ROTK receives UK premiere

The cast of Lord of the Rings have turned out for the UK premiere of the final movie in London this evening.

Director Peter Jackson was one of the first to arrive, spending extra time greeting the fans and signing autographs.

"These films are hard work but when you get this sort of reception it makes it all worthwhile," Jackson told reporters on the red carpet. "It's kind of quite sad though because there's a sense of the end of the project now - it's a bitter sweet kind of feeling."

He was soon joined by other members of the cast, including Billy Boyd, Sean Astin, Sir Ian McKellen and Liv Tyler.

"It's hard to talk about [the films] in a second because they've been so amazing," Tyler told Sky News. "I'm so thankful I had the opportunity. It's been hard work, it's been everything, but this is what's come out of it so it's incredible for all of us."

Return of the King opens nationwide on December 17.