2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

none Isles of Wonder the soundtrack album Isles of Wonder (album) London 2012 opening ceremony the Paralympics opening ceremony 2012 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony August 2020 August 2020 2012 Summer Olympicsopening ceremony 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony (11).jpg 2012 Summer Olympics The "Pandemonium" segment, during the final rehearsal of the ceremony on 25 July 2012 7 27 yes 21:00 – 00:46 BST (UTC+1) Olympic Stadium London, United Kingdom 51 32 19 N 0 01 00 W region:GB_type:event inline,title Isles of Wonder BBC Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) Done and Dusted 4As0e4de-rI The ceremony on the IOC YouTube channel The opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics took place on the evening of Friday 27 July 2012 in the Olympic Stadium, London, during which the Games were formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combined the ceremonial opening of this international sporting event (including welcoming speeches, hoisting of the flags and the parade of athletes) with an artistic spectacle to showcase the host nation's culture. The spectacle was entitled Isles of Wonder Isles of Wonder http://olympicopeningceremony.tumblr.com/tagged/stage1 27 July 2012 29 July 2012 and directed by the Academy Award-winning British film director Danny Boyle, with Paulette Randall as associate director. Prior to London 2012, there had been considerable apprehension about Britain's ability to stage an opening ceremony that could reach the standard set at the Beijing Summer Games of 2008.Engineering the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony http://www.theengineer.co.uk/in-depth/the-big-story/engineering-the-london-2012-olympics-opening-ceremony/1013640.article The Engineer Stephen Harris 23 August 2012 24 August 2012 28 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150928032738/http://www.theengineer.co.uk/in-depth/the-big-story/engineering-the-london-2012-olympics-opening-ceremony/1013640.article deadLondon 2012 cannot match Beijing Olympics opening ceremony 'because of trade unions' https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/2617980/London-2012-cannot-match-Beijing-Olympics-opening-ceremony-because-of-trade-unions.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/2617980/London-2012-cannot-match-Beijing-Olympics-opening-ceremony-because-of-trade-unions.html 12 January 2022 subscription live The Daily Telegraph Richard Spencer 25 August 2012 24 August 2012Five Ways for London to Top the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/philip-hepple/london-2012-olympics-five-ways-to-top-beijing-opening-ceremony_b_1282811.html?ref=uk Huffington Post Philip Hepple 16 February 2012 24 August 2012 The 2008 ceremony had been noted for its scale, extravagance and expense, hailed as the "greatest ever",http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ibNAUAq-kZNOy3LmO9HAI2cN-smg Press hails 'greatest ever' Olympic opening show Agence France-Presse 9 August 2008 13 March 2013 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20130511131508/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ibNAUAq-kZNOy3LmO9HAI2cN-smg 11 May 2013 dmy and had cost £65m. In contrast, London spent an estimated £27m (out of £80m budgeted for its four ceremonies), which was nevertheless about twice the original budget.Kortekaas Vanessa https://www.ft.com/content/4e49451e-1f76-11e1-9916-00144feabdc0 Cameron doubles budget for Olympic ceremonies FT.com 5 December 2011 29 June 2012 Nonetheless, the London opening ceremony was immediately seen as a tremendous success, widely praised as a "masterpiece" and "a love letter to Britain".London 2012: the experts' view of the Olympic opening ceremony https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9434563/London-2012-the-experts-view-of-the-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9434563/London-2012-the-experts-view-of-the-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html 12 January 2022 subscription live The Daily Telegraph Harvey Goldsmith Arlene Phillips David Quantick Mick Brown Mary Beard 29 July 2012 5 August 2012https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19025686 28 July 2012 1 August 2012 Media reaction to London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony BBC The ceremony began at 21:00 BST and lasted almost four hours.Fowler Scott http://www.kansascity.com/2012/07/27/3727711/scott-fowler-brits-show-their.html Brits show their knack for theater, humor The Kansas City Star 27 July 2012 31 July 2012 It was watched by an estimated worldwide television audience of 900 million, falling short of the IOC's 1.5 billion viewership estimate for the 2008 ceremony,https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/IOC_Marketing/Broadcasting/Beijing_2008_Global_Broadcast_Overview.pdf Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008: Global Television and Online Media Report Sponsorship Intelligence Sep 2009 International Olympic Committee 3 27 August 2018London 2012 opening ceremony draws 900 million viewers http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-oly-ratings-day-idUKBRE8760V820120807?feedType=RSS&feedName=sportsNews https://web.archive.org/web/20160808184607/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-oly-ratings-day-idUKBRE8760V820120807?feedType=RSS&feedName=sportsNews dead 8 August 2016 Retuers Avril Ormsby 7 August 2012 13 March 2013 but becoming the most viewed in the UK and US.Douglas Torin https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19026694 Olympics ceremony: 27m UK viewers watched opening BBC 28 July 2012 29 July 2012Pomerantz Dorothy