Theatre Royal pantomimes are lavish and classy with no expense spared. The sets and the costumes are superb and there is a five piece band, although they could do with less amplification at the start. Add to that a star performer such as Toyah Willcox, quite marvellous as the Genie of the Lamp and that personable X-Factor runner-up Chico as Aladdin and you have a sure fire recipe for success.

David Alder as Widow Twankey is a seasoned pantomime performer and it is very much an acquired art. Too often today, big television names try their hand at it and fall flat on their faces but newcomer Chico takes to it like a duck to water. Another first timer to the medium is Jennifer Hubilla who is delightful as the Princess with voice to match.

Granville Saxton as Abanazar is the perfect baddie attracting the usual round of boos and cat calls. John Clegg as Wishee Washee has no problem getting the audience on his side rolling a gigantic dice to discover how many bags of sweets to throw to the audience and then leading an hilarious rendering of The Twelve Days of Christmas holding “a bra made for three” with Widow Twankey and Chris Dennis as the policeman waving “five toilet rolls”.

One of the many highlights is Aladdin’s ride on a magic carpet, floating above the stage with various brightly coloured animal cut-outs passing along beneath, which has the young audience in raptures.

Cast: Chico, Toyah Willcox, Jennifer Hubilla, Jon Clegg, David Alder, Trevor Jones, and Granville Saxton.

[ News Source: www.thestage.co.uk - Monday 18th December 2006 ]

Pics 1/2: January/February 1979, Pic 3: June 1979, Pic 4: January 1980.

[ Huge THANKS to Andi for all his amazing contributions to Dreamscape ]

[ Thanks to Paul Lomas ]

"My wish is that every calorie consumed is calorie-free and that we all have at least three wishes come true - as long as we all have the sense to wish our lives to be lived to our full abilities, and to be kind and honourable to all our fellow men." 

Toyah Willcox, actress

[ Thanks to Paul Lomas ]

14 December 2006 - 14 January 2007
Theatre Royal, Brighton

X-FACTOR's show-stopping chart-topping CHICO, 80s pop sensation TOYAH WILLCOX and a host of top West End musical performers star in the Family First pantomime 'Aladdin' 

Theatre Royal
New Road, Brighton, BN1 1SD
Box Office: 08700 606 650 (booking fee)
Fax:01273 764407
Groups Hotline: 01273 764415
BOOK ONLINE

The winning ticket of the 2005 Pollyanna Pickering Foundation grand prize draw was drawn by singer and actress Toyah Willcox (left) last month.

Toyah regularly topped the charts as a singer in the eighties, and has gone on to become one of our most popular actresses and TV presenters. She is also a great animal lover, and pleased to support the Foundation's work. She took time out of her hectic touring schedule to draw the winning tickets. 

NB: I'm not sure when exactly this was taken but it looks around when Toyah was starring in The Hundred And One Dalmations in July.

The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments : E4 - Sat 23rd December : 9.00pm
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments : E4 Plus 1- Sat 23rd December : 10.00pm
Jimmy Carr reveals the greatest Christmas moment of all time. From the moment 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 four hour programme counts down the 100 festive moments that remain indelibly stuck in the nation's memories.

The Most Fertile Man In Ireland : Sky Movies 1 - Boxing Day : 1.55am
Twenty-four year old virgin, Eamonn Manley, lives with his mother in Belfast and is painfully shy with the ladies. Things change for Eamonn when Mary Malloy decides to make the first move and soon Mary realises that she is pregnant even though she was using birth control. The doctor discovers that Eamonn has an unusually high sperm count... His mother has the idea that he can help the local ladies who have had problems conceiving a baby... Director: Dudi Appleton. Starring: Kris Marshall, Kathy Kiera Clarke, Bronagh Gallagher, James Nesbitt, Kenneth Cranham, Toyah Willcox and Olivia Nash. 

The 50 Worst Decisions Of All Time : Sky Three - Boxing Day : 9.00pm
The 50 Worst Decisions Of All Time : Sky Two - Sat 30th December : 10.00pm
We all make mistakes, but this cheeky special spotlights some unforgettable faux-pas. Rebecca Loos, Nick Leeson and Diana 'Cough' Ingram are among those telling their stories.

The Story Of Light Entertainment : BBC2 - Boxing Day : 11.40pm
Part 5, Pop and Easy Listening. Stepehn Fry presents a potted history of popular music programmes on TV, exploring why such shows are making a comeback, thanks to the success of The X Factor and Pop Idol. Toyah comments on a number of topics, including: Punk:, MTV, and Sheena Easton.

