Welcome to Yorkshire takes the stage with Gary Barlow’s West End musical

Welcome to Yorkshire has been unveiled as the official destination partner of Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s musical The Girls in the West End, based on the true story of Yorkshire’s Calendar Girls.

The new musical will be at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End from January 28 and the partnership will see Welcome to Yorkshire supporting the show while showcasing the county to London theatre audiences.

Barlow said: “We had a great time showcasing The Girls to Yorkshire’s fantastic audiences and we’re hoping for equally great crowds in the West End. This is a real life story of a group of extraordinary Yorkshire women and we are thrilled to be bringing a slice of their home county to London.’’

Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “The Calendar Girls’ story is a tale of true Yorkshire grit and determination and the ladies really are true ambassadors for the county.

“We have been with the show producers since the very start of this journey and we are so proud to see their story told to West End audiences and London. We are sure it will be a national and international success.”

The Girls brings to life the true story of the members of Rylstone and District Women’s Institute who stripped off to raise money for charity.

Their story first prompted the 2003 film Calendar Girls and then in 2015 The Girls musical opened at The Grand Theatre in Leeds.

Original Calendar Girl Tricia Stewart said: “I had the idea as a joke nearly 20 years ago and I would never have believed that it would become a film, a play and now a musical written by Gary Barlow – and it’s a fantastic one as well.”