Fans in Rocky Horror record bid

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The fans were led by Richard O'Brien, creator of the cult musical the Rocky Horror Show

More than a thousand fans of the cult musical The Rocky Horror Show have taken part in a bid to break the world record for the largest Time Warp dance.

The organisers said 1,570 people, many dressed in costumes, pelvic-thrusted their way into the record books on Brighton seafront.

Show creator Richard O'Brien and the UK stage cast also took part.

Guinness World Records has yet to confirm whether the attempt has fulfilled its criteria.

The current world record was set by 192 people in Hanley Park, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, in July 2008.

The atmosphere was absolutely insane - everyone came dressed in a variety of outfits Ben Chamberlain

More than 1,000 people took part in an unofficial mass Time Warp dance in Melbourne, Australia, in September 2008.

Ben Chamberlain, spokesman for the current UK stage production, said: "We absolutely thrashed the official record and beat the Melbourne attempt as well.

"Guinness asked us to do two five-minute dances, so we had a version especially cut to five minutes long.

"Richard O'Brien and the cast of the current touring show led the mass ranks of Rocky Horror fans for two five-minute bursts, with a brief pause for breath in between."

He added: "The atmosphere was absolutely insane. Everyone came dressed in a variety of outfits, some had added feather boas and some lipstick, while others were wearing fishnet tights, g-strings and little else, it was astonishing."

The Time Warp song, which includes dance step instructions as lyrics, has been covered by a number of artists and was a hit in the late 1980s for UK musician Damian.

Alien transvestites

The Rocky Horror Show first opened at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 1973. It began a six-night run at the Theatre Royal Brighton on 26 October.

The plot revolves around young American couple Brad and Janet who accidentally stumble into a strange world of alien transvestites and overt sexuality.

It was adapted for the cinema as The Rocky Horror Picture Show two years later and has generated an enthusiastic and dedicated following.

Audiences to both the stage and screen versions are encouraged to dress up like the show's characters.

The mass Time Warp attempt took place at the Old Paddling Pool on the east side of the West Pier at about 1200 GMT and was filmed for the Paul O'Grady show on Channel 4.