THERE had been talk of a special visitor to the Dales at the weekend.

Someone thought they had spotted him walking by the river. Someone else heard that he’d been seen in a camper van snaking through their village.

By Sunday afternoon, social media was buzzing with speculation and a team of journalists had started to assemble at Burnsall's Red Lion pub.

Further up the road, a crowd of locals had gathered at the village hall to watch a read-through of a community musical. A sign outside said 'House full'.

But there was room for one more - and as Gary Barlow walked through the audience, gasps of delight rippled through the little venue.

The Take That frontman was in Burnsall revealing details of his new musical based on the story of the Calendar Girls. He was the surprise guest at a work-in-progress presentation of the show close to where, 17 years ago, the Rylstone and District WI first posed for a nude calendar which has since raised nearly £4 million for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. The original Calendar Girls were sitting among the audience at last Sunday’s performance.

Gary, who spent the weekend in Burnsall before flying to New York to rehearse this summer's Take That tour, said the new show captured both the humour and poignancy of the Calendar Girls 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 told the Craven Herald. “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 heart of the Dales where it all began. There’s something very 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 said he felt a sense of responsibility to those at the heart of the story. “This is about real people so you have to get it right," he said. "You can't underestimate what these women did, and what they have continued to do. I hope we do their story justice."

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, Frodsham in Cheshire, and have been friends for 25 years, 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. It’s essentially a musical about a village,” said Tim. “Their story left a huge legacy, not just in their own fundraising but in the way that charity campaigns are presented. There’s much more of a sense of fun now.”

It is now well documented that it was the death of original Calendar Girl Angela Baker’s husband, John, in 1998 that led to the calendar. What started as a rather cheeky idea to raise cash for a new sofa for Airedale Hospital's waiting-room led to the ladies of Rylstone and District WI baring all for a calendar they suspected might never see the light of day.

Photographed by Terry Logan in the women's kitchens and sitting-rooms, the Alternative WI Calendar was tasteful nudity, Jam and Jerusalem style, with the women photographed arranging flowers, pouring tea and painting watercolours.

Within its first week the calendar had sold out, and over the following year hundreds of thousands of copies were sold both sides of the Atlantic. Their extraordinary story was made into a hit movie with a starry cast led by Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, then a stage play that enjoyed West End runs and sell-out UK tours, starring everyone from Lynda Bellingham to Jerry Hall. It was reported to be the most successful play ever to tour the UK, taking £21 million more at the box office than the film. Two years ago the play ended its professional run and the rights were handed to amateur theatre, beginning with a Grassington Players' production which raised more than £5,000.

Since the original calendar there have been several new versions, along with a range of merchandise, from preserves to gardening tools.

The Calendar Girls became a collective national treasure. Nearly 20 years on, they haven't lost sight of why they bared all to begin with.

“It was a simple idea, to raise money, and that's what we have done. We’re incredibly proud of how far it’s all come,” said Angela. “This musical takes it on even further, and having Gary on board is a wonderful boost. Here’s to the next million!”

There have been many imitations over the years - everyone from firefighters to Oxford students have stripped off for nude charity calendars - but back in 1998 it broke new ground.

"It was a massive decision for those women to take off their clothes, that should never be underestimated," said actress Gaynor Faye, who was in the original production of the Calendar Girls stage play.

But, reflects Ros Fawcett (the original Miss April), it didn't seem like such a big deal at the time. "We had no idea what it would become, and how it would change our lives, so once we decided to do it we just got on with it," she says.

Angela Baker’s son and daughter, Matthew Baker and Rachel White, talked for the first time 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.

“This new show, and Gary’s involvement, adds a whole new dimension and will keep the story going into the future.”

* The Girls will have its premiere at the Leeds Grand Theatre on November 14. For tickets call 0844 8482700.