Toyah and Maclean will co-star on Broad Street
PUNK princess Toyah Willcox and panto dame Don Maclean are the latest celebrities to be given a star on Birmingham’s Walk Of Stars in Broad Street.
The pair will be awarded their stars during a special show hosted by Walk of Stars’ chairman Jasper Carrott at the Birmingham Rep from 2.30pm on Sunday, December 11.
As well as performing at the show, Toyah and Don will receive their stars from Birmingham City Council leader Councillor John Clancy.
More than 30 celebrities and achievers have been recognised with a star on Broad Street since Ozzy Osbourne received the first one on July 6, 2007.
Toyah, now 58, grew up in Kings Heath and went to the Old Rep Drama School after which she got her first lead role with the BBC.
Her films include Quadrophenia and Jubilee and her pop career includes eight top 40 singles, among them It’s A Mystery and Thunder In The Mountains, which both peaked at No.4.
“I’m thrilled to be receiving a star on the Birmingham Walk Of Stars,” she said. “Having spent my childhood and teenage years in this great city I developed my love of music and theatre here thanks to all the great music venues and theatres available within the one city.
“Before I was 14 years old, I had seen Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Mott the Hoople, Black Sabbath and Hawkwind play – admittedly I lied about my age everywhere I went – and these artists inspired me to become a musician.
“My career began at BBC Pebble Mill, a place where dreams came true for me. Now I live half an hour away from my birthplace, Kings Heath, so I can visit the centre of Birmingham often, and to see the transition the city has been through is awe-inspiring.
“The arts in Birmingham are leading the way with a creative community keeping it firmly on the map of creative innovation.
“My only wish is my parents could be with me on this day. Sadly, that cannot be. My father’s antique shop stood on Broad Street, just at the corner of the Hyatt Hotel.”
Don, 72, was educated at the former St Philip’s Grammar School, Hagley Road, Edgbaston. His first TV appearance was on the original Crossroads as Cy Townsend, returning in 2002 as Terry the Landlord. He was a comedy compère of The Black And White Minstrel Show on both TV and stage.
During the 1970s he was a regular on Crackerjack as well as TV game show Celebrity Squares – and he presented BBC Radio 2’s Good Morning Sunday for 16 years.
He has starred in 40 pantos, many as the dame, and was most recently in the stage production Brummegem Pals with Malcolm Stent.
In 2001, Don was made an MBE for services to religion and inter-faith relations, and in 2012 he was made a Papal Knight Of The Pontifical Equestrian Order Of Pope St Sylvester for using his work to further the Roman Catholic faith.
Tickets to the December 11 show are free and available through the Birmingham Rep theatre box office.