A premiere performance

The much-anticipated British premiere of Fairytale - A True Story opened with simultaneous showings at the Pictureville and Odeon cinemas to a rapturous reception from Bradford's public.

The film, which brings the Cottingley Fairies saga to life, was partly made in Cottingley and Keighley.

Legions of local extras - including children from Cottingley First School - were among the audience at the Odeon for the first showing of the film.

Heartfelt applause, whoops and cheers filled the packed cinema as the credits rolled.

Some of the film's big stars - Harvey Keitel, Paul McGann and Peter O'Toole - stayed away but their absence did not dim the enthusiasm of all those who turned out for the Edwardian Carnival in Centenary Square or for the lavish after-show party at the Alhambra.

It was a magical day that will live long in the memory and go down in Bradford's history.

When Frances Lynch and Elsie Wright faked photographs of fairies dancing in Cottingley Beck in 1917, they could not have dreamt that their story would provide the inspiration for a Hollywood blockbuster.

The British premiere of Fairytale - A True Story was a chance for Bradford to stage a glittering show that would give the West End a run for its money. And what a show.

The feast of entertainment began with an Edwardian Carnival in Centenary Square where Bradford's Lord Mayor, Councillor Tony Cairns, invited young and old to join in the fun.

Jugglers, magicians, clowns and people in fancy dress filled the streets. And four winged fairy ponies - Buttons, Tonka, Dino and Snoopy - fresh from a stint in the pantomime Cinderella, gave children's rides.

Across the city at the Alhambra set designers who had worked through the night were putting the finishing touches to a fairy wonderland, while the red carpet was being rolled out at Pictureville, ready for the Lord Mayor's premiere.

The first stars to be greeted by the hordes of autograph-hunters and photographers were from Emmerdale.

Dominic Brunt, who plays Paddy the vet in the long-running soap, told crowds he was hoping to get a few autographs of his own.

He said: "I am fascinated by the story and I think it's fantastic the film premiere is being held in Bradford - the atmosphere is electric."

Gerry Sutcliffe, MP for Bradford South, paid tribute to the people of the city for making it a day to remember.

And Christine Lynch, Frances Griffith's daughter, arrived clutching a photograph album containing prints of the now-legendary pictures taken by the two cousins.

But the loudest cheer of the afternoon was reserved for the film's stars - Phoebe Nicholls, Tim McInnerny, Florence Hoath and Elizabeth Earl - and director Charles Sturridge.

Mr Sturridge said: "This is a magical film about a magical sequence of events which took place in a magical place. I am just so pleased that the premiere is being held in the city. It wasn't a case of me having to persuade anyone to move it from London, it was the people of Bradford who swung it. It is a day I will never forget."

Meanwhile, over at the Odeon, the cinema was buzzing with a capacity house of 1,000 - including children from Cottingley First School who had starred as extras in the classroom scenes. They were waiting expectantly to glimpse themselves on the silver screen for the first time.

Familiar faces and locations in the film - Cottingley children, the Town Hall and Keighley railway station - were greeted with giggles and excited comments of "There he/she is!"

The magic of the film could not fail to touch everyone there. A five-year-old member of the Cottingley Rainbows, suffering from a wobbly tooth, did her best to wobble it out - in the hope that the film fairies would reward her.

As the credits rolled, a noisy, heartfelt and spontaneous round of applause greeted the end of the film.

Celebrating afterwards in the Good Elf Bar and Fairy Disco, pupils from Cottingley were coming to terms with their new found status as 'film stars'. Hannah Bentley, 11, said: "The filming took most of two days but we were only on screen for a moment. Every time I come home from school now, I cross the Beck to try to find fairies."

Cottingley First School head teacher Anne Ashton said the filming had been a great experience for the children. "It has made me feel very proud to have a film made about Cottingley, and to have our children in it. It's an experience they will never ever forget. It was a superb film and they really did the story justice. The scenery looked fantastic."

The people of Bradford agreed that it was a definite hit. But that was not the end of the story - at the Alhambra the champagne flowed and Bradfordians swapped fairy stories with the stars at the post-premiere party.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.