From chart-topping 1980s punk princess to her current racy role as a hormonal housewife, with a stint hosting Songs of Praise along the way, Toyah Willcox has always defied convention. And the feisty 54-year-old has no intention of slowing down, as Kathryn Tye found out.

It would be a brave man who ventures out for a night at the theatre with the Hormonal Housewives. The comedy show, featuring an all-female cast, comprises a series of sketches on everything that makes today’s woman tick – or ticked off – from the trials of dealing with teenagers to battling the bulge – and of course the challenges of dealing with the opposite sex.

But star Toyah Willcox says that men would be very welcome – and might even enjoy themselves!

Toyah, 54, said: “It is a very female-oriented show, but we don’t demonise men in it. We like sex. There is no doubt that most of our audience will be women enjoying a night out together, but it is definitely suitable for men as well. It might even prove educational for them, getting an insight into what we talk about when they’re not there.”

Hormonal Housewives was written by husband and wife team Julie Coombe and John MacIsaac, and Julie stars with Toyah in this production, alongside Sarah Jane Buckley, who recently appeared in Hollyoaks.

First performed last year, the show proved a huge hit, something Toyah puts down to its friendly, intimate style.

She said: “It is not political, we are not making a feminist statement. If you are a fan of the TV show Loose Women, then you will like this. We talk to the audience, sharing our thoughts on issues that affect everyone, from light-hearted things like online dating to more serious matters like the menopause.”

The cast also act out vignettes such as competitive mums at the school gates, each playing eight characters throughout the show, something Toyah believes is representative of the multi-faceted character that all woman are forced to adopt.

Toyah said: “Women have to be at least eight types of person, from a nurse to a stylist to a best friend to a lover.

“That is one of the reasons I loved this script, because it celebrates our diversity.”

Diverse would also be an apt description of Toyah’s own 30-year career, which has seen her notch up 13 top 40 singles, record 20 albums, write two books, appear in more than 40 stage plays, make 10 feature films and present television programmes as diverse as The Good Sex Guide Late, Watchdog and Songs Of Praise. She is also well known in Kent as a regular in the Christmas pantomime at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre, most recently playing the Wicked Fairy in Sleeping Beauty,

She said: “Canterbury is my favourite city, so I love doing the Marlowe panto. I live in Worcestershire but have an apartment in Canterbury and the panto’s creative team Evolution Productions are great to work with. I always have a wonderful time.”

Toyah admits it has been quite a dramatic shift from the family-friendly fun of Sleeping Beauty, which ended in January, to the saucy content of Hormonal Housewives, recommended for audiences aged 16 and over.

She said: “This is quite a rude show, but it’s not vulgar, it’s naughty.”

Risque topics discussed include last year’s bestselling erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey, a book that Toyah surprisingly admits she won’t read.

Married to musician Robert Fripp for more than 26 years, she said: “I get really irritated if people preach sex to me. I’m not condemning it, but I find reading it incredibly patronising. I want to live it not read it.”

Living life to the full is one of the themes of the show, and Toyah is still intent on doing just that.

She said: “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, 40 is the new 20. I’m now 54 and life isn’t slowing down.”

See Hormonal Housewives at the following theatres:

Tuesday, March 5: Churchill Theatre, Bromley. Tickets from £18.50, call 0844 871 7620

Saturday, March 9: Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone. Tickets £20.50, call 01303 228600

Thursday, April 25: Woodville Halls, Gravesend. Tickets £20, call 01474 337744

Tuesday, May 14: Orchard Theatre, Dartford. Tickets £21, call 01322 220000.