https://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2012/07/28/olympics-opening-most-watched-non-u-s-ceremony-ever-and-pretty-good/ Olympics Opening Most Watched Non-U.S. Ceremony Ever (And Pretty Good) Forbes 28 July 2012 29 July 2012 The content had largely been kept secret before the performance, despite involving thousands of volunteers and two public rehearsals. The principal sections of the artistic display represented Britain's Industrial Revolution, National Health Service, literary heritage, popular music and culture, and were noted for their vibrant storytelling and use of music. Two shorter sections drew particular comment, involving a filmed cameo appearance of the Queen with James Bond as her escort, and a live performance by the London Symphony Orchestra joined by comedian Rowan Atkinson. These were widely ascribed to Britain's sense of humour.A "noisy, busy, witty, dizzying production": What the world thought of London 2012's opening ceremony https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/london-2012-what-the-world-thought-1178468 Daily Mirror 28 July 2012 22 August 2012 The ceremony featured children and young people in most of its segments, reflecting the "inspire a generation" aspiration of London's original bid for the Games.Case Study – LONDON 2012: How We Won The Bid http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/hlst/documents/olympic_sig/case_studies/CS10-How-we-Won-the-Bid.pdf Higher Education Academy Oxford Brookes University February 2010 24 August 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120803210744/http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/hlst/documents/olympic_sig/case_studies/CS10-How-we-Won-the-Bid.pdf 3 August 2012 dead dmy-all The BBC released footage of the entire opening ceremony on 29 October 2012, edited by Danny Boyle and with background extras, along with more than seven hours of sporting highlights and the complete closing ceremony.London 2012 Olympic Games, BBC Shop, London, October 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012. Preparations The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) approached Danny Boyle to be the director of the ceremony in June 2010, and he immediately accepted. Lynskey Dorian Oblivion with Bells Q 318 82–88 January 2013 published November 2012Danny Boyle to direct London 2012 opening ceremony http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/news_stories/7199.aspx Gov.uk 22 June 2010 24 August 2012 Boyle explained that there had been four things that made him take the job: he was a big Olympics fan, he lived a mile from the Stadium and so felt invested in the area, his late father's birthday was on the ceremony's date, and he felt his "Oscar clout" would enable him to push through what he wanted to do.Danny Boyle's journey from truck driving to the Olympics http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolreport/21741278 BBC 11 March 2013 13 March 2013 He said it "felt weirdly more like a ... civic or national responsibility" to take the job.Danny Boyle: champion of the people Jonathan Freedland https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/mar/09/danny-boyle-queen-olympics-film The Guardian 9 March 2013 13 March 2013 thumb|left|Danny Boyle, the director of the opening ceremony Boyle acknowledged that the extravagance of the 2008 opening ceremony was an impossible act to follow — "you can't get bigger than Beijing" — and that this realisation had in fact liberated his team creatively. He said "..obviously I'm not going to try and build on Beijing, because how could you? We can't, and you wouldn't want to, so we're going back to the beginning. We're going to try and give the impression that we're rethinking and restarting, because they've (opening ceremonies) escalated since Los Angeles in 1984. They've tried to top themselves each time and you can't do that after Beijing."How Danny Boyle followed up 'Slumdog Millionaire' Dave Calhoun https://www.timeout.com/london/film/how-danny-boyle-followed-up-slumdog-millionaire-1 Time Out 16 March 2013 26 May 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190526055943/https://www.timeout.com/london/film/how-danny-boyle-followed-up-slumdog-millionaire-1 dead Olympics opening ceremony: Danny Boyle credits late father for inspiration Owen Gibson https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/jul/27/olympic-opening-ceremony-danny-boyle-father The Guardian 27 July 2012 27 July 2012 Beijing's budget had been £65m, whereas London's final budget was £27m, which was twice the original provision.London 2012: Isles of Wonder theme for Olympic ceremony Jane Mower Michael Hirst https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16747032 BBC News 27 January 2012 29 July 2012 The London stadium had the same number of seats as Beijing's, but was half the size; this intimacy of scale meant that Boyle felt he could achieve something personal and connecting.