Toyah guested on Grant Stott’s Vinyl Collective last Friday on BBC Radio Scotland… Choosing her favourite vinyl, along with plays of I Want To Be Free, It’s A Mystery and some classic retro tracks. Listen for the next few weeks at BBC Sounds.
Grant uttered the classic chant…”Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!” after playing I Want To Be Free and advising listeners Toyah would be appearing on Side Two of his show.
This week on Grant Stott’s Vinyl Collective, Toyah Willcox, the acclaimed British singer-songwriter, actress, and author, shares her favourite vinyl record.
Grant will have an all-female Punk/New Wave Trailblazers ‘Double’ on Side 2 of the show, plus, a countdown of the top 10 albums this week in 1983. He’ll also have another cracking Into The Groove 12” and a Magnificent 7″
All that, plus music from Blondie, Kraftwerk, Yazoo, Daft Punk, The Silencers, Larry Carlton and more..
Toyah’s Wonderful World Of Weird Mrs. Charleston’s Balcony An original short story
Written & read by Toyah Willcox
A brand new short story – the tenth – written by and narrated by Toyah!
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Wonderful World of Weird returns with a typically wonderful Toyah tale.
“I have always loved short stories, they can inhabit any world from suburbia to the fantastic. When time is short and long distances need to be travelled, the short story has taken me to places i willingly want to go to. So whether you have five minutes to spare, or you want to escape for a while…join me and my love of the unpredictable. Welcome to Toyah’s Wonderful World of Weird…”
2026 marks the 50th year of Toyah’s career! Her very first professional job, playing the role of Sue in the BBC’s “Second City First” television play, Glitter, aired in November 1976 – having been filmed in 1975.
I’m celebrating this awesome landmark via cherry picked moments from Toyah’s 50 years as an artist: Singer, Songwriter, Actor, Writer, Storyteller… This also means I can simultaneously revisit past work from 26+ years of Dreamscape too.
Desire, Toyah’s sophomore solo album, was released in 1987 on E’G Records and was a real departure for her musically, lyrically, sonically… It’s recently been released on deluxe, expanded, 2CD and vinyl picture disc. It was also an important part of Toyah’s first ever box set, Toyah Solo, released in 2020.
• Please click below to dive in, be rescued, or maybe just have a read of Dreamscape’s Desire feature from January 2012… and stay tuned for more #Toyah50 celebrating.
Official Toyah wished, the absolutely legendary, Bird In Flight a Happy 46th last week with a selection of related photos, including this one which features the shot of Toyah used in, blurry desaturated, close-up on the single’s sleeve when it was released in February 1980 on Safari Records. See here and here, and also last weekend’s Saturday Song…
Toyah’s latest blog – the second of 2026 – is available to read at toyahwillcox.com. Including exciting news on a potential new album – working title Secret World – but the idea of a track/single released each month sounds equally appealing! Toyah also pays tribute to, wonderful, Catherine O’Hara, who the world lost last week.
Toyah plays Rewind Dubai 2026 this Saturday – Watch a video of Toyah, talking about her music/songs and how this relates to playing these festivals, here. Other dates recently announced include Rewind 2026 at Henley in August, and Blackpool 80s Weekender in September. Update: See Toyah’s video from Dubai here.
• See all of Toyah’s confirmed live dates and tours for 2026, including Songs & Stories (March to June) and Toyah’s Christmas Party (December) at toyahwillcox.com.
It’s the first Toyah at Home of 2026 with an update on what Toyah has been up to and what’s coming up. Plus an unseen concert track in honour of the 45th anniversary of the Four From Toyah EP.
Quadrophenia: Sky Cinema Greats: Wednesday 18th February: 4.50am
The Who wrote and produced this energetic story of a young man disillusioned with his life in 1960s London. Phil Daniels excels as the alienated anti-hero Jimmy Cooper. Director: Franc Roddam. Starring: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Willcox, Philip Davis, Mark Wingett, Sting, and Ray Winstone.
