Narrated by Rob Brydon and featuring interviews with Jon Culshaw, Meera Syal, Paul Kaye, Michael Barrymore and the Jackass team this is promises to be the funniest 100 Greatest ever made. Toyah dons her "talking head" to chat about I'm A Celebrity... Jordan, Eurovision, The Grand Knockout Tournament, and more...

Don't forget you can also catch Toyah in The Most Fertile Man In Ireland tonight on Sky Movies 5 at 11.45pm.

Also appearing frequently was Toyah, although, as a native Brummie, that could be expected. Moving back to the subject, Toyah's videos were spectacular mini-epics in their day, and it was no surprise to see them in regular rotation across TV shows other than Tiswas.

NB: A Tiswas DVD was released late last year, though I'm not sure if any of Toyah's Tiswas appearances are included on it.

[ Source: www.tiswasonline.com ]

"Confidence is sexy no matter how old you are. If I tried to deny my age, I'd have lots to worry about, but seeing that I don't want a toy boy, I can let it all hang out" - Pop Icon, Toyah Willcox, 47.

[ Source: News & Star - 24th April 2006 ]

[ Please click on the screenshots to visit the 'Blogger' homepage ]

There are quick and less-than-quick answers to the question: "What Is Slow Music?"

One quick answer is that Slow Music is an opportunity for six pretty good and very experienced musicians to play and improvise together while experimenting/working within a specific context.

One longer answer is… 

The idea for Slow Music initially grew out of imagining a kind of music I might like to hear: long-form live improvisations working with ambient/textural/environmental ideas.

I described this to Robert Fripp and his wife Toyah Willcox while visiting on a day off during last year's R.E.M. tour. As it turned out, Toyah was quite keen on the idea and her enthusiasm helped move things forward.

[ Source: www.thrasherpresents.com ]

• Go Here... for some superb screen captures from the ATV documentary TOYAH.

• Rocky Horror Tribute: Brief Update: Special guest performers will now include Gary Amers, Michael Ball, Adrian Edmonson, Joanne Farrell, Stephen Gateley, Anthony Head, Little Nell, Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Ben Richards, Kraig Thornbur and Toyah Willcox. Special guest narrators will include Tony Slattery, Steve Pemberton, Jamie Theakston, Rayner Bourton and Richard O'Brien. 

[ Many thanks to Paul Lomas ]

Shameful Secrets Of The 90s : Sky Three - Sunday 30th April : 9.00pm
Shameful Secrets Of The 90s : Sky Three - Tuesday 2nd May : 1.00am
We dissect the decade that gave us Tory sleaze, Millennium bug panic, ladettes and alcopops, blasting the myths and the nostalgia to reveal what was really going on. (Toyah might appear on this as she has guested on the 70s and 80s shows).

You can still listen to the 10 minute chat by clicking on the picture.

The wrinkle-free Toyah Willcox chattd to David Jensen about her recent face-lift. She has written a book about her experiences called 'Diary of a Face-Lift'. 

Toyah talks about her insight into having a facelift as well as lifting the lid on the beauty industry's tactics for eternal youth. She talks about the difficulties that women aged 30 - 50 have in certain industries have getting jobs (eg actresses, singers etc)

Toyah tells us that she knew, at the age of 20, that she would have a facelift, but she was so shocked by seeing videos of herself on 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here', that she decided that she had to go through with the procedure so that she can grow old more gracefully. 

Two of this year’s Whatsonstage.com Award winners, Michael Ball (Best Takeover in a Role for The Woman in White) and Anthony Head (Best Supporting Actor for Otherwise Engaged), will share the role of Dr Frank-N-Furter, “the sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania”, in a special one-off tribute performance of Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show at the Royal Court next Wednesday 3 May 2006. 

Rocky Horror premiered at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in 1973 and later spawned the 1975 cult film (starring Susan Sarandon, Tim Curry and Meatloaf) as well as countless revivals and an ongoing UK touring production. The score includes "Sweet Transvestite," "Damn It Janet" and "Time Warp". 

In a recent poll conducted by the Royal Court, Rocky Horror was voted the most enjoyed piece of theatre presented at the theatre over the past five decades. To mark the occasion, as part of the theatre’s year-long 50th anniversary celebrations, the star-studded tribute performance will be staged for one night only in the Theatre Downstairs. 

