One Direction mania hits London for premiere

One Direction mania took over London last night as hordes of screaming fans greeted the boyband at the world premiere of their movie One Direction: This Is Us.

According to The Independent, over 70,000 devotees thronged at London's Leicester Square to greet boybanders Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik.

Wearing colour coordinated monochrome outfits, the quintet spent plenty of time meeting their diehard fans, posing for photographs and signing autographs.

19-year-old Style said: "This is unreal", while Mullingar-born Horan added: "This is amazing. We're really excited to be here. We can't believe we are here.

"This is just unbelievable. The last few years have been amazing. This is what we've been dreaming of."

The 3D film tells the story of the band's rise to fame after forming on The X Factor in 2010 and is directed by Super Size Me film-maker Morgan Spurlock.

Malik, who posed for photographs with some of the Directioners, said: "The best thing about our fans is their dedication."

Simon Cowell, who last night confirmed that he is expecting his first child with socialite Lauren Silverman, also spoke about co-producing the film, saying: "It has been my dream come true to produce a film. But without their fans, this couldn't have happened. They have the best fans in the world."

The premiere was attended by a host of famous faces, including funnyman James Corden, MTV's Laura Whitmore, Diana Vickers, Ronnie Wood, Dermot O'Leary, Sinnita, JLS and Little Mix.

Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards, who is dating Malik, said: "I'm proud of my boyfriend but we're really proud of all the boys."

One Direction: This Is Us opens in cinemas on August 29.