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvPRnMS88ns Liverpool Hope University Danny Boyle and Frank Cottrell-Boyce - Words of Wonder Danny Boyle Frank Cottrell-Boyce 10 October 2012 14 March 2013 The different sections of the ceremony were designed to reflect aspects of British history and culture, with the title Isles of Wonder partly inspired by Shakespeare's play The Tempest (particularly Caliban's 'Be not afeard' speechhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympicsvideo/9044505/London-2012-Olympics-Shakespeares-Caliban-the-inspiration-for-Isles-of-Wonder-opening-ceremony.html https://web.archive.org/web/20131213120245/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympicsvideo/9044505/London-2012-Olympics-Shakespeares-Caliban-the-inspiration-for-Isles-of-Wonder-opening-ceremony.html dead 13 December 2013 The Daily Telegraph London 2012 Olympics: Shakespeare's Caliban the inspiration for 'Isles of Wonder' opening ceremony 27 July 2012 21 March 2013), and partly by the G. K. Chesterton aphorism: "The world shall perish not for lack of wonders, but for lack of wonder."https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/29/frank-cottrell-boyce-olympics-opening-ceremony?CMP=twt_gu The Guardian The night we saw our mad, fantastical dreams come true Frank Cottrell-Boyce 29 July 2012 29 July 2012 In July 2010, Boyle started brainstorming ideas with designer Mark Tildesley, writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce and costume designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb. They considered "what was essentially British", with the non-British Larlarb able to offer a view of what the world thought Britain meant. Cottrell-Boyce had given Boyle a copy of Pandaemonium, (named after the capital of Hell in Paradise Lost) by Humphrey Jennings, which collated contemporary reports from the Industrial Revolution.https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/06/pandaemonium-humphrey-jennings-review Pandæmonium by Humphrey Jennings – review The book behind the Olympic opening ceremony Nicholas Lezard Nicholas Lezard The Guardian 20 October 2012 25 November 2012 It had become traditional during the opening ceremony to "produce" the Olympic rings in a spectacular manner. Cottrell-Boyce commented: "Danny had a very clear idea that in the first 15 minutes you had to have a great, startling image that could go around the world; it had to climax with something that made people go 'Oh my God! Boyle decided that "the journey from the pastoral to the industrial, ending with the forging of the Olympic rings" would be that image. The ten distinct chapters on which the team started work were gradually compressed into three principal movements: the violent transition from "Green and Pleasant Land" to the "Pandemonium" of industrial revolution, a salute to the NHS and children's literature, and a celebration of pop culture, technology and the digital revolution. "At some point in their histories, most nations experience a revolution that changes everything about them. The United Kingdom had a revolution that changed the whole of human existence. In 1709 Abraham Darby smelted iron in a blast furnace, using coke. And so began the Industrial Revolution. Out of Abraham's Shropshire furnace flowed molten metal. Out of his genius flowed the mills, looms, engines, weapons, railways, ships, cities, conflicts and prosperity that built the world we live in. In November 1990 another Briton sparked another revolution – equally far-reaching – a revolution we're still experiencing. The digital revolution was sparked by Tim Berners-Lee's amazing gift to the world – the World Wide Web. This, he said, is for everyone. We welcome you to an Olympic Opening Ceremony for everyone. A ceremony that celebrates the creativity, eccentricity, daring and openness of the British genius by harnessing the genius, creativity, eccentricity, daring and openness of modern London. You'll hear the words of our great poets – Shakespeare, Blake and Milton. You'll hear the glorious noise of our unrivalled pop culture. You'll see characters from our great children's literature – Peter Pan and Captain Hook, Mary Poppins, Voldemort, Cruella de Vil. You'll see ordinary families and extraordinary athletes. Dancing nurses, singing children and amazing special effects. But we hope, too, that through all the noise and excitement that you will glimpse a single golden thread of purpose – the idea of Jerusalem – of a better world, the world of real freedom and true equality, a world that can be built through the prosperity of industry, through the caring nation that built the welfare state, through the joyous energy of popular culture, through the dream of universal communication. A belief that we can build Jerusalem. And that it will be for everyone." Danny Boyle, in the ceremony programme.Danny Boyle's intro on Olympics programme http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2012/07/27/danny-boyles-intro-on-olympics-programme/ Awards Daily Ryan Adams 27 July 2012 7 December 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20130206135250/http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2012/07/27/danny-boyles-intro-on-olympics-programme/ 6 February 2013 dead 25% right When Boyle returned to work on the ceremony in the spring of 2011 he asked Rick Smith of Underworld, with whom he had worked on several film projects as well as his theatrical production of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, to be the musical director.Underworld Named Music Directors of 2012 Olympics Steve Baltin https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/underworld-named-music-directors-of-2012-olympics-20111208 Rolling Stone 8 December 2011 29 July 2012 At the same time the team moved to the Three Mills studio complex in east London, where a 4x4 metre scale model of the stadium was built. For security reasons, a single CGI-assisted version of the ceremony was kept on editor Sascha Dhillon's laptop; anyone needing it had to come to the studio. The cast included professional performers and 7,500 volunteers. Volunteers London 2012 http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/General/01/30/27/74/OOCVolunteers_Neutral.pdf 19 July 2019June 2022 InternetArchiveBot yes Boyle considered the volunteers to be "the most valuable commodity of all". In November 2011 they auditioned at Three Mills, and rehearsals began in earnest in spring 2012 at an open-air site at Dagenham (the abandoned Ford plant), often in foul weather. Although key contributors had to sign non-disclosure agreements and some elements were codenamed, Boyle placed immense trust in the volunteers by asking them simply to "save the surprise" and not leak any information. Further volunteers were recruited to help with security and marshalling, and to support the technical crew.Danny Boyle hails 15,000 Olympics opening ceremony volunteers Wesley Johnson https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/danny-boyle-hails-15000-olympics-opening-ceremony-volunteers-7982152.