Most of the key roles will, like Frank-N-Furter, be shared. Joining Ball and Head on stage will be Stephen Gately and Adrian Edmonson (jointly playing Brad) and Joanne Farrell and Sophie Lawrence (jointly playing Janet) as well as Toyah Willcox, Noel Campbell, Gary Amers and Patricia Quinn. Guest narrators will include Jamie Theakston, League of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton, Tony Slattery, Christopher Biggins and Rocky Horror creator Richard O'Brien, who was inspired to write the musical by his childhood love of schlock sci-fi films. 

Tickets for the Rocky Horror tribute performance are priced at £50, £100, £200 and £350, with all proceeds donated to the Royal Court and Amnesty International. 

[ News Source: www.whatsonstage.com - 26th April 2006 ]

The Rocky Horror Show returns to the Royal Court Theatre on Wednesday 3 May 2006 for an exclusive tribute performance in aid of Amnesty International UK and the Royal Court Theatre.

The unique one-off production - which revives the original play as performed at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs 33 years ago - features original cast members with special guest performers including Ade Edmonson, Anthony Head, Richard O'Brien, Toyah Willcox, Nell Campbell, Ben Richards and Patricia Quinn. 

The show is narrated by Jamie Theakston and The League of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton. For this occasion Richard O'Brien, writer and creator of the original show, has re-written a number of the original characters’ roles.

Richard O'Brien said: "There couldn’t be a better cause for Rocky Horror to support than Amnesty, which continues to defend free expression and stand up for people’s rights all over the world. We need Amnesty International and Amnesty International needs us."

In a recent poll conducted by the Royal Court, The Rocky Horror Show was overwhelmingly voted the Royal Court audience’s favourite play over the past 50 years.

Limited tickets are available from the Royal Court Theatre Box office priced at £50, £100, £200 and £350. Call 020 7565 5000 or go to www.royalcourttheatre.com

[ News Source: Amnesty Internation News Release - 26th April 2006 ]

[ Source: www.toyahwillcox.com - Official e-flyer ]

I haven't had a look at the magazine as yet but, apparently, Toyah is included in a three-page feature. This is possibly the article Toyah mentioned in her March 2006 Webletter:

"At the end of last month I did a ‘sex survey for middle aged women,’ with Dr. Miriam Stoppard and Helen Lederer and I suspect none of it is printable. It’s for Women’s Own and the Daily Mirror around the 15th April."

More info, and hopefully scans, soon.

Shameful Secrets Of The 80s : Sky Three - Tuesday 25th April : 1.00am
Nouvelle cuisine, mobile phones, big hair, Sodastream, Maggie Thatcher...this is the story of what was really going on in the decade that taste forgot.
Shameful Secrets Of The 90s : Sky Three - Sunday 30th April : 9.00pm
Shameful Secrets Of The 90s : Sky Three - Tuesday 2nd May : 1.00am
We dissect the decade that gave us Tory sleaze, Millennium bug panic, ladettes and alcopops, blasting the myths and the nostalgia to reveal what was really going on.

She was at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London on Friday (21st April) for the launch.

The global launch sees British designers join Russian fashionistas to celebrate in a fashion forum aiming to introduce up-and-coming Russian talent to UK and Western European markets.

A whole host of fashion "names" were in attendance at the event.

The Reading Hexagon Theatre (mentioned below) are available through the Reading Arts website, and the Newcastle City Hall through www.ticketline.co.uk

Special guest performers now confirmed are: Richard O'Brien, Adrian Edmondson, Anthony Head, Little Nell and Toyah Willcox. Special guest narrators: Steve Pemberton and Jamie Theakston.

The site, in association with the Royal Court Theatre and those very nice people at Rocky Horror Co., are running a competition to win tickets for the show. The competition has been extended until Midnight on Monday 24th April. Please click on the screenshots for further information on how to win one of the 21 tickets up for grabs!

The Rocky Horror Show won. Resulting in a Gala performance of The Rocky Horror Show, at the Royal Court Theatre itself, on Wednesday 3rd May 2006 at 8pm.

Tickets are being sold at a premium, with proceeds being donated to Amnesty International and the Royal Court. Only 350 tickets have been made available.

Richard O'Brien has especially re-written the part of the narrator, and will be performing on the evening. The show will be a concert performance, performed by some original cast members, high profile performers and celebrities.

