Stephen Hawking voices Monty Python Galaxy Song

Eric Idle (left), Stephen Hawking (centre) and Brian Cox all took part in last year's Monty Python live shows

Professor Stephen Hawking has lent his voice to Monty Python's famous Galaxy Song as part of Record Store Day 2015.

The song is released both digitally and on vinyl this weekend.

Professor Hawking, who was recently the subject of Oscar-winning film The Theory of Everything, is in the music video flying through space.

An online game has also been released which invites players to "destroy all Monty Python asteroids before they collide with Stephen Hawking".

Professor Hawking recently appeared in a Comic Relief sketch

Professor Hawking, 73, also appeared in last year's live Monty Python stage shows alongside Professor Brian Cox at London's O2 Arena.

Galaxy Song, originally sung by Eric Idle, is from the Monty Python film The Meaning of Life and is crammed with facts and figures about the universe.

Idle announced the song by tweeting that the "Galaxy Song digital download and video has now been released".

Theoretical physicist Hawking, famed for his book A Brief History of Time, is no stranger to appearing in comedy sketches and shows.

He was recently in a Comic Relief sketch with David Walliams and Catherine Tate, and has appeared on US shows The Big Bang Theory and The Simpsons.

In The Theory of Everything he was played by Eddie Redmayne, who won the best actor Oscar. The film also won two Golden Globe awards and three Baftas.

After being diagnosed with motor neurone disease (ALS) while studying at Oxford University, Professor Hawking was given two years to live.

However he went on to develop theories that reshaped the way the world thinks about black holes, stars and the universe.