Warwick Davis had spent nine hours under the spotlight of BBC cameras as part of the Celebrity Scissorhands programme, before standing first in line outside Peterborough's O2 store.

He was one of a dozen people waiting to snap up a £269 handset which acts as a mobile phone, MP3 player and wireless internet browser, all using the latest handheld technology.

The store in Cathedral Square stayed open late on Friday evening to allow customers to get their hands on the device, which is fast turning into this year's must-have Christmas gift.

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Staff welcomed those brave enough to battle the winter chill, before they filed into the store at two minutes past six – mimicking scenes at other stores across the country.

Warwick (37), who lives in Yaxley, spoke to The Evening Telegraph seconds after making his purchase.

In fact, Warwick, who rose to fame after appearances in Star Wars, Willow and Harry Potter films, revealed he bought two – one for himself, and one for his wife.

He said: "There was no way I could return home with just one.

"I like the way it works the same way as an Apple Mac computer, as well as having lots of different features on it.

"I spend a lot of my time travelling so it will be perfect for me. I will be charging it up as soon as I get home so I can use it on my way down to London for Celebrity Scissorhands."

Other people in the queue included Alex Vaughan, of Peterborough Road, Whittlesey, and Daniel Macrae, from Werrington, Peterborough.

Alex (19) said: "I first read about it on the internet and wanted one straight away.

"It took a long time to save enough money to buy it, but I'm sure it will be worth it."

Daniel (15) added: "I have been wanting one for the last 50 days. I love Apple technology and I used to have an iPod Nano, but it broke four months ago."

The internet-enabled handset also went on sale at about 1,300 other stores around the UK, with each customer limited to two handsets each.

At the moment, the iPhone is only compatible on the O2 phone network.

The phones can be unlocked for use on other networks but this voids the warranty and could break the device if software updates from Apple are installed.

Warwick will continue to snip his way to stardom on our TV screens, until the Celebrity Scissorhands final next Thursday night.

FACTFILE: iPhone

• The iPhone was launched in the US on June 29.


• It features a camera, an MP3 and video player, mobile phone, and internet services such as e-mail, text messaging, web browsing, visual voicemail, and wireless connectivity.


• The iPhone has up to eight hours of talk-time.


• It has six hours of internet use.


• It has seven hours of video playback time.


• The iPhone has a 3.5-inch scratch-resistant screen.


• The iPhone can only be bought in Apple, O2, or Carphone Warehouse stores or on their websites.


• Sales are limited to two per person.


• The 8GB version costs from £269 in the UK.