Kevin Young BBC News entertainment reporter

Cruise meets fans

What lasts for four hours, including an interval, features a major Hollywood star and plenty of emotion, and has hundreds of fans queuing around the block?

The answer is Tom Cruise's walkabout on the red carpet at the UK premiere of Mission: Impossible III.

The actor is famous for the time and attention he devotes to his fans, particularly when greeting them at premieres.

But Tuesday's appearance in London's Leicester Square lasted longer than the film itself - and had to be split in two so Cruise could introduce the movie to guests before quickly returning outside.

Fans arrive early

Denise Santana, from west London, was among the first in the crowd to arrive. She turned up a full 10 hours before Cruise was due to appear.

She admitted to being a big fan of the star and added that if she met him, she would say "I love you, Tom."

Journalists ask Dorothy Milton (second right) about Cruise's kiss

Close to her was Georgina West, from Surrey. "You hear that he meets all his fans and I want to see what he's like," she said.

"I'm doing a college project so he needs to speak to my camera and I'll get double brownie points."

Later, Georgina was delighted to learn she would be plucked from the crowd to attend the screening itself after winning a text message competition.

"Hopefully this is even better because now we get to meet him," she said, before rushing away to prepare herself.

Setting a precedent

As the day wore on, some fans conceded that although Cruise was good value, he might be unable to maintain his high standards in the future.

Neeta Chauhan, from Surrey, said: "I think it has set a precedent which might be hard to keep up, especially at times like today when he might not want to be spending so much time with fans, and thinking instead about the baby."

Her daughter Gauri agreed that Cruise had "done really well in keeping his fans liking him for so long".

Cruise's arrival in Leicester Square was greeted with a burst of cheers and applause.

However, there was soon frustration among fans at the front of the queue that he was starting at the back - and therefore meeting people who had arrived only minutes earlier.

Tom Cruise chatted to fans and journalists for four hours in London

'Unfair' of organisers

"We're not disappointed with Tom Cruise. Nobody else signs as much as he does," said Lisa Newark, from Woking.

"What we're upset about is the way these premieres are set up. We've been here since half past seven this morning. They should bring him here first.

"It's so unfair. It's the fans who have been here the longest who always miss out."

Fans further down the line watched on a big screen as Cruise delighted Dorothy Milton, who was celebrating her 80th birthday and carrying two colourful balloons with the number 80 drawn on them.

He kissed her on the cheek, which then made her the centre of media attention as journalists scrambled to talk to her.

Gauri and Neeta Chauhan worry about the "precedent" set by Cruise

Cruise also chatted to a young girl who had been pushed in front of the barriers to see him, intervening when security tried to remove her.

Finally, with the meet-and-greet approaching the four-hour mark, most of those remaining in the crowd could at least say they had had a glimpse of the Mission Impossible star.

Luke Almond, from Northampton, summed up Cruise's appeal by saying: "Tom will spend hours going round chatting and signing as a nice person, whereas some walk past as if you're not even there, just totally blanking you when you've spent hours waiting.

"He appreciates that we've stood here and waited for him."