HAVING immensely enjoyed the Calendar Girls film, I was slightly sceptical as to whether a stage show would do it justice.

But I needn’t have worried. The cast of the play, including TV favourites such as Linda Bellingham, Patricia Hodge and Gaynor Faye, did a fantastic job of bringing this true story to life for the theatre.

With the action cleverly centred around the WI hall in a Yorkshire village, the show tells the tale of a group of women who decide to pose nude for a fundraising calendar after the husband of one of their members loses his life to leukaemia.

The play is tinged with sadness at times, and I can’t pretend I didn’t shed a tear or two, especially during the quiet but poignant closing scene.

But for the most part it was two hours of sheer fun and I can honestly say I have never laughed so much during a theatre trip.

The photo shoot scene was absolutely hilarious and I, along with the rest of the audience, spent a solid half-hour in stitches as each of the women took their turn in front of the camera.

Patricia Hodge must be applauded for her believable portrayal of Annie, the woman who tragically lost her beloved husband John.

But the star of the show was undoubtedly the larger-than-life Linda Bellingham, who was fantastic as Annie’s best friend Chris and definitely the bravest cast member when it came to stripping off.

I will never look at flower arranging the same way again.

Emma Joseph