Elvis may be long gone, but the king of kings is very much alive and kicking... in Muswell Hill.

Mario Kombou, of The Avenue, north London, was crowned the Elvis world champion, after nearly a decade of perfecting his act.

The prestigious Images of the King World Championships are held in Memphis, Tennessee, every year after a series of heats across the United States.

Mr Kombou beat off more than 65 entrants - mostly American, but some from Canada and Spain - last month to win the world title for the best Elvis impersonator.

"It's the most prestigious championship they have," he said. "I like to vary my act so people can see you can do different things. You need to work on doing a 15-minute set.

"I always thought that I could win it. I'm trying not to do much more of it. I want to put it to rest."

Mr Kombou trained as an actor at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts drama school in Wandsworth, and after graduating eight years ago, his Elvis act took off.

He is perhaps best known for starring as Vince Everett in the West End musical Jailhouse Rock last year.

Now that he has reached the top, he plans to move away from his signature number and has more acting roles lined up, but not before giving Muswell Hill one last show.

This Sunday, he will be performing with the Avenue Dukes, a local group of world-class musicians, at the Muswell Hill Festival and Donkey Derby at Cherry Tree Wood, East Finchley.

The Muswell Hill Festival takes place from 12pm until 5.30pm.