A temporary lemon grove was installed at the London premiere of Mamma Mia! the film, as Hollywood's A-list strutted their stuff in front of adoring fans.

Leicester Square was transformed to resemble the location of the big screen adaptation of Abba-inspired smash hit musical.

Thousands of fans turned out to catch a glimpse of stars like Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Julie Walters at the world première.

The film is described as "a celebration of a mother, a daughter and three possible fathers."

It features 22 Abba hits and is based on the play which has drawn in an estimated 30m viewers and £1bn worldwide.

In June 2005, it became the longest running Broadway show ever in Las Vegas and this year became the longest daily running show in the history of Russian theatre.

Sporting a beard, Firth said the experience of being in the movie was "delightful and mortifying".

He described singing in front of Andersson and Ulvaeus as "sheer terror.

"I love singing but I have only really ever done it in the shower."

Producer Ulvaeus said: "It's an amazing fairy tale I think. These songs that we wrote more than 30 years ago are the reason why I'm here right now."

Streep's involvement in the film came after she sent a fan letter to the producers of the stage production, having been impressed by a performance in New York.

They kept the note and later returned the compliment by asking her to star in the film.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.