Rock veteran David Bowie has revived his notorious character Ziggy Stardust on the same stage where he killed him off nearly 30 years ago.

Bowie, 55, revived the character at a one-off show at the Hammersmith Apollo in west London.

He last played the venue - then known as the Hammersmith Odeon - in 1973, telling fans at the time it "would be the last show we'll ever play" - meaning that he was getting rid of his alter ego.

The show, on Wednesday night, saw Bowie playing two tracks from his album The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars.

He also featured a string of hits including Ashes To Ashes, China Girl, Life On Mars and Absolute Beginners.

"It's an interesting selection of songs tonight," he said, "going back from today through the naughties, nineties, eighties, seventies, sixties, fifties, forties... then into minus numbers".

Bowie 'killed off' the character in 1973

Pop star Boy George, Radio 1 DJ Mark Radcliffe, Queen drummer Roger Taylor and Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy were among those in the audience.

Tickets for the gig only went on sale last weekend, with fans sleeping outside the venue in order to get their hands on a pair.

Bowie's latest album, Heathen, his first for three years, recently received a surprise nomination for the Mercury Music Prize.

Last month he performed a special gig at the BBC's Maida Vale studios in west London in front of a select audience which included Jonathan Ross and BBC chairman Gavyn Davies.

Bowie filmed the performance for his two-year-old daughter Alexandria.