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/danny-boyle-hails-15000-olympics-opening-ceremony-volunteers-7982152.html 1 May 2022 subscription live The Independent 27 January 2012 29 July 2012 Three weeks before the ceremony, Mark Rylance, who was to have taken a leading part, pulled out after a family bereavement and was replaced by Kenneth Branagh.Young British athletes light cauldron at Olympics Opening Ceremony http://www.metro.co.uk/olympics/906568-young-british-athletes-light-cauldron-at-olympics-opening-ceremony#ixzz226AYmCK1 Metro Julian Shea 27 July 2012 30 July 2012Kenneth Branagh recalls the opening ceremony of London 2012 https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2012/dec/23/kenneth-branagh-danny-boyle-olympics The Observer Kenneth Branagh 23 December 2012 23 December 2012 The Olympic Bell, the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world,London 2012: Bradley Wiggins rings bell to start Olympic ceremony https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19018575 https://archive.today/20130419210608/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19018575 dead 19 April 2013 BBC Sport 27 July 2012 24 August 2012 weighing 23 tonnes, had been cast in brass under the direction of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry by Royal Eijsbouts of the Netherlands, and hung in the Stadium.http://www.hollanduktrade.nl/dutch-technology-shines-gold-at-london-olympics/ Holland UK Trade Bram van der Veen 13 July 2012 28 July 2012 Dutch technology shines gold at London Olympics dead https://web.archive.org/web/20130518103302/http://www.hollanduktrade.nl/dutch-technology-shines-gold-at-london-olympics/ 18 May 2013 It was inscribed with a line from Caliban's speech in The Tempest: "Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises".Magnay Jacquelin https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9043917/London-2012-Olympics-Shakespeare-theme-to-lead-Isles-of-Wonder-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9043917/London-2012-Olympics-Shakespeare-theme-to-lead-Isles-of-Wonder-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html 12 January 2022 subscription live London 2012 Olympics: Shakespeare theme to lead 'Isles of Wonder' Olympic opening ceremony The Telegraph 27 January 2012 31 July 2012 Boyle gave significant emphasis to the London 2012 theme "inspire a generation" and devised a programme relying heavily on children and young people, and built around themes that would relate to the young. Twenty-five schools in the six original East London host boroughs were used to recruit child volunteers for the performance, and 170 sixth formers (16–18-year-olds), between them speaking more than 50 languages, were recruited from their colleges. On 12 June 2012, at a press conference, Boyle had promised a huge set of rural Britain, which was to include a village cricket team, farm animals, a model of Glastonbury Tor, as well as a maypole and a rain-producing cloud. His intention was to represent the rural and urban landscape of Britain. The design was to include a mosh pit at each end of the set, one with people celebrating a rock festival and the other the Last Night of the Proms. Boyle promised a ceremony with which everyone would feel involved; he said, "I hope it will reveal how peculiar and contrary we are – and how there's also, I hope, a warmth about us." Some of the set was designed with real grass turf and soil.Olympic opening ceremony will recreate countryside with real animals Owen Gibson https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jun/12/london-2012-olympic-opening-ceremony The Guardian 12 June 2012 27 July 2012London 2012 opening ceremony promises spectacle and surprises Charlotte Higgins https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jun/12/london-2012-opening-ceremony-spectacle?intcmp=239 The Guardian 12 June 2012 27 July 2012 The use of animals (40 sheep, 12 horses, 3 cows, 2 goats, 10 chickens, 10 ducks, 9 geese and 3 sheep dogs, looked after by 34 animal handlers) drew some criticism from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Boyle, who was being advised by the RSPCA, assured PETA that the animals would be well cared for.London 2012 Olympics: Campaigners fear for opening ceremony animals https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9375479/London-2012-Olympics-Campaigners-fear-for-opening-ceremony-animals.