Modern Godiva rides through city

Ms Thomas rode over Magdalen Bridge in front of 100 extras

Early risers were met by an unexpected sight as a young woman rode "naked" on a white horse through Oxford city centre on Monday morning.

Phoebe Thomas, 23, was taking part in a comedy film production - a modern re-telling of the Lady Godiva legend.

The wife of an 11th Century earl is said to have ridden naked through Coventry in protest against her husband's harsh taxation of his people.

Her modesty was, according to the legend, preserved only by her hair.

Ms Thomas wore flesh-coloured underwear and tights as she rode over Oxford's historic Magdalen Bridge in front of 100 extras.

It took three takes to complete the climactic scene to a romantic comedy set in the city, in which Ms Thomas plays a teacher driven to desperate measures to raise money for a worthy cause.

The script has been written by 20-year-old Vicky Jewson, who has secured £1.4m of backing for the film from independent investors.

Ms Jewson said: "Lady Godiva was a great tale to adapt. It's a tale that's never been told before, a kind of undiscovered Robin Hood, the story of one woman's triumph over adversity."