistic "agent" (Cherie Lunghi); Hannah's friendly ex (Iddo Goldberg) who is secretly in love ... with Belle; and her parents (Toyah Willcox and Stuart Organ), who think she's a legal secretary. 9:30 p.m. June 16, Showtime.

• The 'Shropshire Star' also mention Toyah in their article, Gig has eighties pop star tingling. This is an interview with Rick Astley.

Rick Astley will be topping the bill at the concert on July 12 at Shrewsbury Quarry. Other performers include Toyah Willcox, Carol Decker with her Shropshire band T’Pau and Bananarama. 

Tickets, priced at £32.50 for adults, £20 for children aged five to 15, and free for under fives, are on sale from IML Concerts on (01603) 660444, the Midland Box Office on 0870 320 7000, or online at www.imlconcerts.co.uk. They are also available from The Music Hall in Shrewsbury, Oswestry Mile End tourist information centre, and Oakengates Theatre in Telford. 

The article also uses a rarely seen picture of Toyah. Please click on the screenshot/photo to go to the 'This is London' website, where it was also published.

Beverley Knight, Nick Mason and Toyah Willcox are to play at a rock 'n' roll gala on 12 June to raise £500,000 for the Roundhouse's education programme to keep young people off the streets.

Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman will be among guests at the star-studded event, which includes a celebrity auction.

While the upstairs space has hosted performers ranging from The Who to the Royal Shakespeare Company, the downstairs studios have seen 12,000 young people taking part in music, film and television projects.

www.roundhouse.org.uk

• This picture of Toyah and Billie Piper appeared in a recent 'Virgin Media' feature on Secret Diary Of A Call Girl. Only one other publicity shot of them together had been available (added to Dreamscape last year) until this surfaced. [Thanks to Dean]

• Secret Diary Of A Call Girl series two is currently in pre-production but there have been conflicting reports on when filming will commence and when the second series will air. There are no actual details yet but it seems likely it will be broadcast in late 2008/early 2009, again on ITV2. Toyah will will reprise her role as Belle's mother.

• Series one of Secret Diary Of A Call Girl is currently being re-aired on ITV1, around 11pm on Wednesday evenings, and is also available to buy on DVD (cheapest price online at the moment is £13.89 @ sendit.com).

• Robert Fripp's online Diaryhas featured some great photographs of himself and Toyah over the last few weeks. Capturing candid moments on their 22nd wedding anniversary/Robert's birthday and Toyah's 50th. Do a search for "Toyah" at Robert's diary to access the photos.

• Go to www.sheilaferguson.com to view a photo of Toyah and Sheila (ex lead singer with the Three Degrees) partying recently. [Thanks to Dean]

Toyah, who lives in Pershore, Worcestershire, said she is really looking forward to performing in Shropshire’s county town.

The star has had a diverse career which not only includes her 13 Top 40 singles and a number one album Anthem, but is well-known for her theatre and television work.

She will join a host of 80s performers at the event in Shrewsbury Quarry on July 12.

It is part of the traditional summer weekend of music in the county town and is expected to attract a crowd of about 6,000.

Toyah said: “Shrewsbury is not too far from me. I know it quite well and I think it is the most beautiful part of the world - it is inspired.

“We get to perform in really special places.

“When the sun sets it just gets really beautiful - the audiences are so big that we get a real sense of energy from them. Open air festivals even in the rain are good fun.”

Toyah says nothing will surprise her on the day, as experience proves the crowd will go to any lengths.”One of the funniest things I have ever experienced was when we were playing a concert and about eight people in the audience brought a candelabra and a table,” she said.

“They sat in front of the stage and had a four-course meal and we were in stitches because they were really participating in the show.

“These shows have a real feel-good factor, the music that we play is all hits, the evening just builds beautifully, and I think it encourages people to be quite individual and expressive.”

And she said it is not only members of the audience who get into the spirit of things - the performers all play their part as well.

“A lot of them have families and the families come along,” she added.

“We not only do these shows, we do corporate shows together and we are always coming up with mad schemes and mad ideas. We are a very close bunch.”

Rick Astley will be topping the bill at the concert on July 12, performing hits such as Never Gonna Give You Up and Together Forever. The night will kick off at 7.30pm.

Carol Decker and her Shropshire band T’Pau will be belting out their biggest singles - China In Your Hand and Heart and Soul - while Bananarama’s repertoire will include Robert De Niro’s Waiting.

* Tickets, priced at £32.50 for adults, £20 for children aged five to 15, and free for under fives, are on sale from IML Concerts on (01603) 660444, the Midland Box Office on 0870 320 7000, or online at www.imlconcerts.co.uk. They are also available from The Music Hall in Shrewsbury, Oswestry Mile End tourist information centre, and Oakengates Theatre in Telford.