WE British are a reserved lot. But ask us to strip for a charity calendar and a surprising number of us will disrobe quicker than you can say ‘brass monkeys’.

Almost 15 years since the original calendar girls of Rylstone Women’s Institute in Yorkshire shed their inhibitions, the craze shows no signs of abating.

We have now had sight of solicitors, medics, equestrians and servicemen’s wives in all their glory, in fact pretty much every occupation and group you can think of bar, God forbid, the clergy.

Now it is the turn of the sporting elite from the University of Oxford to shed their kit for charity.

The Oxford Blues Charity Calendar will raise cash for four thoroughly deserving causes, so we hope it sells like hot cakes.

And, in case you haven’t seen page 3 of today’s paper, all the pictures are in the best possible taste, although we do hope they were careful where they pointed those swords.