She first became well-known during the punk rock era, her appearances in Derek Jarman's 1977 film Jubilee and 1979's Who album-inspired Quadrophenia, launching her as a provocative and anti-establishment figure, an image which she eventually threw off. Her singing career took off shortly afterwards, with hits such as "I Want To Be Free" and "It's A Mystery". In 1983, she was voted Best Female Singer at the British Rock and Pop Awards — since restyled as The Brit Awards, or "Brits" — and in 1986 she married avant-garde musician, Robert Fripp. She was one of the first acts to score regularly in the UK Singles Chart with EPs.

[ Source: www.wikipedia.org ]

Popular music is arguably the most important art form of the last 50 years. Since rock and roll erupted in the early 1950s, helping to create a new phenomenon - teenage culture, pop has defined the following decades. 

Styles of popular music are closely associated with places: Memphis, Chicago, Nashville, Detroit, Liverpool, Manchester. No one would suggest that Barnet can rival these, but nevertheless the area has played its part in pop music’s story. Lots of significant musicians grew up in the borough and many others have lived here at various times. Some are even buried here! 

[ Please click on the screenshot for further information ]

Amnesty International is delighted to support a tribute performance of The Rocky Horror Show at The Royal Court Theatre, London.

Proceeds of the evening will be donated to Amnesty International and the Royal Court Theatre.

The Rocky Horror show opened at the Royal Court 33 years ago and, in a recent poll, was voted to be the most enjoyed production that has been presented at theatre over the past 50 years.

Cast: This will be a charity performance featuring original cast members and special guest performers.

Performing: Anthony Head, Ade Edmonson, Toyah Willcox, Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, Ben Richards. Narrating:, Jamie Theakston & Steve Pemberton. 

Tickets are £350, £200, £100 and £50. You can book online by credit or debit card at the Royal Court Theatre website. 

Alternatively, please telephone the theatre box office on 020 7565 5000.

Toyah has been appearing at the shows, held at The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, for the past few years.

The Marlowe show has been and gone, and what an absolutely fabulous night was had by all, the show featured many acts, there were also many presenters from local radio and television present and a whole host of local childrens entertainers who entertained the crowds on the way into the theatre.

On behalf of the charity Thank You Thank You Thank you to everyone who took part in the show and of course to all of you who supported it.

Please click on the picture to visit the 'Happy Holidays'/Dave Lee website.

[ Thanks to Katy McAleese ]

A few dates have been revised and the confirmed schedule is now available. See above for the full list or leap on over to www.toyahwillcox.com.

The website also refers to the tour title as "Hitmakers". Whether this will be the actual title remains to be seen. There's also a new collage featuring Toyah, Martin Fry and Howard.

The Hexagon: Hitmakers
Thu 9 Nov 2006 8pm

Featuring the groundbreaking 80's acts:
Martin Fry and ABC: From their amazing debut 'The Lexicon Of Love', in 1982 with its lush brass constructions, shivers of strings and Trevor Horn's epic production, ABC have continued to make perfect timeless pop.
Howard Jones: A founder of early '80s synth-pop, which was as easy to sing to as it was to dance to. Hits include Things Can Only Get Better, No One Is To Blame, What Is Love? and New Song.
Toyah Willcox: Toyah has had a highly successful and diverse career with major hit records and many prestigious stage and screen roles to her credit, which has made her one of Britain's biggest household names.

[ Source: www.readingarts.com ]

Killing Made Easy 
CD single CATCD01
1. Killing Made Easy 
2. Killing Made Easy (a shot in the dark mix) 
3. Killing Made Easy (lime pickle mix) 

Written by Stranger/Limb/Bartram 
Toyah Willcox: verbals 
The Elusive Stranger: percussion 
Chris Limb: bass, computer, vocals 
Rob Bartram: guitar, vocals 

Also available from Family Of Noise is the, completely free of charge, downloadable mp3 single 'Responsible'. The track written and realised in Brighton 2004 by Chris Limb. © 2004 Catmachine Music

To buy the 'Killing Made Easy' CD please click on the CD picture for full info and payment details. To download 'Responsible' click on that cover.

In a few weeks renowned performers from all over the world head to East Anglia for two of the region's most prestigious arts events.

The Bury St Edmunds Festival began as a Weekend of Words and Music. Now events span more than two weeks and the programme boasts dozens of concerts. 

