Gary Barlow & Tim Firth talk Calendar Girls The Musical at official launch event

A sleepy Yorkshire village welcomed some very special guests and lots and lots of sunflowers today.

Setting off from Lime Street station early on Monday morning (30th April 2018), we were whisked away on a secret adventure along with the team from the Liverpool Empire, and three trains, two taxis and a vintage bus later, we arrived in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside and the village of Burnsall, for the official launch of Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s Calendar Girls The Musical.

The award-winning musical is heading out on a huge UK-wide tour throughout 2018-19, including a number of shows at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre this winter, and the brand new, star-studded cast paid homage to the original Calendar Girls in the village hall where they met.

Watch above as our Jay chats with the two guys responsible for the award-winning musical, none other than Gary Barlow and Tim Firth.

Briefly the story is based on a group of extraordinary women who set out to raise enough money for a new sofa in a hospice. One of the women, Angela loses her husband, John to non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and in a bid to raise the money needed, the ladies decide to create a risqué calendar, never knowing it would attract global media attention and go on to raise millions for Bloodwise, while enthralling us all with it’s heart-warming tale of friendship and community.

Burnsall Village Hall was packed to the rafters as press travelled from far and wide for the chance to meet the brand new cast of Calendar Girls The Musical, including Fern Britton, Ruth Madoc, Anna-Jane Casey, Rebecca Storm and Denise Welch. Taking to the Village Green for photographs and then treating the audience to a rendition of two of the brand new show tunes, the ladies were joined by Gary and Tim who explained how they had worked closely with the original Calendar Girls to ensure the new musical captured and kept the essence of the story.

After a fabulous buffet, created by the WI of course, we chatted with the new cast, original Calendar Girls and enjoyed the rare Yorkshire sunshine before hopping back on our quirky vintage ride to head back to Skipton train station……..having totally fallen in love with the village, the story and the Calendar Girls themselves.

Don’t miss your opportunity to see and hear this incredible story come to life, prepare to laugh and cry in equal measure as Calendar Girls The Musical comes to the Liverpool Empire, from 27th November – 1st December 2018. Tickets are now on sale and you can get yours at www.atgtickets.com/shows/calendar-girls-the-musical .

Have you seen Calendar Girls The Musical? Who’s your favourite character? What’s your favourite song? Drop us a line with your opinions on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and we’ll share the best on our socials.