THE relaxed atmosphere of a York village pub was transformed by a frenzy of clicking cameras, furious scribbling and endless interviews, as a media circus descended for the premiere of David Blunkett: The Musical.

It was as if the West End had come to a point east of York, as the Grey Horse Inn at Elvington played host last night to the first hearing of songs from a new musical about the rise and fall of former Home Secretary David Blunkett. Bemused locals got the shock of their lives when they arrived for their usual post-work pint.

They discovered the lounge bar crammed full of newspaper hacks and TV presenters, tapping away at laptops, writing in notepads, and styling their quiffs ready to go on air.

The supporting cast of cameramen, photographers and the people who hold the fluffy sound booms, made it impossible to breathe, let alone move, as they jostled for the best positions.

Licensee David Forster had originally arranged for his friend, and the co-producer of the musical, Martin Witts, to use the lounge bar for a "low key" first performance of some of the songs.

It was anything but that, though, as the landlord, who previously designed theatre sets for top West End productions, was forced to stop pulling pints as journalists queued to interview him.

"It was supposed to be quite informal, but has grown into a national preview," he said. "It's very exciting."

The show charts the life of the Sheffield Brightside MP, with an emphasis on his doomed relationship with the publisher of The Spectator magazine, Kimberly Quinn.

The other two main characters are Spectator editor Boris Johnson and the columnist Petronella Wyatt.

The musical's composer, known only as MJ, performed three numbers, along with a few old favourites, on a piano in the lounge bar.

Kimberly's Song, with lines like: "My liaisons are always dangerous, but I'm the soul of discretion, your secrets are always safe with me," merged into David's Song, which featured lyrics such as "Decisive, I never choke. Arrogance is not a fault for a blind boy who's been well taught."

Another line runs: "Remember when we laughed out loud at what they would say,

The Socialist and the socialite - what a headline writer's day!"

Villagers were forced to crane their necks over the cameras to get a view of the performance, before being invited to join MJ by the piano for a sing-along.

Barmaid Louise Mason, 21, said: "It's so cool.

"You don't see this every day in the pub. All the locals look a bit bemused by it all."

Regular Peter Tait said the media frenzy was good for the village, but took a dimmer view of the former Home Secretary.

"I don't have any sympathy for him. A man in that position should know better," he said.

Local shopkeeper Tom Fitzpatrick said the press pack's appearance had been good for business.

"We got some extra trade today," he said. "Something like this raises the profile of the village."

The musical is due to be ready for a preview at the Soho Theatre in London and then the Edinburgh Festival in August. Mr Witts said he was planning to stage the production in the West End, possibly early next year.

Updated: 09:36 Saturday, February 05, 2005