Like the King's Lynn Festival and Festival Too, which is held in July, the Bury St Edmunds Festival has a 'pop' element in the shape of the Greene King Festival. On the final weekend three concerts are being held in Abbey Gardens. Friday, May 26 is a 1970s' night with tribute bands playing glam and disco hits. The following night Toyah will headline a night of 1980s' nostalgia, including tributes to Blondie, Wham! and Duran Duran.

To read the full article please click on the screenshot.

[ Source: www.edp24.co.uk ]

Toyah Albums Last Chance Offer -  Check These Albums Out Currently Reduced From £8.99 But... This Is The Last Week At These Low Low Prices - Order Yours Now!!

'Warrior Rock', 'Love Is The Law' and 'Minx' (with the wrong cover) are included in the promotion..

• Toyah was mentioned the other night, during a question, on late-night quiz debacle The Mint on through the wee small hours ITV1.

• Both the downloads (see below), the 'Net Talk'/'Spiritual Tides' interview and Woman's Hour/'Living Out Loud' interview will only be available for a limited time. If you want to keep these please download them soon. Left click to listen to them via your browswer. Right click to save to your hard drive.

Last night's show is repeated early Tuesday morning. Shameful Secrets Of The 80s and The 90s will follow next Sunday and the week after. Not sure if Toyah will guest on either of these editions. The dates and transmission times are as follows:

Shameful Secrets Of The 70s : Sky Three - Tuesday 18th April : 1.50am
We expose the truth behind the nostalgia. England went from World Cup heroes to non-qualifiers, Gary Glitter was popular and it was hello Big Mac, hello Fat Britain.
Shameful Secrets Of The 80s : Sky Three - Sunday 23rd April : 9.00pm
Shameful Secrets Of The 80s : Sky Three - Tuesday 25th April : 1.00am
Nouvelle cuisine, mobile phones, big hair, Sodastream, Maggie Thatcher...this is the story of what was really going on in the decade that taste forgot.
Shameful Secrets Of The 90s : Sky Three - Sunday 30th April : 9.00pm
Shameful Secrets Of The 90s : Sky Three - Tuesday 2nd May : 1.00am
We dissect the decade that gave us Tory sleaze, Millennium bug panic, ladettes and alcopops, blasting the myths and the nostalgia to reveal what was really going on.

I've just bought a new MP3 converter so I'm hoping to sporadically add some, interesting, downloads over the coming months, including something kinda special in May to celebrate Toyah's 48th birthday...

[ Running Time: 10.36 minutes / File Size: 14.1mb - Click on the image to download ]

[ Keep an eye on the website for updates: www.nowthatsweird.co.uk ]

Thanks to Ross Hemsworth, who interviewed Toyah, and provided the file. Ross hosts Now That's Weird (mentioned during the interview) on 'Net Talk' every Friday night, 9pm till Midnight - Click on the banner below for further information.

[ Running Time: 12.43 minutes / File Size: 10mb - Click on the image to download ]

[ Thanks to Kevin Young ]

[ Thanks to Chris Cox for the picture ]

Still, here's some groovy screen caps, of Toyah sporting a variation of the look best known from the cover of her 'Four More From Toyah' EP, from the programme.

"I use astrology to get a feel, a kind of motive about the day. Often something happens when I think, "This isn’t me, this is external" and I can usually find the answer by studying the phases of the moon or using one of the astrologers I trust. I will read what they are saying about the influences that are occurring at the time, and then I’ll know that what is happening is not to do with me but rather outside influences. 

I use astrology to help judge of character and I think that the twelve star signs are very good building blocks onto basic types of people. For example, say I was working with a Piscean, I just know that they’ll never make a decision. I mean that is a sweeping generalization, but I find it very valuable to know. 