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9375479/London-2012-Olympics-Campaigners-fear-for-opening-ceremony-animals.html 12 January 2022 subscription live The Daily Telegraph 4 July 2012 27 July 2012 After the press conference, much commentary in the UK Press was negative and attracted "hundreds of comments online completely supporting...the view that the opening ceremony would be a disaster." The overwhelming majority of the music used was British. The team worked next door to the office of the musical director for the closing ceremony, David Arnold, and so hearing each other's music there was a scramble to claim a particular song first. It's the Rock and Roll Olympics! Q 315 82–88 October 2013 published August 2012 A.R. Rahman, who worked with Boyle on Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours, composed a Punjabi song "Nimma Nimma" to showcase Indian influence in the UK, according to Boyle's wishes.A.R Rahman to compose a song for the Olympics Filmfare.com https://www.filmfare.com/news/ar-rahman-to-compose-a-song-for-the-olympics-743.html 19 August 2025 www.filmfare.com More Indian music was also scheduled for inclusion in the medley including a Tamil song from the 1989 Bollywood film Ram Lakhan titled "Naanthaan Ungappanda".AR Rahman's punjabi track to rock Olympics inaugural https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/music/news/AR-Rahmans-punjabi-track-to-rock-Olympics-inaugural/etarticleshow/14526087.cms https://web.archive.org/web/20130518124107/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-30/news-and-interviews/32483335_1_london-olympics-olympics-opening-ceremony-punjabi live 18 May 2013 AR Reshmi 30 June 2012 The Times of India 27 July 2012Rajan M. C. 25 June 2012 Ilaiyaraaja's composition to open 2012 London Games https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/olympics-2012/story/ilaiyaraajas-composition-to-open-2012-london-games-106765-2012-06-23 19 August 2025 India Today Paul McCartney was to be the ceremony's closing act.2012: Olympics: Paul McCartney closes London's opening ceremony https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-33747_162-57481790/2012-olympics-paul-mccartney-closes-londons-opening-ceremony/ https://web.archive.org/web/20120728222546/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-33747_162-57481790/2012-olympics-paul-mccartney-closes-londons-opening-ceremony/ dead 28 July 2012 27 July 2012 CBS News 28 July 2012 Sebastian Coe was instrumental in asking the Queen to take part, responding positively when Boyle first pitched the Happy and Glorious film sequence featuring the Queen. Boyle suggested that the Queen be played either by a lookalike, or by a world-class actress such as Helen Mirren, in a location to double as Buckingham Palace. Coe asked Princess Anne, a British member of the IOC and LOCOG, what she thought, and she told him to ask the Queen. Coe presented the idea to the Queen's Deputy Private Secretary.Our Queen, documentary film, first broadcast on ITV on 17 March 2013. Boyle was surprised to hear that the Queen would be happy to play herself, and wanted a speaking part. Filming took place in late March 2012, and Happy and Glorious was produced by the BBC, as was the opening film sequence Journey along the Thames.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19018666 How James Bond whisked the Queen to the Olympics 27 July 2012 19 October 2012 Nicolas Brown BBC News Changes were still being made to the programme in the final days before the ceremony: a BMX bike section was dropped due to time constraints, and the "Pandemonium" and "Thanks..Tim" sections were edited down. In 2016 Boyle recounted how he had come under pressure from Jeremy Hunt, then the Olympics and Culture Secretary, to cut back the NHS section, which he had saved only by threatening to resign and take the volunteers with him.https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/danny-boyle-nhs-celebration-tories-london-2012-olympics-opening-ceremony-a7129186.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/danny-boyle-nhs-celebration-tories-london-2012-olympics-opening-ceremony-a7129186.html 1 May 2022 subscription Danny Boyle claims Tories tried to axe NHS celebration in London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony Samuel Osborne 10 July 2016 22 July 2019 The Independent Two full dress and technical rehearsals took place in the Olympic stadium, on 23 and 25 July, in front of an audience of 60,000 comprising volunteers, cast members' families, competition winners, and others connected to the Games. Boyle asked them not to "spoil the surprise" by using the hashtag #savethesurprise on social media, keeping the performance a secret for the hundreds of millions who would watch on the Friday night.http://www.podium.ac.uk/news/view/906/apply-now-for-free-london-2012-olympic-games-opening-ceremony-rehearsal-tickets https://web.archive.org/web/20120717185055/http://www.podium.ac.uk/news/view/906/apply-now-for-free-london-2012-olympic-games-opening-ceremony-rehearsal-tickets dead 17 July 2012 Apply now for free London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony rehearsal tickets Podium.ac.uk 16 July 2012 25 November 2012 Officials and guests Royal Box Seated in the Royal Box were the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, and other members of the British royal family. They were accompanied by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Prime Minister David Cameron, Spouse of the Prime Minister Samantha Cameron, former Prime Ministers John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and Mayor of London Boris Johnson. Officials of the Olympic movement included President of the IOC Jacques Rogge, LOCOG Chairman Sebastian Coe and members of the IOC. International dignitaries The ceremony was the largest gathering of world leaders for an Olympic and sporting event in history, surpassing that of 2008. Three multilateral leaders, more than ninety-five heads of state and government and representatives from five organisations and one hundred and twenty countries attended.https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-19015294 Securing the heads of state Gordon Corera BBC News 27 July 2012https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-2012-red-carpet-and-a-hard-sell-for-biggest-ever-gathering-of-world-leaders-7966125.html https://web.archive.org/web/20120728015521/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-2012-red-carpet-and-a-hard-sell-for-biggest-ever-gathering-of-world-leaders-7966125.html 