Actors and actresses slapped on their make-up to face the cameras at the Derby Evening Telegraph for a new electronic education initiative.

The filming, by Northcliffe Electronic Publishing, was for the company’s Headline History virtual newspaper project.

The web-based resource is for children at Key Stage 2 and 3 – seven to 11-year-olds – and will be available in schools across England.

NEP is carrying out the work for the Government’s Culture Online initiative, offering a series of virtual newspapers from specific periods in history.

They span events and characters from the Roman, Tudor and Victorian times, and the 20th Century, reflecting areas of the National Curriculum.

The first phase of the website – and an accompanying CD-ROM – will look exclusively at the Victorian period and is due to go live in May.

Project manager Elaine Pritchard – aka Mary Carpenter (below) – said: “Thirty actors were transformed into Victorian characters from stories which will make the front page of the first six virtual newspapers on the website. They were filmed over seven days using space at the Derby Evening Telegraph as a studio.

Elaine Pritchard/Mary Carpenter, pioneer of free education for poor children

“Each virtual newspaper has a theme and the front page story reflects this. The actors speak about the part their character played in the story during a short film clip.”

Elaine, who is a former Nottingham Evening Post news editor and former Bucks Free Press deputy editor, said the schoolchildren using the program would become investigative reporters, contributing stories and images to their virtual newspapers.

The papers will feature reams of regional stories and images, allowing children to learn about their local area as well as inspiring them to turn their virtual experience into a real-life cultural adventure.

NEP content developer Ben Sherwin … or is it Victorian miner George Greasley?

The film clips are now being edited in time for the first phase of the website to go live in May. The next film shoot will take place when the project moves on to incorporate virtual newspapers covering Roman, Tudor and 20th Century history.

Partners who are helping with the project include The Black County Living Museum, Pathe News, Snibston Discovery Park and the Picture the Past website.

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