Never Mind The Buzzcocks : UKTV G2 -Fri 29th December : 11.05pm
Never Mind The Buzzcocks : UKTV G2 Plus 1 - Sat 30th December : 00.05am
Never Mind The Buzzcocks : UKTV G2 - Sat 30th December : 01.45am
Never Mind The Buzzcocks : UKTV G2 Plus 1- Sat 30th December : 02.45am
Mark Lamarr hosts a special anniversary edition of the long-running pop quiz, with team captains Phill Jupitus and Bill Bailey. Guests are singer turned actress and broadcaster Toyah Willcox, ex-A1 (where are they now?) singer Ben Adams, Radio One's Annie Mac and comedian Alun Cochrane. With special performances from X-Factor casualties Sumon Sunyal and Robert King.

The first Christmas of the 90's saw Toyah play Miss Scarlet in a special festive edition of Cluedo. Here are the thoughts of a Cluedo fan: 

"The show producers must have realised that they needed strong characters by now, as the casting of vivacious Toyah Willcox showed. 

Toyah was great in the part, with all of the men drooling over her; yet still being a complete b*tch to everyone - especially her step-mother. 

Like others in the Christmas Special, she was made to look very similar to her card equivalent - especially her hair style. 

Toyah is best known for being an 80's rock singer ("It's A Mystery" and more); but she also has a very strong acting career behind her. Major parts for her have been as Miranda in both "Prospero's Books" and "The Tempest", but she has narrated a couple of children's television series (e.g. "The Teletubbies") and has made many guest appearances in shows as herself." 

'I've no sympathy with young, lazy people. That's why I've no children' 

Toyah Willcox is appearing in Aladdin at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, from today until 14 January 

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be...
Reading through the scripts that have come through. This morning I got two musicals, a radio soap and an independent film script. For me, it's the wackier, the better. I like things that make people's jaws drop open.

Phrase I use far too often...
"Absolutely." I say it about everything and anything. It pacifies people. If I say it to a film director it usually means I will do what I want anyway, but if I say it to my band I'll probably try to compromise.

I wish people would take more notice of...
Their health. If people eat badly they think badly. Everything you allow to enter your body will influence your body, whether it's what you watch on telly, read or eat.

The most surprising thing that happened to me was...
Finding out not only how much I earned when I started managing myself in 1990 but also how much people were creaming off my income. The day I started managing myself, my income went up 500 per cent.

A common misperception of me is...
That I'm vulnerable, naive and malleable. I'm the opposite of all those.

I am not a politician but...
May God help anyone who voted me in because tax would be a fixed rate of 20 per cent, education and work would be compulsory and National Service would be back - but it would teach 18- to 21-year-olds about business and health. I have no sympathy with young, lazy people, which is probably why I don't have children.

I'm good at...
Being a problem solver. It means I get very little life.

I'm very bad at...
Saying no to people who have problems.

The ideal night out is...
In a bordello with David Bowie. I wouldn't tell my husband, but then he'd probably be in a bordello with Debbie Harry.

In moments of weakness...
I panic. But if I sit on it for 24 hours, I can come back to a problem with a fresh pair of eyes.

You know me as an actress and singer but in truer life I'd have been a... 
Sculptor. I'm such a fan of Barbara Hepworth and Elisabeth Frink. I've played many artists in my career so I think this has made me want it more.

The best age to be is...
Now. I believe in living in the moment.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is this:
The greatest thing I've ever been taught is to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Personally, I'd stuff them full of chocolate and play with their private parts!

[ News Source: www.theindependent.co.uk -Thurs 14th December 2006 ]

[ Source: www.toyahwillcox.com - December 2006 ]

Toyah talked about... cake covered boats!... the advantages of alcohol when you hate school... her 80's images... her contemporaries... not shagging around back in the day... The Good Sex Guide... & more!

This will be repeated on Radio 2 on Saturday at lunchtime. It is also available at the Radio 2 website to listen to again for the next few days.

Radio Rivron : BBC Radio Two - Saturday 16th December : 1.30pm

Apologies for the disappearance of Dreamscape between Friday 8th and Tuesday 12th December. My ISP, inexplicably, deleted the site from their servers. 

All should be back to normal now, except that the Downloads haven't been re-added as yet. Unfortunately any emails that were sent to me during those days I wasn't able to receive either.