28 July 2012 subscription live London 2012: Red carpet and a hard sell for biggest ever gathering of 23 July 2012 The Independent Jerome Taylor Cahal Milmo Nigel Morris Proceedings Schedule Time (BST)Section title2012 07 27 yes 21:00–21:04 Countdown 21:04–21:09 Green and Pleasant Land 21:09–21:25 Pandemonium 21:25–21:35 Happy and Glorious 21:35–21:47 Second to the right, and straight on till morning 21:47–21:52 Interlude 21:52–22:09 Frankie and June say...thanks Tim 22:09–22:20 Abide with Me 22:20–00:00 Welcome2012 07 28 yes 00:00–00:07 Bike a.m. 00:07–00:24 Let the Games Begin 00:24–00:38 There Is a Light That Never Goes Out 00:38–00:46 And in the end Prologue thumb|right|upright|Scene before the ceremony commenced, representing rural Britain At exactly 20:12 BST, the Red Arrows performed a flypast over the Olympic Stadium and then over the concert in Hyde Park.London 2012: Red Arrows Perform Stunning Fly-By Before Olympic Opening Ceremony http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/07/27/london-2012-red-arrows-olympics_n_1711429.html Huffington Post 28 July 2012 28 July 2012 This concert featured artists selected to represent the four nations of the United Kingdom: Duran Duran, Stereophonics, Snow Patrol and Paolo Nutini.Hyde Park show kicks off Olympics https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19014489 BBC News 27 July 2012 10 August 2012 At the beginning the stadium contained a rural scene including the model of Glastonbury Tor, a model village and a water wheel, replete with live animals (removed shortly before the ceremony began), and actors portraying working villagers, football and cricket players. Frank Turner performed three songs ("Sailor's Boots", "Wessex Boy" and "I Still Believe") on the model of Glastonbury Tor, joined by Emily Barker, Ben Marwood and Jim Lockey, as well as his regular backing band the Sleeping Souls.THE BEST OF 2012: AN OLYMPIC STORY BY FRANK TURNER! http://www.rocksound.tv/blog/article/the-event-that-shall-not-be-named-an-olympic-story-by-frank-turner Rock Sound Frank Turner 27 December 2012 8 August 2012 7 May 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130507092150/http://www.rocksound.tv/blog/article/the-event-that-shall-not-be-named-an-olympic-story-by-frank-turner dead LSO On Track (an orchestra of 80 young musicians from 10 East London boroughs together with 20 LSO members) then performed Edward Elgar's "Nimrod" from the Enigma Variations, accompanied by extracts from the BBC Radio Shipping Forecast, and maritime images on the big screens, while the audience held up blue sheeting to simulate the sight of the ocean.Classical music at the Olympic Opening Ceremony 2012 https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/pictures/event/classical-music-opening-ceremony/ 2025-08-19 Classic FM en This performance celebrated Britain's maritime heritage and geographical insularity.Definitively the greatest classical music moments in Olympics history https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/best-olympics-classical-music-performances-in-history/ 2025-08-19 Classic FM en Countdown (21:00–21:04 BST) The ceremony began at 21:00 after a one-minute "60 to 1" countdown film made up of shots of numbers, such as those on house doors, street nameplates, London buses, station platforms and market labels. The number 39 is seen at the foot of a flight of steps, a reference to John Buchan's novel The Thirty-Nine Steps, while the 10 is the door number from 10 Downing Street. thumb|left|The 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins opening the ceremony A two-minute film, Journey along the Thames, directed by Boyle and produced by the BBC, opened the ceremony.Danny Boyle's Olympic opening ceremony: madcap, surreal and moving Owen Gibson https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/27/olympic-opening-ceremony?newsfeed=true The Guardian 27 July 2012 28 July 2012 To the sound of "Surf Solar" by Fuck Buttons, it followed the River Thames from its source to the heart of London, juxtaposing images of contemporary British life with pastoral shots and flashes of scenes from the stadium. The characters Ratty, Mole and Toad from The Wind in the Willows were briefly seen, as was a "Monty Python hand" pointing towards London on umbrellas, an InterCity 125 train passing the Olympic rings as crop circles in a field, and a rowing race (to the tune of the "Eton Boating Song"). At Battersea Power Station a Pink Floyd pig was flying between the towers; the clock sound from another Pink Floyd song "Time" was heard passing Big Ben. The soundtrack included clips from the theme tune of The South Bank Show, "Caprice No. 24" (as composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber in his Variations fusion album), and the Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen" as the film followed the route of the band's cruise down the River Thames during the Silver Jubilee.London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony – as it happened Xan Brooks https://www.theguardian.com/sport/london-2012-olympics-blog/2012/jul/27/london-2012-olympics-opening-ceremony-live The Guardian 27 July 2012 28 July 2012Olympics Opening Ceremony – The Playlist Luke Lewis https://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=1&title=olympics_opening_ceremony_playlist&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 NME 27 July 2012 28 July 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120730224414/http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=1&title=olympics_opening_ceremony_playlist&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 30 July 2012 dead After lifting to an aerial view of East London mirroring the title sequence of