Psychologists I have met passionately disagreed that astrology has any scientific proof of working. I disagree with that. They can’t believe in anything outside scientific proof, but for me belief makes something happen. The basic fact that material that we’re made up from comes from the stars. Everything is influenced by the movement of the magnetic fields around us, and this is why I think astrology works." Toyah, 2001

[ Source: www. open2.net ]

"There are times onstage when you feel like a time traveller who has just arrived on the scene and you think to yourself 'where am I and what is my role in this song?' Then there are times when you feel as though the songs are the very breath from your lungs, there to keep you alive. This concert was the latter, the audiences were our oxygen. It was a special night and no different in the fact that I would never take any concert for granted and that I would never walk away from the stage without analyzing and wanting to go back and do it all again. The gig was live and raw and wild in essence..." Toyah, 2005

[ Thanks to Alan @ www.toyahwillcox.com ]

The Original Soundtrack CD was issued on 17th October 1989 [A&M Records (USA)] with the original double vinyl squeezed onto a single CD. Unfortunately three tracks were cut, one of which was 'Danced'!

1. Driven to Tears - The Police 
2. Back in Flesh - Wall of Voodoo 
3. Enola Gay - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark 
4. Ain't This the Life - Oingo Boingo 
5. Respectable Street - XTC 
6. We Got the Beat - The Go-Go's 
7. Total Eclipse - Klaus Nomi 
8. Foolish I Know - Jools Holland 
9. Ku Klux Klan - Steel Pulse 
10. Uncontrollable Urge - Devo 
11. Puppet - Echo & the Bunnymen 
12. Tear It Up - The Cramps 
13. Bad Reputation - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts 
14. Birdies - Pere Ubu 
15. Down in the Park - Gary Numan 
16. Shadow Line - The Fleshtones 
17. He'd Send in the Army - Gang of Four 
18. Homicide - 999 
19. Beyond and Back - X 
20. Model Worker - Magazine 
21. Sign of the Cross - Skafish 

Hopefully one day this will be released in its full.

[ Thanks to Heath Malcolm ]

80's Night - Saturday May 27 @ 7.30pm 
Event sponsored by Moreton Hall Press 

Three bands are featured for what promises to be another great party night. Bleach, the ultimate tribute to Blondie, will be followed by Wham/Duran and then to finish the evening Toyah and her band will take the stage. 

Ticket price per person: £15, £8 under 12's 
Increases to £17.00 & £9.50 from 13th May, inc. reservations 

Highlights include: A Bury St Edmunds Township Choir of up to 300 local school children and adults performing South African songs on stage with township jazz band Mbawulu for the Opening Night Celebrations in the Abbey Gardens. 

The Budapest Symphony Orchestra making a welcome return with conductor Tamas Vasary, plus a UK premiere from Britten Sinfonia. Guitarist John Williams, jazz singer Clare Teal and 80s star Toyah Willcox among a host of big names, with the popular Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain expected to attract fans from across the country. 

The chance to dress up and party outdoors in the lovely Abbey Gardens for a 70s night with The Glambusters and The Funking Barstewards, an 80s night featuring Toyah with tribute bands Bleach and Wham Duran, or join the stars from West End show Rat Pack as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Junior for a big band Festival Finale. 

Festival brochures will be widely available from late February and can be ordered on the Festival hotline on 01284 757099, or visit the Festival website at www.buryfestival.co.uk for details of all the events.

[ Thanks to Dean Beadle ]

It does, however, highlight the lasting interest in Urgh! Over the years there have been various campaigns to have the movie issued on CD/DVD. Hopefully someday this will be reissued in all its glory. Toyah features on this with a fantastic live version of 'Danced'.

Urgh! released in August 1981, featured the most cutting edge New Wave artists of the day with artists such as Wall of Voodoo, The Cramps, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Police, Toyah, Go-Go's, Gary Numan, Pere Ubu and Gang of Four in the 20+ track album. The recordings were made in August and September of 1980, over a five-week period from concerts spanning from Los Angeles to Paris. There was also video recorded at the same time, but it was not released until a later date. 

Featuring all the latest, directly from Toyah.

This will be available to read @ the Official website over the next couple of days. 

[ News Source: www.toyahwillcox.com - e-news ]

Euro Weekly news
Health & Beauty
Surgeon and the sun boom

Celebrities have brought cosmetic surgery to the notice of the public and more people are now willing to spend their life-savings on an appearance enhancing procedure.

Hollywood babe and Baywatch star, Pamela Anderson, admits to a boob job. Model and Page Three favourite Jordan is set to undergo a fifth breast operation, while the X-Factor’s Sharon Osbourne is reported to have spent 500,000 euros on a succession of cosmetic operations. She also paid for her rocker husband, Ozzy, to have a facelift and nose job. She said: “You are always searching for something – that’s what started the surgery. It becomes addictive.”

