Wed 15th Nov - Thousands of fans flocked to Leicester Square last night to see actor Daniel Craig arrive for his James Bond debut.

The world premiere of Casino Royale was a truly lavish extravaganza. The 60th Royal Film Performance occupied three cinemas with 4,500 guests, a gleaming Aston Martin DB5 on stage in Leicester Square, miles of red carpet and an excited crowd of fans.

In attendance were The Queen and Prince Phillip, who arrived in regal style, along with Daniel Craig, Dame Judi Dench, Mads Mikkelson, Eva Green, Caterina Marino, Director Martin Campbell and a host of celebrities including former Bond girl Michelle Yeoh, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Dame Shirley Bassey, Rachel Weisz, Keira Knightley, Sean Bean, Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and pop stars Beyonce Knowles, Jay Kay and the Sugababes.

Daniel Craig wasn't nervous about meeting the queen but was overwhelmed by the crowd's response. Arriving to the tune of the Bond theme he said "I think we've got a pretty good movie so all I'm thinking about is just getting people to see it and enjoy the night. The fact that we got a royal premiere was great." On living up to the comparisons with previous Bonds, "I didn't try to do that. I tried to make a good movie." and on preparing for the shoot, Craig said "I just immersed myself in the role. I did as much work as I could, got to the centre of it and figured it out."

When asked how he compared Casino Royale to previous Bond films, he replied: "It's not up to me to compare them. Casino Royale is still a Bond movie and there's a love story." And the best thing about being a 007? "That car".

"He's a very, very fine actor," Dame Judi Dench, in her fifth outing as M, tells us "I'd love to work with him again, if I'm asked back."

Mads Mikkelsen who plays Bond villain Le Chiffre says of Craig "Daniel helped me get into character. I'm a lovely guy, playing a ruthless man but one look at Daniel pisses me off and I got right into character,".

Bond girl Eva Green, who plays Vesper Lynd, was also present at the premiere. 'The character is not only beautiful but she's also very sassy and funny but also vulnerable,' she said. 'I wouldn't have wanted to do it if it was just a bikini-clad role. I wanted to see the script first but was then very keen to get involved.

Sir Elton John said the film was "fantastic" and Peter Kaye reckoned it was "...hardcore Bond. Daniel Craig is the Bond I've been waiting for. He's the number one."

All funds raised from the World Premiere went to the Cinema & Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF), the unique trade charity of the film and television industries.

Casino Royale marks the introduction of Daniel Craig in his debut as the legendary secret agent 007, based on Ian Fleming's first Bond novel of the same name, portraying Bond on his first mission to topple world terrorism by beating baddie Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelson) at a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. 

Casino Royale is directed by Martin Campbell (GoldenEye) from a screenplay by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Academy Award winner Paul Haggis (Crash).

Bond 22 (working title), also starring Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench, is currently in pre-production and due for release November 2008.