" soul man " | tv week | february 2-8 2002

human nature singer toby allen has scored a gig on the new lifestyle show 'body + soul' - but before fans get hysterical about the 27-year-old leaving the group, he says he's simply branching out, not moving on.

'i've been in the band for 12 years, and i wouldn't want anything to impact on on that in a bad way,' explains toby. 'at the same time, it's exciting to try something new. our fans would know how long we've been together and that music is our passion. we aren't breaking up.'

toby will be joined on 'body + soul' by former sale of the century presenter karina brown, paul mecurio [stricly ballroom], and newcomer erika heynatz. he describes the show as a collection of hints, from health and fitness to self-image.

with the show's eclectic mix of stories, toby has already mastered the topics of laughter therapy, water and hydration and the mysteries of decaf coffee. he jokes that he'll probably end up with all the pet care stories, too, as he owns two mini-fox terriers and was seen browsing through a book about knitting fur coats for dogs one day on the set!

with human nature's national tour kicking off in march, toby says that fitting in tv and the band will give him a tricky schedule. however, with proper organisation, the two projects won't clash.

'when i took the job, i was worried about the impact on the band,' toby admits. 'but we all explore our own avenues. mike and andrew spend a lot of time songwriting, and phil is working on his own publishing company. for me to try something different can only refresh what we do as a group.'