Elton John arrives at Rocketman premiere in style: See all the red carpet pictures and videos

20 May 2019, 23:22 | Updated: 22 May 2019, 09:21

The long-awaited Rocketman movie arrives at cinemas this week, and it enjoyed a lavish UK premiere in London's Leicester Square tonight (May 20).

Elton John himself arrived on the special blue carpet in style alongside husband David Furnish, appearing on a jeep to welcome his fans and fellow guests.

Rocketman soundtrack: What songs appear in the movie?

Also in attendance were the film's cast including Taron Egerton, Richard Madden and Bryce Dallas Howard, alongside special guests such as Stephen Fry, Claudia Schiffer and Stanley Tucci.

Smooth Radio's Paul Phear was on hand to speak to some of the people behind making the film, including director Dexter Fletcher, who said his favourite Elton John song is the rare 'Amoreena', which makes a special appearance in the movie.

Music director Giles Martin - son of Beatles producer Sir George Martin - told us that he had "total freedom", and that Elton told him to "enjoy" the experience about reimagining so many classic hits.

"He said to me, just enjoy it, I trust you. It was that thing where if you really screwed up you'd be fired! At the same time, you have to have freedom to do the work, you can't sit there with it over your shoulder. You have to express yourself and do what's right for the film."

Costume designer Julian Day said it was "amazing" to be involved in the film. "Who wouldn't want to design costumes for Sir Elton John, it was incredible," he said.

Taron Egerton stars as Elton John in his early years, with Jamie Bell as songwriting partner Bernie Taupin and Richard Madden as Elton's manager and lover John Reid.

The movie opens at UK cinemas on Wednesday (April 22).

Check out a glamorous gallery from the premiere below: