Adoring fans gave Donny Osmond a rapturous welcome when they swamped a concert hall to mark his arrival.

Scores of his devoted followers waited in the cold for hours outside the Brighton Centre in a bid to catch a glimpse of their idol, who performed last night as part of a UK tour.

The singer may not have been in the spotlight for many years but his devotees proved they had not forgotten him.

Last night, it was like he had never been away as he was greeted by screaming fans in a scene reminiscent of the height of Donnymania.

He went on to serenade them with some of his biggest hits.

The concert was part of a country-wide tour for the squeaky-clean American singer, who shot to fame in the Seventies as one of the original boy band superstars.

Karen Nice, 44, of Ashurst Road, Brighton, a fan since 1972, was there to see her hero in action.

She said: "It was fantastic.

"Most of us there were about 44 or 45 but there was a mix because some of the mothers had brought their daughters along.

"He had loads of flowers and roses thrown at him."

Serena Brand, marketing and programme assistant at the Brighton Centre, said: "I've certainly never seen anything like it in the three and a half years I've been here.

"People were queuing outside from 3pm - and it was a cold day - but they were all smiling too."