A few visitors have mentioned the slow running of the Forum. I have no control over that I'm afraid. Forumer, who host it, have been trying to resolve why it's happening.

Along with the final Official e:news for 2006, and a groovy pic of Toyah in her Genie lamp.

There's also a hint or two about what may be in store in Toyahville in 2007.

Head over to Toyah's Official website for festive talk about Chico... The Fonz... the SAS Band... Silver Street... and Toyah Willcox Ltd!!

[ News Source: www.toyahwillcox.com - Monday 11th December 2006 ]

There is almost nothing good about panto. Nothing that is, apart from how inexplicably enjoyable it is booing and hissing and shouting from the audience and waiting for the next Britney song to be mysteriously weaved into the storyline. It’s bright and breezy, cheap and cheerful and makes us feel hyperactive. We love it. And this year there are some mouthwatering panto prospects.

The usual suspects all make an appearance. The Krankies are kropping up in Cinderella in Darlington, a production going head to head with the Chuckle Brothers’ version in Hull. Su Pollard (love her) will be in Snow White in Mansfield and Jim Davidson (shudder) is Dick Whittington in Dartford.  One of the most intriguing productions has to be Toyah Willcox and Chico starring in Aladdin in Brighton. Itchy believes this could be the birth of a whole new theatrical genre – chicomime. The prize for Pantomime Production That Is Jealous Of Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother And Aladdin’s Genie So Makes Up Similar Characters Of Its Own can be shared between Northampton’s Dick Whittington with Julian Clary as “The Spirit of the Bells” and Newcastle’s Jack and the  Beanstalk with Jill Halfpenny as “Mother Nature”. Good work, guys.

To read the full article click on the screenshot or link below.

[ Source: www.itchybirmingham.co.uk - December 2006 ]

[ Festive thanks to Andi Westhorpe ]

[ Thanks to Angus Turner for the pics and info ]

This was originally shown in 2004, and repeated last Christmas too, with Toyah on the programme primarily to comment on Pop Goes Christmas, originally broadcast on ITV way back on Boxing Day 1982, but also briefly talked about The Osbournes too. 

Toyah said: "Pop Goes Christmas was a Christmas special with all the favourite, current, pop artists. And they are such homely pop artists. You've got Shakin' Stevens. There's David Essex... 

"Why they had me I really do not know. I come out like a little gremlin, who just suddenly appears, looks like no one else... Black contact lenses, that are larger than my pupils, so I look like I'm on speed! 

"Everyone on the show got to do two songs. Everyone got to perform their current hit and then chose a Christmas song to do." 

A short clip from Toyah's 'I Believe In Father Christmas' performance from Pop Goes Christmas was shown. 

NB. Toyah only performed one song on Pop Goes Christmas.

The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments : E4 - Sat 23rd December : 9.00pm
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments : E4 Plus 1- Sat 23rd December : 10.00pm
Jimmy Carr reveals the greatest Christmas moment of all time. From the moment 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 four hour programme counts down the 100 festive moments that remain indelibly stuck in the nation's memories.

Henley Festival: 11th - 15th July 2007
Floating Stage: Sunday 15th July, 8.45: 80s Party Night
starring Belinda Carlisle, Nick Heyward and Toyah

What were today’s audiences listening to in the early years of the Henley Festival? The unforgettable music of the ‘80s. The 25th Anniversary Festival closes with an all dancing party night, featuring a triumvirate of major stars from the 1980s, Belinda Carlisle, Nick Heyward and Toyah, all backed by one seriously hot band of musicians. Get out those dancin’ shoes.

[ Source: www.henley-festival.co.uk - December 2006 ]

The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments : E4 - Sat 23rd December : 9.00pm
The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments : E4 Plus 1- Sat 23rd December : 10.00pm
Jimmy Carr reveals the greatest Christmas moment of all time. From the moment 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 four hour programme counts down the 100 festive moments that remain indelibly stuck in the nation's memories.

The Most Fertile Man In Ireland : Sky Movies 1 - Boxing Day : 1.55am
Twenty-four year old virgin, Eamonn Manley, lives with his mother in Belfast and is painfully shy with the ladies. Things change for Eamonn when Mary Malloy decides to make the first move and soon Mary realises that she is pregnant even though she was using birth control. The doctor discovers that Eamonn has an unusually high sperm count... His mother has the idea that he can help the local ladies who have had problems conceiving a baby... Director: Dudi Appleton. Starring: Kris Marshall, Kathy Kiera Clarke, Bronagh Gallagher, James Nesbitt, Kenneth Cranham, Toyah Willcox and Olivia Nash. 

