Thousands of Beatles fans have taken the lyrics to Why Don't We Do It In The Road literally as they descended on the iconic Abbey Road pedestrian crossing to mark 50 years since The Beatles created their famous album cover.
Abbey Road, the band’s 11th and last recorded studio album, featured the shot of the Fab Four strolling over a zebra crossing in St John’s Wood.
Today is the 50th anniversary of the creation of the shot by freelance photographer Iain Macmillan and an estimated 2,000 fans are outside the Abbey Road Studios to recreate their versions.
An Abbey Road Studios spokesman said: "There are lines stretching out on both sides. I would guess there are about 1000 people out there already.
"There is a family atmosphere and everyone is having a nice time."
Some vehicles were stuck at the crossing for ten minutes as they tried to make their way through the crowd.
At least one police officer was at the scene and the Abbey Road Studios spokesman added: "They are just here to keep the traffic flowing smoothly."
A livestream from the studios focussing on the crossing was also seemingly suffering under the weight of worldwide interest as it kept pausing.
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| A Beatles cover band member steps out of the colourful Rolls-Royce Phantom V |
Beatles fan Gavin Cowell said of the scene: "Generally pretty jovial, even drivers unable to get past pretty are even tempered."
Another, Reuters reporter Paul Sandle, agreed that people were "having a good time".
"The police cleared the road after about 15 mins, so the buses could get through," he added.
One bus passenger, however, was not impressed and was seen shouting: "You're illegal. Get out of the way."
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| Beatles lookalike band 'Fab Four' join Beatles fans as they walk across the Abbey Road |
Amid the clamouring crowds, John Lennon's psychedelic Rolls-Royce Phantom V cut its way along the north London road, carrying Beatles cover band 'Fab Four'.
A Lennon lookalike stepped out to onlookers' delight as he and his fellow impersonators staged their own reenactment of the shot.
Moments later, a Paul McCartney double proposed to his girlfriend, to the smiles and cheers of bystanders.
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| A Paul McCartney impersonator proposes to his girlfriend as a group of Beatles look-alikes recreate the iconic 'Abbey Road' photo |
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| A fan carries a copy of the Abbey Road album along the zebra crossing |
"If you're planning on coming to the zebra crossing today and the queues are too long, step inside the Abbey Road car park for one day only and take your photo with the original Beatles' 1969 image!" the studio tweeted.
Eager fans flocked to the site, recreating the look against a cardboard backdrop.
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| Fans pose against a recreation of the crossing in the Abbey Road Studios car park |
On August 8, 1969, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr held up traffic on the zebra crossing outside their recording studio to get the internationally celebrated cover shot.
They crossed three times for photographer Iain Macmillan, a friend of Lennon who snapped them up a step-ladder while police kept the road clear.
The fifth of six photos became the album cover for Abbey Road, which was released the following month.
A year later, McCartney's announced exit signalled the break-up of the most successful group in British music history.
As the world celebrates five decades since the iconic Beatles' album, the Evening Standard's podcast 'Women Tech Charge' spoke to Abbey Road Studios MD Isabel Garvey about how the iconic studio is preparing for the next 50 years.