Hollywood superstar, Michael Douglas, admits to the odd face-lift, while the recipients of botox reads like a showbiz who´s who. TV presenter Toyah Willcox has even written a book, called Diary of a Facelift, about her experience.

[ News Source: www.euroweeklynews.com - April 2006 ]

I know quite a few people missed the interview at the time. Hopefully this will happen and anyone who missed it will be able to tune in. 

Toyah is pictured at Jacky's Offiial website:

8th March: Jacky with Toyah Willcox:
"I met for a gossip today with 'Get me out of here..' star Toyah Willcox. Toyah is a great angel fan too!"

[ Source: www.geocities.com/jackytheangellady ]

Robert goes on to say: "This month she has been, inter alia, rock-gigging with her band, public speaking alongside Patricia Hewitt and writing a film script with Martin Kiszko".

Martin Kiszko is a Bristol-based screenwriter who represented the UK in the Hartley-Merrill screenwriting award scheme at Cannes Film Festival last May.

On 31st March 2006, Martin's A Radius of Curves took place at Clifton Cathedral, Bristol. The audio-visual event celebrated Brunel's Great Western Railway. Martin Kiszko composed the music, which was performed by The Emerald Ensemble and The Exultate Singers, accompanying film footage was of a Great Western Railway journey.

Toyah and Robert attended the premiere of the event that evening.

We all have memories and stories of our first Toyah experience, however Strider, creator of the 'Under The Ivy' weblog had a more interesting-than-most introduction to the wonder that is Willcox.

Please click on the screenshot to read all about it over at his weblog.

[ Source : Under The Ivy - Striders Dwelling - April 2006 ]

The Aphrodisiac Test : Channel Five - Friday 14th April : 00.00
Documentary in which three couples with problems with their sex lives put a series of aphrodisiacs to the test. Experts and celebrity pundits, including Carol Smillie and Toyah Willcox, discuss their feelings about 'foods of love'.

House Doctor: We Love You : UKTV Style - Sunday 16th April : 5.00pm
House Doctor: We Love You : UKTV Style Plus 1 - Sunday 16th April : 6.00pm
A nostalgic look back at sassy blonde Ann Maurice's seven year reign on the popular property makeover programme, featuring celebrities, past contributors, property experts and die hard fans, with funny clips and out-takes.

Shoestring [Find The Lady] : UKTV Drama - Monday 17th April : 3.40am
A missing beauty queen, a crazed punk guitarist. an unscrupulous businessman, a distraught punk singer. Eddie, scruffy but unruffled, comes up against an elaborate web of lies and intrigue, drugs and death. Featuring Trevor Eve, Christopher Biggins, Gary Holton and Toyah Willcox.

Never Mind The Buzzcocks : UKTV G2 - Thursday 20th April : 9.00pm
Never Mind The Buzzcocks : UKTV G2 Plus 1 - Thursday 20th April : 10.00pm
Comedy pop quiz hosted by Mark Lamarr, with team captains Phill Jupitus and Bill Bailey. Guests include Steps survivor Lisa Scott Lee, 80's survivor Toyah Willcox and rockers Larry Hibbitt from 100 Reasons and Nick Atkinson from Rooster.

The Most Fertile Man In Ireland : Sky Movies 5 - Saturday 29th April : 11.45pm
Bedded by his town's good-time girl, Eamonn quickly acquires a reputation as a man who can make babies. While both sides of Belfast struggle with their sperm-counts, the lucky man becomes the hot property of both Catholics and Protestants. Crown jewel comedy. Director: Dudi Appleton. Starring: Kris Marshall, Kathy Kiera Clarke, Bronagh Gallagher, James Nesbitt, Kenneth Cranham, Toyah Willcox and Olivia Nash. 

Never Mind The Buzzcocks : UKTV G2 - Thursday 20th April : 9.00pm
Never Mind The Buzzcocks : UKTV G2 Plus 1 - Thursday 20th April : 10.00pm
Comedy pop quiz hosted by Mark Lamarr, with team captains Phill Jupitus and Bill Bailey. Guests include Steps survivor Lisa Scott Lee, 80's survivor Toyah Willcox and rockers Larry Hibbitt from 100 Reasons and Nick Atkinson from Rooster.