Toyah announces 45th anniversary reissue of EP ‘Four From Toyah’
It will be released on digital/streaming platforms
Toyah Willcox is still releasing music, with her greatest hits album ‘Chameleon: The Very Best Of Toyah’ arriving in 2025, with a huge tour planned for 2026, but she started releasing music more than four decades ago. The singer was known, along with her band, for songs like ‘It’s a Mystery’, and it has now been announced that Toyah is set to re-release the EP ‘Four From Toyah’ to celebrate it’s 45th anniversary.
Announcing the news on social media, Toyah’s official account shared several images, including an original press release promoting the EP, along with photos of Toyah from the early 80s.
To mark the EP’s 45 anniversary, on Friday 30 January 2026, Four From Toyah is released on digital/streaming platforms with its original artwork. The expanded 8-track EP released in 2021 will also appear on digital platforms.
NB. See Toyah’s Facebook and Instagram for Four From Toyah archive deep dives…
The High Priestess of Punk is set to visit South Devon in March
After acting, presenting, performing, headlining tours, and releasing 23 studio albums continued her unique story and now it’s time for Toyah to reflect.
With a new book in the offing, Toyah is hitting the road for an extensive UK tour in which she’ll sing favourite hits and tell stories from her remarkable career.
Her role in Quadrophenia made her a household name and soon after she gate-crashed the charts with It’s A Mystery, I Want To Be Free, and Thunder In The Mountains, as the album, Anthem, earned a gold disc, and BRIT Award Best Female as well as a BRIT Nomination for British Breakthrough Act.
Minder: That’s TV: Thursday 29th January: 3.05pm Minder: ITV4: Monday 2nd February: 5.55pm Minder: ITV4: Sunday 8th February: 1.30am All Mod Cons. Series 2, Episode 8. Terry tries to help his friend Kate evict some unwanted tenants, but comes to doubt her motives. Meanwhile, Arthur is desperate to get into the property market and tries to sell Terry’s flat without telling him. Guest starring Toyah Willcox and Simon Cadell. Director: Ian Sharp. Also starring: George Cole, Dennis Waterman, Peter Childs, George Layton, Patrick Malahide, Michael Troughton.
Carol Decker’s 30 Rock Chicks!: NOW Rock: Friday 30th January: 9am
T’Pau’s Carol Decker brings a bit of Heart and Soul to a countdown of ’80s ladies who like to rock! With Joan Jett, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks and Pat Benatar. (as well as Toyah via the Thunder In The Mountains video).
Favourite Singers With Nick Heyward: NOW 80s: Thursday 29th January: 11pm
Mr Favourite Shirts is back on NOW 80s – this time he selects his Favourite Singers! Including some who influenced him the most such as David Byrne & XTC’s Andy Partridge.
Most Shocking Celebrity Moments: 5: Saturday 31st January: 10pm Series 1, Episode 4. Pop. Tamzin Outhwaite narrates a selection of memorable incidents involving musicians, including Zayn Malik leaving One Direction and Robbie Williams rejoining Take That. There are lessons in etiquette from Grace Jones, the scoop on Beyonce’s sister Solange taking on Jay-Z and the British singing legend who was one of the first to take on the Apartheid regime. With insight from Toyah Willcox, Rick Wakeman, Bez, Dan Hipgrave, Harvey, Jay Aston, Carrie and David Grant and Linda Lewis, with comments from Ralf Little, Matt Richardson, Katie Puckrik, Pat Sharp and Robert Elms.
Celebrity Fantasy Homes: Really: Monday 2nd February: 6am Toyah (Series 2, Episode 2). Celebrities hunt for a new home. Gaby Roslin helps the original punk-pop princess Toyah Willcox search for a second home, in Richmond upon Thames, with a budget of £650,000.
Toyah guested on Grant Stott’s Vinyl Collective last Friday on BBC Radio Scotland… Choosing her favourite vinyl, along with plays of I Want To Be Free, It’s A Mystery and some classic retro tracks. Listen for the next few weeks at BBC Sounds.
