TOYAH ON
BBC PEBBLE MILL AT ONE
WITH PAUL COIA
29.4.1985

Comes to do the interview from singing "Don't Fall In Love"

TOYAH: I've got my family with me too (means her fans)

PAUL: That was an amazing crowd outside there

TOYAH: It's very good 

PAUL: It's your new single, but of course it marks a return. We haven't seen you singing and dancing for a long long time

TOYAH: 14 weeks

PAUL: You're concentrating on acting. Notably, of course, “The Ivory Tower”, which was a tremendous thing

TOYAH: “The Ebony Tower”

PAUL: Thank you. You're you're so beautiful I just go all … (Toyah laughs) Remind me of the lineup in that drama

TOYAH: There was Sir Lawrence Olivier, or Lord Olivier (below) I think is the correct title. I never got it right. There was Greta Scacchi, Roger Rees played the reporter. He's gorgeous. And then there was me, and really there's only about the four of us in there throughout the whole play

We were stuck in France for two months in this gorgeous chateau, and we had the French aristocracy treat us very well. We dined at big tables with 15 people sitting at one table. It's really beautiful


PAUL: Working with Sir Lawrence Oliver or Lord Olivier as you correctly said - oviously you can learn a lot of acting from him, but does he ever come out and say "teach me how to sing" or something?

TOYAH: He was fascinated with my career as a singer. I learned more from him by his charm. He was totally polite. There was no bad temper ever. Usually with a lot of stars they are a bit temperamental, but he was gorgeous

He used to arrive on the set, and he'd have a little song that he'd practice as he got out the car with the chauffeur. He'd sing this song … I can't repeat what he said. Totally unrepeatable sometimes. But I just think working with people with humor, it's really nice

Katharine Hepburn was like that when I did the film with her ("The Corn Is Green", 1979), great character and so very strong up against men. She's a feminist, but with charm. Lovely, lovely people

PAUL: Your new LP, which is coming out in summer -

TOYAH: It's called "Minx"

PAUL: You have been a bit of a minx in the past. Do you think that maybe you're just now calming down, getting a bit more mature?

TOYAH: Inevitably I'm getting old. I can't wait till I'm 40. I going to be really wicked

PAUL: Are you really?!

TOYAH: Yeah!

PAUL: Can I come and see you? (both laugh)

TOYAH: Well, it's going be a long time till I'm 40

PAUL: But you have arrived back with this new image. How would you describe the new image?

TOYAH: Well, I've just grown up a bit, and I've done all the colored hair and everything, and I didn't want to live in the past. People see me as the kind of punkette of 1981 so I've done all that. There's no point remaining like that

You've got to keep moving on. That's what life's about. So now I've grown up a little bit (laughs) I've tried to - mentally and physically so I'm just portraying my role still as a 26 year old woman


PAUL: But of course, we mentioned films and this image of the punkette. There was a film “Jubilee” you did, which, of course, promoted that idea. What sort of films are you going to be doing now?

TOYAH: I've got a few films coming up. I've got a very historic film coming up about a very famous lady in Britain

PAUL: Go on!

TOYAH: It's called “Boudica” but I haven't signed anything yet, so it's very premature, but I'm looking forward to that if it all happens

I've got some some other plays coming up for the opposite side (nods her head to the other side of the building) So I hope by August I'll be touring and then around Christmas I'll be acting again

PAUL: We'd love to hear another track from the album “Minx”. This is “World in Action”?

TOYAH: Yes

PAUL: Ladies and gentlemen - Toyah!

TOYAH: Thank you

Watch the interview HERE
Watch the performance of "Don't Fall In Love" HERE