[ Today's the day we open our gate...! It was, actually, a few years ago, but you know what I meant ;o) Please pay a vist and get involved!]

[ Thanks to Garry Lambie for the pictures ]

Last night's show was about domestic appliances, the home, etc, with Toyah commenting briefly.

"Mum, when she got married did what every woman did back then, she left employment and became a mother and a full time House Wife. So we had three meals a day, cooked meals.

She was always preparing meat and vegetables. I can remember her preparing Ox tongue and you know, if I had to do anything like that today I’d just pass out."

[ Thanks to Andi Westhorpe ]

Whether this means entirely or just that ABC aren't playing these dates isn't clear as yet.

I've checked the websites for both of these venues, as well as all the other venues. The tour isn't included in any of their 'What's On' listings as yet.

[ News Source: www.abcmartinfry.com ]

[ Please see News below (Saturday 1st April) for Toyah's other April TV info ]

[ Click here for No. 33: Rug & No. 69: Standard Lamp or here for No. 3: Target Practice & No. 51: Gate Pillow - Only another 97 to go... ;o) - Thanks to Merx ]

[ Thanks to Craig Watkins for the pics ]

Now, latest comparison is with those hip young thangs, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs:

In at Number 18 this week (technically rising from a non-canon Number 80 placing last week) are the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with the first single from their much-anticipated new album. The New Yorkers best run of hits came back in 2003 when the album 'Fever To Tell' produced three Top 40 hits, the biggest of which being 'Date With The Night' which hit Number 16. New single 'Gold Lion' is ever bit as good as you would expect, their deliciously retro sound still sounding as fresh as ever. Karen O's voice moves ever closer to that of 80s new wave legend Toyah, which is actually no bad thing. They will maybe be frustrated to not have had a bigger hit with 'Gold Lion' but its availability as an e-single and that fact that the US version of parent album 'Show Your Bones' is already online suggests that most dedicated fans will have snapped up the track well before it became eligible for the chart.

[ News Source: UK Launch: Chart Commentary by James Masterton: 27th March 2006 - Thanks to David Morgan - aka MartianCowboy @ Dreamscape's Forum ]

Diamond Geezer is currently citing the song as one of the best in the Top Ten of March 1981 in his 'Silver Discs' section:

Silver discs (March 1981): A monthly look back at the top singles of 25 years ago

Something highly prophetic happened on Top of the Pops in mid-March 1981. A technicians' strike (or something similar) meant that no live acts could appear, and the whole show featured nothing but new-fangled pop videos from end to end. I'd never seen anything like it. How times change.

The three best records from the Top 10 (17th March 1981):
Kim Wilde - Kids In America: She was only 19 at the time - no longer a kid, and had never even been to America. But we didn't care, we loved the record, and we loved Kim. As the daughter of 60s rocker Marty Wilde music was in her blood, which did at least mean she could sing. This, her debut record, sounded both angry and glamorous (but in a very approachable Home Counties style). Kim's reinvented herself recently, flogging cod liver oil for Holland & Barrett and standing knee-deep in manure on daytime gardening programmes, whilst still somehow keeping her credibility. She may have moved on, but they played Kids In America on daytime Radio 1 last month and to my ears it still sounded just as fresh and sparkling and lovely as ever (although sandwiching it between two R&B dirges probably helped). "Outside a new day is dawning, outside suburbia's sprawling everywhere, I don't want to go baby. New York to East California, there's a new wave coming I warn you."

Toyah - It's A Mystery: At the opposite end of the pin-up scale to pouting Kim came post-punk Toyah. Across the country copycat girls tried to tease their hair into extreme shades of red and daubed their faces with suburban warpaint. Leaping into the chart for the first time, perhaps more through hard graft than pure musical talent, Ms Willcox offered us her 'Four From Toyah' EP in the hope that we might like one of them. Thankfully we did, and an endearing pop (and acting) career followed. And she's still going strong, as anyone at (ahem) Butlins in Minehead or Skegness last weekend can testify. "It's a mystery, oh it's a mystery, I'm still searching for a clue, It's a mystery to me. A shot in the dark, the big question mark in history - is it a mystery to you?"