But is airbrushing just a natural response to the public's desire for perfect stars? Here, Toyah Willcox - who has been airbrushed - argues the point: 

Singer and actress Toyah Willcox, 48, had a facelift three years ago - yet she says many of her publicity photos have also been heavily airbrushed. She lives in the Midlands with husband Robert Fripp, 60. Toyah says: 

The brutal truth these days is that you can have all the talent in the world, but it counts for nothing if you don't look good. I have four platinum albums and 30 years in the music business - but the moment I appear with wrinkles and eyebags in a photograph, my career is effectively over. 

Yes, it annoys me. It isn't fair because I don't think men are under the same pressure to look good. But you simply cannot survive in the industry unless you look as young as you possibly can. 

That's partly why I felt so pressured into having a facelift three years ago. 

Some women might think I'm hypocritical, moaning about ageism and yet having a facelift. But I believe my saving grace is the fact that I have been totally honest about the procedure. I even wrote a book about the experience called Diary Of A Facelift.' 

Apart from Judi Dench, I can't think of an actress over the age of 40 who has not had work done, or had some of their pictures airbrushed. 

The pressure is constant - I also know of two leading 'mature' female actresses at the BBC who were told to have surgery because they were becoming 'hard to light'.' In other words, the wrinkles were showing. 

Not only is there pressure from the industry and from society, it also comes from within. I had the facelift more for me than for anyone else. The catalyst was appearing on a reality TV show four years ago. I looked dreadful. Inside, I felt better than ever, but there on TV was a woman with jowls, a turkey neck and baggy, creased skin under my eyes. 

It's embarrassing when you appear in publicity shots looking amazing and then appear on stage with wrinkles. 

If that means having cosmetic surgery, then so be it. I now have Botox every three months, which costs £300 a session, and I've also had Thermage, where they heat your skin to about 45c to stimulate natural collagen. This costs about £250 a session and you need at least six sessions. 

Many famous women have said they haven't had facelifts, but I bet they've had Thermage, because their skin looks so good. 

I know I'm a victim of my success. It would be wonderful if women in the public eye could grow old gracefully, but the reality is that people expect us to look young. 

My face has to be smooth and unlined. I have to diet constantly - I eat only 1,500 calories a day, mainly in fruit and vegetables - to keep my weight at just under 8st (I'm 5ft 1in). I'd love to eat sticky buns, but television piles the pounds on your appearance. 

Most big stars have approval over their photographs and of course they want them to be airbrushed. That's nothing - I know of two famous musicians who have their blood changed at a Swiss clinic every six months. 

I'm not looking for perfection, but then I can't bear the thought of looking tired and old. The trouble is that airbrushing can make you look like an expressionless doll. 

As you can see from these pictures, the lines around my eyes have disappeared in the doctored image. It's too frozen-looking and as an actress I need to have character in my face. 

The brutal truth is that whether we like it or not, there's no place for an old-looking woman on television - age is being airbrushed out of existence. 

[ News Source: 'Daily Mail' - Thursday 7th December 2006 ]

What you are bidding on is a one-off set of four vinyl figures, customised to parody the make-up styles used on the 7" sleeve of "Four From Toyah". As you can see from the photos, they also have a Melissa Caplan style design painted on their belly panels. 

This is the only set available & I am unlikely to do another set. The customising was totally hand-painted. The figures are best suited for display purposes only. The tallest figure is 8" & the shortest is 6" 

(The 7" sleeve shown is not included, it is purely a prop for the photo used)

[ Source: www.ebay.co.uk - Thanks to Gavin ]

Toyah performs the Greg Lake classic 'I Believe in Father Christmas'. 

In 1982, when ITV still bothered making half decent "entertainment" programmes, Pop Goes Christmas brightened up the network's Christmas schedules. 

A whole plethora of pop stars; Culture Club, Musical Youth, The Nolans, Mari Wilson, Shakin Stevens, Toto Coelo, David Essex, Dexys Midnight Runners and many more performed their favourite Christmas hits. 

Toyah, accompanied by Joel Bogen and Keith Hale (both looking slightly festive) performed 'I Believe in Father Christmas'. She looked gorgeous, with bright blue eyeshadow, black contacts, cool black (partial) see-through outfit, huge ankh, and carrot orangey hair with red bits. 

