THE GLA has hit back at criticism from the London Party over Mayor of London Ken Livingstone's plans to celebrate St George's Day with a screening of Monty Python's Holy Grail in Trafalgar Square.

A spokesman for the Greater London Authority said: "Damien Hockney shows how out of touch he is with celebrations on St George's Day. The GLA has funded celebrations on St George's Day for four years.

"The events supported every year so far include an annual open day at the Globe Theatre, the procession and service at the Cenotaph by the Royal Society of St George, and traditional English dancing in Covent Garden.

"In addition to Shakespeare other major English contributions to culture are celebrated. In the last two years this has centred on films. Last year a special open air screening of films of England's most historically influential film star, Charlie Chaplin, took place on Leicester Square. This year the GLA is joining with the British Film Institute to show a selection of classic English films on Trafalgar Square."

He added: "English humour is a huge part of the cultural tradition of this country - of which most people are rightly proud. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of the most famous English comedy films and is given particular relevance by its adaptation in Spamalot in the West End.

"It has been included among the films to be shown by the BFI and GLA because it is entirely fitting that in addition to huge figures, such as Chaplin and Shakespeare, the quirky and original in England's contribution to culture should be celebrated and we are sure the public will love it."

Trafalgar Square will host the free programme of classic film and television comedy on Monday, which will culminate in a special screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and a 'coconut orchestra' world record attempt involving cast members of West End hit, Monty Python's SPAMALOT.