Robby the Robot from the sci-fi film Forbidden Planet has become the world's most expensive piece of classic movie memorabilia after selling for £4million.

The seven-foot tall robot was a star of the 1956 film and one of the most memorable creations in science fiction. He is the servant of Dr Morbius on Altair IV - known as the Forbidden Planet - and has metal claws, a domed head and speaks 188 languages.

The robot was auctioned by Bonhams New York for a world record price of £4 million ($5,375,000) in the TCM Presents… Out of This World! auction.

It beat the $4 million paid in 2013 for the Maltese Falcon statuette from the cinema noir classic of the same name to become the most valuable film prop sold at auction.

The robot also beat the prices paid for the white dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in The Seven-Year Itch, which made $4.6 million in 2011, and the original 1966 Batmobile, that sold for $4.6 million in 2013.