by Vicky Spavin"Just wait till I show my husband these in the morning."

Pulling her top half way down her chest Jenny, of York, proudly revealed two names scrawled across the top of her breasts in black felt tip: Michael Rapp and Imad Khalil.

But Jenny wasn't the only northerner who had succumbed to the talents of The Chippendales. Around her hordes of women fled the bar during the interval to bare every bit of flesh available to members of the cast who were on hand to meet the audience - including one woman who even pulled down her pants to enable the steamy gods to make their mark.

"If it came down to it I'd definitely choose this over The Full Monty," one woman admitted, as she proudly surveyed the artwork of her latest conquest - the Chippendales at the Barbican Centre, York.

And she wasn't the only one.

Since their European debut in 1991, the Chippendales have sold a staggering two million tickets in 20 countries, notching up massive sales for their three videos while publishing the world's best selling male pin-up calendar.And not surprisingly with this sort of success they have had their imitators.

But having their adoring fans in York, the 'Chips' were not prepared to let anybody down, putting on their 'hottest ever stage show' when they returned to York Barbican Centre last night.

And everyone, including those fans who were not newcomers to the strips show/dance/music oiled-extravaganza (like myself), was pleasantly surprised.

The 'lunch box' (alias Hugo Speer) may have made his mark in The Full Monty, but in York last night the women were more than content with what they got.

"You didn't expect to see any good-looking blokes in The Full Monty, but with The Chippendales you expected to see a bit of talent - and you saw it in Jonathan," said one enthusiastic York fan.

"He certainly had a bit of 'Oomph' about him." Accept no substitutes -The Chippendales are The Full Monty, read the fliers.

And while some of the audience were expecting the real Full Monty, others were more than satisfied with what they got.

"I expected the Full Monty and we didn't get it at the end," said one York woman. "But they were good entertainment, and it wasn't just a strip show. But I think some people will have been disappointed.

"They're definitely not The Full Monty, but it was a professional show, and it was entertaining for different reasons. For a girls' night out it's great - it's certainly aimed at every woman out there."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.