WHEN the Chronicle's inky scribes and printers were toiling away on the paper more than 200 years ago, they could never have imagined that a 21st-century theatre audience would pay to hear their work read out.

But that was exactly what happened at Winchester's Theatre Royal on Wednesday night, when members of the Chesil Theatre performed The Christmas Chronicles.

The show was directed and compiled by Chronicle education correspondent, Lisbeth Rake. It was based on research by Chronicle editor, Alan Cleaver, and journalist, Diana Hargreaves.

The show was an entertaining mix of extracts, almost all with a seasonal flavour.

Lisbeth, who is also a Chesil director, brought this 'old news' to life with the aid of some deft comic timing and an impressive array of accents.

It seems that in the 18th and 19th century the Chronicle was the equivalent of Hello! with Christmas parties of local "celebrities" such as the Tichbornes and Barings, described in minute detail with every last guest given a mention.

We learned that in 1844 Queen Victoria was already pioneering the artificial Christmas tree at Windsor Castle and her banquet that year included an ox's hump.

At the other end of the social scale there was news of the "inmates" of the workhouse receiving their annual Christmas dinner washed down with the "cup that cheers but does not inebriate."

Moving into the 20th century the first half of the evening closed with some poignant readings from letters from troops in the trenches during the Christmas of 1914. One day they were shelling the Germans, the next they were swapping tobacco with them during a Yuletide truce.

The funniest moments of the show came from adverts: a well-endowed Bishopstoke man advertising for a wife; an Ipswich firm which bought used false teeth and, best of all, "Dr Sibley's reanimating solar tincture" which was guaranteed to revive the patient in case of sudden death.

The readings were interspersed with carols and songs sung by the cast and folk singer Steve Jordan.

A packed theatre obviously much enjoyed this show, which, although for one night only, could easily be revived in future - with the aid of Dr Sibley, of course.

- Andrew Ross