GARY BARLOW became an honorary Yorkshireman on Sunday when he revealed details of his new musical based on the story of the Calendar Girls.

The Take That frontman was the surprise guest in Burnsall Village Hall, close to where the story of the Rylstone and District WI, whose nude calendar has raised nearly £4million for Leukaemia Research, began 17 year ago.

He said the new show captured both the humour and poignancy of the story.

“Humour, particularly Yorkshire humour, is part of this story. It’s a coping mechanism for dealing with tragedy, and it was important to get that across in the music,” he said. “When I write albums I want to take people on a journey of emotions and I took the same approach with this show.

“It’s amazing to be here in the Dales where it all began. There’s something special about this place. We always said that for this musical to work, it had to be something we could present in a village hall with just a few people and a piano.”

Gary has created the musical, called The Girls, with Tim Firth who wrote the Calendar Girls film and play. The pair, who grew up in the same village in Cheshire, have been working on the show for more than two years.

“It’s about the women, but it’s also about their husbands, their children and the wider community,” said Tim. “Their story left a huge legacy, not just in fundraising but in the way charity campaigns are presented. There’s much more of a sense of fun now.”

It was the death of original Calendar Girl Angela Baker’s husband, John, in 1998 that led to the calendar. “We’re incredibly proud of how far it’s all come,” said Angela. “This musical takes it on further and having Gary on board is a wonderful boost. Here’s to the next million!”

Angela’s son and daughter, Matthew Baker and Rachel White, talked about the impact of the calendar on their lives.

“We have lived and breathed this story for so long. It’s something very positive that came from our dad,” said Matthew. “It still seems very strange when the film comes on at Christmas. It’s very much part of our cultural fabric now. When the calendars were first printed we thought we’d be left with hundreds of them lining our kitchen drawers! We’re very proud of what our mum and the other women did. There have been lots of charity calendars since but theirs was the first.”

lThe Girls will premiere at the Leeds Grand Theatre on November 14. For tickets call 0844 8482700.