Teardrop Explodes - Reward: Bang! This song punched you in the face with its perky brass opening, then hurtled onward without pausing for breath. Three minutes of uplifting joy from the pen of musical maestro Julian Cope, although none of his later musical masterpieces managed to reach the same giddy chart heights. One of my schoolfriends was absolutely convinced that this song kiched off with the lyrics "Bless my cotton socks I'm in the nude". I hate to disappoint him, but... "Bless my cotton socks I’m in the news, The king sits on his face but it's all assumed. All wrapped up the same, All wrapped up the same. They can’t have it, you can’t have it, I can’t have it too until I learn to accept my reward"

[ Source: www.diamondgeezer.blogspot.com ]

[ Thanks to Paul Lomas ]

So, I think I'm that one person in the United States who was predestined to become a Toyah Willcox fan. You know there's one person in every country who latches onto that obscure English celebrity that nobody else in that country has ever heard of. I'm that person for Toyah Willcox in the United States. Who is Toyah? And, how did I become her one U.S. fan?...

...stay tuned for next time when you find out what happens next in "Josh's Adventures in Being the Only American Toyah fan."

Please click on the screenshot to read the full message @ snooterbooter. And if anyone is in the US please let Joshua know he isn't alone!

The programme in the Theatre Royal includes:

Toyah Willcox as Cruella de Vil in the Royal Company's The Hundred and One Dalmatians from July 25th to 29th.

[ News Source: British Theatre Guide - March 2006 ]

This DVD, with striking red artwork featuring Jordan, was released in Korea only (Region 6).

The extras include the following:

• About Director
• Filmography
• Photo Gallery
• Trailer 

Jubilee was already available in Europe (Region 2, 2001), Japan (also Region 2, 2001, square case) and US/Canada (Region 1, 2003).

The US/Canada DVD released on the Criterion Collection label is the superior version with a plethora of extra features included, and excellent artwork/packaging.

[ Many thanks to Sean Polley ]

Don't Watch That, Watch This : BBC2 - Thursday 13th April : 11.20pm
BBC Four on BBC Two: Satirical pastiche using fake footage. In this episode, professional golf, Toyah Willcox, John Humphreys and the American President, make up and Alan Titchmarsh.

The Aphrodisiac Test : Channel Five - Friday 14th April : 00.00
Documentary in which three couples with problems with their sex lives put a series of aphrodisiacs to the test. Experts and celebrity pundits, including Carol Smillie and Toyah Willcox, discuss their feelings about 'foods of love'.

Shoestring [Find The Lady] : UKTV Drama - Sunday 16th April : 7.50am
Shoestring [Find The Lady] : UKTV Drama - Monday 17th April : 3.40am
A missing beauty queen, a crazed punk guitarist. an unscrupulous businessman, a distraught punk singer. Eddie, scruffy but unruffled, comes up against an elaborate web of lies and intrigue, drugs and death. Featuring Trevor Eve, Christopher Biggins, Gary Holton and Toyah Willcox.

[ Thanks to Brian for these great pics ]

• Bob Carlos Clarke's funeral will take place on Thursday 6th April. A memorial service is bring organised for friends and colleagues. The Bob Carlos Clarke Foundation has also been set up. [News Source: www.bobcarlosclarke.com]

I'm sure most Toyah fans will have already visited Dean's website but just thought I'd mention it for anyone who hasn't had a look.

[ www.deanstockings.co.uk ]

But it will not be the star performances and sell-out crowds Nick is anticipating most – as he and his wife Lucy are expecting their first child.

Nick said: "The baby is due a few weeks after the festival finishes, so I hope it will not arrive early.

"I just keep telling Lucy that she cannot have it too soon because I do not want to miss the acts I am excited about."

This year's coming-of-age spectacular is already proving to be a show-stopper, with many acts selling out.

But for Nick, who is organising his sixth festival, the hard work is far from over.

"It is sometimes very manic and it can start to consume you," he said.

"But I do feel really privileged to be able to talk to artists and book acts that I admire. Some people tell me I have their ideal job."

Star guests such as Toyah Willcox, the Brodsky Quartet and John Williams are already proving to be big draws and very few tickets are left for the famous UkuleleOrchestra of Great Britain.

But for Nick, the best part of the festival is seeing one of his babies take on a life of its own.

"When the festival actually starts and you see people having a good time and enjoying the acts, it is just fantastic," he said.

"I will just have to make sure I have my mobile phone on silent in my pocket."

For tickets, call the box office on 01284 769505 or go to www.theatreroyal.org