One of the greats of the silent film era, a top international orchestra and a world-renowned conductor are coming together for a groundbreaking performance at the Cowley Mini plant.

Charlie Chaplin's film, Modern Times, will be screened at the factory tonight accompanied by the Oxford Philomusica conducted by Carl Davis.

Modern Times, made in 1936, was Chaplin's last silent film and also the final time his iconic Lttle Tramp character was seen on screen.

It is set in a factory and shows the character struggling against the pressures of an increasingly mechanised world.

BAFTA-winning composer and conductor Mr Davis who has provided the score for films such as The French Lieutenant's Woman, Scandal and Topsy Turvy, said: "This is a really exciting project -and certainly the first time that I have performed a film in a factory.

"It's always so interesting to present these films in unusual locations. I hope this will also prove an interesting experience for the Oxford Philomusica as I know that this is the first time they have performed an accompaniment to a silent film."

Proceeds from the sell-out charity concert will go towards the Oxford Children's Hospital. It will be performed in a former production facility at the plant featuring Chaplin's own score.

Plant managing director Oliver Zipse said: "The concert venue is an historic part of the plant, and we felt that it would provide the perfect setting for a silent film showing.

"After doing some research we landed on the idea of Modern Times as it fits so well with the heritage of the plant."

The Cowley site was established as a car plant by William Morris in 1913, the year of Chaplin's first Hollywood comedies.

Researchers also discovered Chaplin had an Oxford connection having been given an honorary degree by the university in 1962.

Mr Zipse added: "We liked the idea of the contrast between a 1930s view of manufacturing and the state of the art facility we have here today, which is why we wanted to offer the audience a free plant tour immediately after the concert.

"People have different ideas about what the inside of a car plant looks like, and we are always keen to show how the face of manufacturing has changed dramatically."