The film, the seventh in the series, reunites original stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill. They are joined by British newcomers Daisy Ridley and John Boyega.

With Star Wars trending on Twitter, one user wrote: "Not been this excited about a movie in a long time!"

The film is released in the UK on 17 December.

The new trailer gives little away to the plot of the movie but the central character appears to be Rey - played by Ridley who, it's been speculated, is the daughter of Ford and Fisher - both seen in character as Han Solo and Princess Leia.

So many trailers give away huge chunks of plot, but wisely the Star Wars team appear to have decided that with awareness of the movie running so high, secrecy and curiosity about how the Star Wars saga continues is the best way of drawing in audiences.

Watch the trailer below