When Annie’s husband dies of leukemia, she and her best friend Chris resolve to wring some good from their sadness. When they convince four fellow members of the WI to pose nude for an alternative calendar, what begins as a plan to buy a new settee for the local hospital turns into an international media sensation. With hordes of press descending on their small Yorkshire village, Chris and Annie’s friendship is put to the test by their new-found fame as they discover just how far a great idea can take you.

Based on the true story of eleven WI members who posed nude for a calendar to raise money for the Leukemia Research Fund, Calendar Girls opened at the Chichester Festival Theatre and has since become the fastest selling play in British history.

By Tim Firth