the BBC soap opera EastEnders, to the sound of the drum beats from the closing theme, the film flashed down through the Thames Barrier. The view progressed into Bow Creek, and then below surface through a London Underground train and station, including historic footage of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Thames Tunnel, and through the Rotherhithe Tunnel, accompanied by clips of an orchestral rendition of Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance Marches, "London Calling" by The Clash, the London Underground's Mind the Gap public address warning, and "Smile" by Lily Allen. It then switched to a sequence filmed outside the stadium shortly before the ceremony, superimposed with posters from previous Summer Olympics (all of them except 1900 Paris, 1936 Berlin, 1984 Los Angeles, and 1996 Atlanta), to a recording of "Map of the Problematique" by Muse. This ended with a live shot of three cast members holding the posters for the 2012 competition. There was then a ten-second countdown in the stadium, with children holding clusters of balloons that burst simultaneously, with the audience shouting out the numbers. Bradley Wiggins, who had won the Tour de France five days earlier, opened the ceremony by ringing the Olympic Bell that hung at one end of the stadium. Four upper-atmosphere balloons were released, each expected to carry a set of Olympic rings and a camera up to the mid-stratosphere. Green and Pleasant Land (21:04–21:09) "Be not afeard" speech text-align: left; Be not afeard: the isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears; and sometimes voices, That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep, Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming, The clouds methought would open and show riches Ready to drop upon me; that, when I wak'd, I cried to dream again. William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 3, Scene II right The depiction of rural life already in the arena was billed as "a reminder and a promise of a once and future better life". Youth choirs began a cappella performances of the informal anthems of the four nations of the UK: "Jerusalem" (for England, sung by a live choir in the stadium), "Danny Boy" (from the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland), "Flower of Scotland" (from Edinburgh Castle in Scotland), and "Bread of Heaven" (from Rhossili Beach in Wales).London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony live Eric Koreen https://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/london-2012-olympic-opening-ceremonies-live The National Post 27 June 2012 28 July 2012 live http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20120806010159/http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/07/27/london-2012-olympic-opening-ceremonies-live/ 6 August 2012 These were inter-cut with footage of notable Rugby Union Home Nations' tries, England's winning drop goal from the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final, and live shots from the stadium. As the last choir performance concluded, vintage London General Omnibus Company stagecoaches entered, carrying businessmen and early industrialists in Victorian dress and top hats, led by Kenneth Branagh as Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The 50 men stepped down from the carriages and surveyed the land approvingly. After walking onto the Glastonbury Tor, Brunel delivered Caliban's "Be not afeard" speech, reflecting Boyle's introduction to the ceremony in the programmeDanny Boyle Welcomes The World To London Danny Boyle http://descrier.co.uk/uk/2012/07/london-2012-danny-boyle-welcomes-the-world-to-london/ The Descrier 28 July 2012 28 July 2012 and signifying an aspiration of new industry or a new era in Britain. This anticipated the next section of the ceremony. Pandemonium (21:09–21:25) This section encapsulated British economic and social development from rural economy through the Industrial Revolution to the 1960s. thumb|left|Scene representing Industrial Britain. Rehearsal 23 July 2012 before the ceremony four days later. Proceedings were suddenly interrupted by a loud shout, recorded by volunteers during the rehearsals, followed by drumming (the pre-recorded drumming amplified by 965 cast members drumming on inverted household buckets and bins),Volunteering for the greatest show on earth http://www.ism.org/blog/article/volunteering_for_the_greatest_show_on_earth Incorporated Society of Musicians Laura Hollands 28 August 2012 4 September 2012 21 February 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130221071920/http://www.ism.org/blog/article/volunteering_for_the_greatest_show_on_earth dead led by Evelyn Glennie.Evelyn Glennie on the Olympics Opening Ceremony http://tomtommag.com/2013/02/evelyn-glennie-on-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/ Tom Tom Magazine 14 February 2013 13 March 2013 The three-tonne oak tree on top of the Glastonbury Tor lifted, and industrial workers emerged from both the Tor's brightly lit interior and the entrances to the stadium, to swell the cast to a total of 2,500 volunteers. So began what Boyle had called the "biggest scene change in theatre history" and something he had been advised against attempting.Among those dark satanic mills http://www.sean.co.uk/a/london2012-opening-ceremony.shtm Sean McManus 24 August 2012 Underworld's "And I Will Kiss" began to play, as the cast rolled away the grass and other rural props. Seven smoking chimney stacks with accompanying steeplejacks rose from the ground, along with other industrial machinery: five beam engines, six looms, a crucible and a water wheel (one of the few items left from the rural scene). Boyle said that this section celebrated the "tremendous