The performance is all the more memorable because of the spookesome Egyptian shapes Toyah threw throughout the song! 

"I wish you a hopeful christmas, I wish you a brave new year 
All anguish pain and sadness, Leave your heart and let your road be clear 
They said there’ll be snow at christmas, They said there’ll be peace on earth 
Hallelujah noel be it heaven or hell, The christmas you get you deserve."

[ Thanks to Andi Westhorpe for the screen captures ]

[ Sources: www.a2mediagroup.com / www.merrymedia.co.uk - Nov 2006 ]

Toyah Willcox gets into the festive spirit:

What does Christmas mean to you?
For the last 15 years, I've been doing panto. So to me, Christmas means entertaining families. On Christmas Day itself, I eat from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep. It's the only time of the year where I'll eat for 12 hours!

Do you have the works on Christmas Day?
Yes we do. I have a restaurant prepare all the food the day before because what I don't want to do on my one day off is cook. All I have to do is put it all in the Aga!

Do you enjoy cooking?
I do. I think it's good to make yourself cook.

Your dream dining companion?
It would have to be John Lennon. If he could see the world today, he'd have more to say than ever before.

[ Source: 'Somerfield Magazine' - December 2006 ]

[ Thanks to Angus Turner for the pics and info ]

After a bumpy beginning... Congratulations to Toyah, Martin and Howard for continuing with the tour.

[ Source: 'The Best of Smash Hits - October 2006 ]

What was the best Christmas you ever had?
The best Christmases ever was when I was a kid because I had the security of my family and all the traditions were kept. I used to get tons and tons of pressies. Up until the age of ten I was having really good christmases. 

I spent one Christmas in complete euphoria after doing the Drury Lane Whistle Test which was two years ago. It was such a wonderful night. After we'd done it Tom and I drove down to his parent's estate and people were running out of their houses to tell us how much they'd enjoyed it. I can remember driving home to Birmingham that night and it was snowing. Everything was just wonderful and I remained on a high after doing that show for about ten days. 

What's the worst Christmas you've ever had?
The second year of living in London. I was living in a mouldy old bedsit with no money. I couldn't get back to Birmingham. I couldn't afford the train fare. So I went busking on christmas day in Trafalgar Square and I got arrested. I got enough money to phone dad up and say 'Happy Christmas', put the phone down and start crying. Someone gave me the train fare to Birmingham and I went up on Boxing Day. I swore I would never spend another Christmas away from my family again. 

What's your ideal Christmas?
I'd love to spend Christmas in Sweden in a vast snow covered forest in a beautiful wooden chalet by a lake frozen over so that you can ice skate on it. I'd have a horse drawn sleigh for transport and no one except, really it should be Tom, but in my mind it's Bowie, though I'd run a mile if it ever happened. 

How many Christmas cards do you send? 
Would you believe five thousand? I have my own printed up and it takes me a month to sign them. I send them to all the fans, DJs, record companies, even journalists.

[ Source: www.deanstockings.co.uk - December 2006 ]

The next, and final, 'Hitmakers' show is at Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall Theatre on Thursday 7th December (Tel: 01892 530 613).

[ Thanks to Paul Cable for the pics ]

Tune in next week to see who Toyah Willcox is playing in Silver Street. "It's a mystery" to many residents as to why she has returned after all these years. What could she possibly want now?

[ Source: www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork/silverstreet - 1st December 2006 ]

Tune in over the coming month to find out what Toyah Willcox is doing in Silver Street and win the film "Quadrophenia" starring Toyah along with her book "Diary of a Facelift". 

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, is to answer five simple questions about Silver Street.

Congratulations to last month's winner, Wayne Howell who wins some classic Christmas CD's.

Closing Date : 12.00 (BST), 05 January 2007. The winner will be announced from 12.00 (BST), 05 January 2007.

[ Source: www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork/silverstreet - 24th November 2006 ]

Toyah is one of a number of special guests at these gigs and will sing lead vocals on three songs.

[ Related Link: www.sasband.com ]

[ Thanks to Andi Westhorpe ]

[ Thanks to Angus Turner for the picture ]

• The 'Cherry Red Top 51' has been updated, with the July - September 2006 charts published at their website. Toyah is still included, with 'Wild Essence - Live In The 21st Century' at number 15 in the DVD chart. Not bad for a DVD released for almost a year at time of the chart being compiled.

