Ghostly happenings in Haworth are set to keep audiences glued to their seats when a Saltaire man's award-winning debut musical is premiered by a West Yorkshire school.

And Eddie Lawler is hoping the musical - which features the Bronte sisters and their drug-addict brother Branwell contacting students from beyond the grave - will be taken up by other schools.

The 58-year-old grandfather works as a German lecturer for Leeds University and the Open University but regularly writes and performs his own songs and poetry. He penned Bells during his spare time over a three-year period.

It has already won an award from Yorkshire Playwrights, which chose extracts for a special foyer-performance by the repertory cast at York's Theatre Royal, and has been submitted for the Vivien Ellis Prize, a national award for new musicals.

Now the 17-song musical - which takes its title from Bell, the male name under which the Bronte sisters published - will be premiered at Brighouse High School next January.

Mr Lawler said: "These days a lot of schools just don't have the time to do musicals and those that do normally go for well known ones guaranteed to put bums on seats. It's a bit of a step into the unknown for them to do an original and that's why I'm so chuffed they're doing Bells.

"I've no doubt it has the potential to be commercially viable - and if that comes my way, then brilliant. But at the moment I'm just delighted they're doing it.

"It's a local subject in a local setting with a bit of everything - singing, dancing and a ghost story - and I'm sure when people see it more schools and youth groups will want to do it.''

Mr Lawler added: "The idea came from a friend, the BBC broadcaster Ray Brown, and it was going to be a joint project but he got so busy it became a solo one.

"Bells is a traditional musical - with a few innovations - about a group of school kids who persuade their teachers to do a musical but the other strand is about their field trip to Haworth.

"They're staying at the Youth Hostel, and when the lights go out during a thunderstorm they have some ghostly experiences with the reappearance of the Bronte sisters and their brother Branwell.

"The sisters bring hopeful messages but Branwell, whose own great talent collapsed because of his addictions to drink and drugs, warns them of the dangers of wasted talent.''

l Several numbers from Bells, as well as a selection of Mr Lawler's other songs, will be performed at The Boathouse pub in Saltaire tomorrow. The music starts at 8.30pm and admission is free.

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