Coconutters! Monty Python orchestra breaks world record

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A total of 5,567 people converged on London's Trafalgar Square to break the previous record of 1,789 people gathered in one location playing coconuts. They were conducted by actors Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam and the cast of the Monty Python musical Spamalot.

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The crowds gather in their attempt to break the world record for the largest coconut orchestra

Jones told the crowd how the coconut orchestra originally came about while they were filming Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

"About halfway through filming we realised we couldn't afford horses and had to stick to coconuts," he said.

He and Gilliam demonstrated how two people could split and share the coconuts and play them together.

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London Mayor Ken Livingstone joined Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam for the coconut orchestra attempt

The members of the giant orchestra then demonstrated their skills with a rendition of the Python classic Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, "clip-clopping" their coconut shells in time.

The previous record was set in March last year outside the Shubert Theatre in New York, to celebrate the first year anniversary of the Broadway production of Spamalot.

Mayor Ken Livingstone said: "Yesterday's event not only broke a world record, it celebrated the unique English sense of humour, making it a great way to celebrate St George's Day."

The coconut orchestra was part of the St George's Day festivities held across the capital over the past three days, with the aim of celebrating English culture.

This year's focus was English comedy and included a free programme of film and television comedy, ending with a special screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail last night.

Spamalot, currently showing in the West End, is the brainchild of Python star Eric Idle.

The award-winning show is "lovingly ripped off" from the original film, and tells the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.