[ Source: www.cherryred.co.uk - December 2006 ]

• Dreamscape's December Pic, Mag, Cap, Quote and Lyric of the Month is over there << 

[ Source: Daily Mail - Tues 28th November 2006 - Thanks to Angus Turner ]

The Wages Of Cinders - Star’s Panto Pay
Toyah Willcox - Starring as: Genie in Aladdin at Theatre Royal, Brighton
Pay: £8,000 a week

Former punk rebel gets no cred for starrign alongside X Fctor's cheesy Chico. It's A Mystery why she'd do it...

[ Source: Daily Mirror - Monday 27th November 2006 - Thanks to Angus Turner ]

[ Thanks to Paul Cable for the great pics ]

Radio Rivron : BBC Radio Two - Thursday 14th December : 10.00pm
Radio Rivron : BBC Radio Two - Saturday 16th December : 1.30pm
Rowland Rivron presents a lighthearted celebration of music. Including a trip to Fowey in Cornwall to speak to Toyah at the Daphne Du Maurier festival. Richard Fairbrass, one half of Right Said Fred, chats to Rowland about his career and musical passion. Doctor Dave Radio is back helping the listeners get through the good and bad. We phone Martha Reeves to find out Where She Is Right Now. And finally we take a look at some lyrics penned by Big Audio Dynamite to find out when they Stopped Making Sense.

In Your Dreams : Channel 4 - Friday 15th December : 4.55am
Acclaimed dream analyst and psychotherapist Brenda Mallon meets personalities to discuss their dream life. Toyah Willcox has had an eclectic career spanning four decades and is renowned for her rebellious spirit. She's always had an extremely dramatic dream life, and discovers one particular dream that has significantly altered the course of her life.

Toyah plays the "wild child" of her family. Born to Irish Catholic parents Siobhan Brady became a single mother at the age of 20, giving birth to a brown-skinned boy. 

The local community was shocked and Siobhan ran off leaving her son to be brought up by his grandmother. 

But did she simply abandon him, or was she driven out? Siobhan's return will reveal the truth. 

Siobhan's best friend Rita has missed her old school friend in the years she has been gone, often putting Siobhan on a pedestal for leading an exciting life of freedom while she stayed in Silver Street to bring up her four children. 

Being with Siobhan always made Rita feel excited. However, this came at a price. After Rita introduced Siobhan to her brother Jai, Siobhan's reckless behaviour got worse when he introduced her to drugs. 

Now Siobhan returns to Silver Street seemingly happy with a new partner and another young child. 

But questions remain - will reacquaintance with the old Silver Street gang force Siobhan back into her old ways? Was it better to let sleeping dogs lie? And how will Sean feel about his mother's return and his new sister? 

Toyah's credits cover everything from hit records in the punk/new wave era to ground-breaking films with Derek Jarman, wrestling in the play Trafford Tanzi, playing Sally Bowles in Cabaret in the West End and, of course, appearing in I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

Toyah makes her Silver Street debut on the BBC Asian Network on Friday 1 December 2006 at 1.30pm.

Silver Street can be heard from Mondays to Fridays at 1.30pm with an omnibus on Sundays at 2pm. 

BBC Asian Network is available on DAB digital radio, Freeview channel 79, Sky Digital channel 869, NTL channel 867, Telewest channel 912 and via the internet at bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork. 

It is also available on medium wave in parts of the Midlands.

[ News Source: www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice - 28th November 2006 ]

Toyah plays the ‘wild child’ of her family. Born to Irish Catholic parents Siobhan Brady became a single mother at the age of 20, giving birth to a brown-skinned boy. The local community was shocked and Siobhan ran off leaving her son to be brought up by his grandmother. But did she simply abandon him, or was she driven out? Siobhan’s return will reveal the truth.

Siobhan’s best friend Rita has missed her old school friend in the years she has been gone, often putting Siobhan on a pedestal for leading an exciting life of freedom while she stayed in Silver Street to bring up her four children. Being with Siobhan always made Rita feel excited, however this came at a price. 

After Rita introduced Siobhan to her brother Jai, Siobhan’s reckless behaviour got worse when he introduced her to drugs. 

Now Siobhan returns to Silver Street seemingly happy with a new partner and another young child. The question remains whether reacquainting with her the old Silver Street gang will force Siobhan back into her own ways? Was it better to let sleeping dogs lie? And how will Sean feel about his mother’s return and his new sister?

You can hear Toyah make her Soap Star debut on The BBC Asian Network on 1st December 2006 at 1.30pm

[ News Source: www.sleeptalk.com - 15th November 2006