WHEN Sam Spencer sat down to watch the trailers before the cinema screening of her favourite film, little did she know it would change the rest of her life.

Her boyfriend James Billington had spent five months creating a special video in secret to ask her to marry him.

The three-minute video was shown ahead of the 1950s classic Some Like It Hot at the Broadway Cinema in Hockley on Sunday afternoon.

The romantic trailer, created by James on location in London, Suffolk, and Nottingham, ended with him dashing across the city centre in a tuxedo to the Broadway and the doors of the cinema's Paul Smith screen.

To the gasps of the audience, James, 32, burst through the doors before proposing to a shocked Sam, who said yes.

The couple, who have been together for four years and live in Holbourn Avenue, Sneinton, now plan to marry next year.

James, who works for E.On in the city centre, said: "I couldn't find Sam initially as she had hidden down in her seat. I went over, got down on one knee, and thankfully she said yes. She was gobsmacked."

James filmed the video with his friend, Rob Symington, who works for the BBC in London.

He said: "I had to spend weekends away with him filming and had to pretty much lie to Sam and say I was going away with work.

"I also came up with an excuse that Rob was having some problems.

"Sam thought I was being his guardian angel, when in reality we were planning this."

James had arranged for Some Like It Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe, to be screened through the cinema's My Movie promotion, which runs every Sunday and allows people to book a movie of their choice and get up to 30 tickets, with the rest being offered to the general public.

But as part of the plan, Sam's daughter Delayna, 19, pretended she had simply noticed it was on and asked her if she wanted to go, while James said he had plans to go to the gym.

To put Sam further off the scent, James also asked the Broadway to print a false 50th birthday dedication in their monthly programme advertising the film, to make it seem like someone else had booked it.

He also arranged for around 20 friends to sneak into the back of the screen to watch him propose.

Sam, 37, who is a fund-raising assistant for Notts charity When You Wish Upon a Star, said: "I had a bit of an inkling as we had talked about getting engaged, but I had absolutely no idea about this.

"We were watching this professional-looking trailer. There was a silhouette shot of a man on a pier and beach and it looked like James, and I thought 'oh my God'."

She added: "I can't believe that he has spent all that time and effort making the trailer.

"There were a lot of phone calls and texts between him and Rob, but he was very good at hiding it.

"I'm definitely going to tell him to never keep a secret from me again!"

Rachel Barrett, events co-ordinator at the Broadway Cinema, said staff had been only too happy to help James with his proposal.

She said: "It was absolutely nerve-racking. It was such an operation to have her sat in the cinema not knowing what was going on.

"To begin with, everyone thought the film trailer was real. Then James turned to face the camera and we heard Sam gasp. He burst through the door and we couldn't hear a pin drop. After she said 'yes' there was not a dry eye in the house."

She added: "Someone has booked a screen previously for just him and his girlfriend so he could propose, but we've never had anything on this scale before and in front of complete strangers.

"We understand that the Broadway is a special place for many couples who have had their first dates here and are now married.

"It is extra special to not only be part of the history of James and Sam's relationship, but to have played a pivotal role in moving their relationship forward.

"I cannot wait to do something similar again."