Feature: Michael Jackson's UK return

By Nesta McGregor and Jonathan Blake
Newsbeat reporters

Jacko fans pull out their best moves outside London's O2 Arena

Michael Jackson, the so-called King of Pop, has confirmed at a news conference that he'll be playing a series of concerts at the O2 Arena in London this July.

Jacko turned up for his news conference 90 minutes late and only managed a few sentences to the assembled crowd of fans and media.

He said: "This is it. These will be my final performances in London. The final curtain call.

"I'll see you in July and I love you. I really do. You have to know that. I love you so much from the bottom of my heart."

Michael Jackson will be playing 10 concerts from 8 July. Tickets will cost between £50 and £75 and will go on sale on Friday 13 March at 7am at www.michaeljacksonlive.com

Posters promoting the gigs started to go up on Thursday

All day fans had been filing through metal detectors and having their bags scanned by a large numbers of security guards.

Inside the O2 Arena giant video screens flash images of Jacko while coffee shops were packed with fans.

A lucky 150 managed to get passes for Michael Jackson's comeback news conference.

Gemma's from Liverpool. She has Jacko's name tattooed around her wrist. She said: "I love him and that's my way of showing it."

Posters advertising Michael Jackson's comeback gigs appeared in London on Thursday morning.

They mention 10 concerts in July and encourage fans to register for more infomation online.

This summer's shows will mark a major comeback for the star, but many claim he's only playing to rebuild his battered finances.

Fans arrived at the O2 all day. There were huge cheers from them every time they heard a noise as they thought Michael was already in the building.

Danielle's 18 and from Romford. She thinks Michael will go down in history no matter what happens.

She was close to tears as she told Newsbeat how she listened to his greatest hits all morning and reckons he'll be moonwalking all his life.

Asked what she would tell Jacko if she had the chance she said: "Keep doing what you do because you'll always be a legend to me."

Fans at hotel

Jackson's thought to be have been in London for several days and some fans gathered at his hotel hoping for a glimpse.

Ann-Marie and Danielle Gom - mother and daughter - were outside the Lanesborough.

Bethany hoped to get a glimpse of the secretive star

"I just think he's amazing. I can't wait until the summer when he's going to surprise all these sceptics that think he hasn't got it in him any more," said Ann-Marie.

Bethany Geach, 18, said she was looking forward to seeing her idol: "All Michael Jackson shows are going to be a big spectacle. There'll be dancers, pyrotechnics, all that kind of stuff."

However, the star's last performance, at the World Music Awards in London in 2006, lasted just a few seconds. Many thought he'd had it then.

Anne-Marie and Danielle were at the ceremony and disagree: "You could see he wasn't 100%, but he still tried to pull it out the bag and I thought he did really well."

Some fans though, do acknowledge Jackson's comeback performances are unlikely to be up to the standard of his previous live shows.

Rhianan said she was thinking about going to every concert

"Sometimes it's more about the experience and everyone else being there, the 'Michaelmania'," said Rhianan Adam, 26, who'd come to the hotel on a break from work.

"I've been a fan since I was five… and I've waited 12 years for him to perform again. I thought his career was going to be over."

Rhianan said she was planning to see as many shows as she could: "I was considering how much my credit card could handle, whether I could go and see 30 dates and go to every after show party."

Michael Jackson may not sell as many records as he used to, but fans like Rhianan say it's unlikely his comeback shows will be anything less than a sell-out.

She said: "He's inaccessible, the one person on the planet who's completely a mystery, no-one gets access to him, he's just untouchable. He's got that real star factor."

Have your say: Do you think Michael Jackson should tour?