potential" afforded by the advancements of the Victorian era. It also included a minute's silence in remembrance of the loss of life of both world wars, featuring British "Tommies" and shots of poppies, during which the names of the Accrington Pals were shown on the stadium screens. Unprompted, members of the audience stood in respect during this segment.Danny Boyle and Frank Cottrell-Boyce, audio commentary track to the BBC DVD of the opening ceremonyUnpredictable and inventive as the British themselves, this was the People's Opening Ceremony https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/london-2012-opening-ceremony-opinion-1176668 Daily Mirror Brian Reade 28 July 2012 28 July 2013 Volunteers paraded around the stadium representing some of the groups that had changed the face of Britain: the woman's suffrage movement, the Jarrow Crusade, the first Caribbean immigrants arriving in 1948 on board the Empire Windrush, a 1970s DJ float, the Nostalgia Steel Band, and the Beatles as they appeared on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Also included were real-life Chelsea Pensioners, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, and a group of Pearly Kings and Queens. thumb|upright|The Olympic rings Workers began casting an iron ring. As the noise level and tension built, driven by the relentless rhythm of the music and the drumming, participants mimed repetitive mechanical movements associated with industrial processes such as weaving. Four glowing orange rings gradually began to be carried high above the stadium toward its centre on overhead wires, and then the ring seemingly being cast and forged in the arena began to rise. The five rings converged, still glowing and accompanied by steam and firework effects to give the impression that they were of hot metal. When the five rings formed the Olympic symbol above the stadium, they ignited and rained fire in silver and gold. The image of the Olympic rings in flame became the iconic image of the ceremony, reproduced in newspapers and web stories around the world.London 2012: How the might of the industrial revolution was created on stage Patrick Sawer https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9435386/London-2012-How-the-might-of-the-industrial-revolution-was-created-on-stage.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9435386/London-2012-How-the-might-of-the-industrial-revolution-was-created-on-stage.html 12 January 2022 subscription live The Daily Telegraph 28 July 2012 7 February 2013 Happy and Glorious (21:25–21:35) A short film directed by Boyle and produced by the BBC, called Happy and Glorious (after a line in the national anthem), featured the character James Bond, played by then-Bond actor Daniel Craig, entering the front gate of Buckingham Palace in a London black cab. His entrance (accompanied by an arrangement of Handel's "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba") is noticed by Brazilian children (a nod to Rio de Janeiro, which was to be the next summer Games host city) in the throne room. Bond meets Elizabeth II (who played herself, acknowledging Bond with the words, "Good evening, Mr Bond") in her audience room at the palace, walks with her out of the building and into a waiting AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter. The film followed the helicopter across London, with shots of a cheering crowd on The Mall, Nelson's Column, the Palace of Westminster with an animated Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square, and of the Thames past the London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral, the financial district City of London. The helicopter then passed through Tower Bridge, accompanied by the Dambusters March. The film finished with Bond and the Queen apparently jumping from a real helicopter live above the stadium, accompanied by the "James Bond Theme".Nic Brown BBC News How James Bond whisked the Queen to the Olympics https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19018666 27 July 2012 28 July 2012 The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, along with Rogge, were then introduced to the audience. The Queen was wearing the same dress as in the film, as if she had just arrived with Bond. The idea of the royal helicopter jump was first pitched by director Danny Boyle to Sebastian Coe, who loved it so much he took it to Edward Young, Private Secretary to the Queen, at Buckingham Palace in the summer of 2011. Young "listened sagely, laughed, and promised to ask the boss". Word came back to Coe that the Queen would love to take part. Young, Boyle and Coe agreed to keep the plan secret so as not to spoil the surprise. On 19 September 2022, the morning of the Queen's funeral, Coe told BBC News he originally took the concept to Princess Anne whose only question was "What kind of helicopter?"https://variety.com/2022/politics/global/queen-elizabeth-ii-funeral-1235376534/ Elizabeth II Receives Lavish State Funeral as Thousands Flock to London Streets to Say Goodbye Variety 19 September 2022 Back in 2014, during a State visit by Irish President Michael Higgins, the Queen herself had credited the humour in some degree to Boyle's Irish heritage, saying, “It took someone of Irish descent, Danny Boyle, to get me to jump from a helicopter."'A new era of friendship': Higgins makes historic UK speech https://www.channel4.com/news/irish-president-michael-d-higgins-queen-state-visit Channel4 News 8 April 2014 20 March 2024 For the scenes with the helicopter, the Queen was doubled by actress Julia McKenzie,Guardian London 2012: Danny Boyle thrills audiences with inventive Olympics opening ceremony https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-boyle-olympics-opening-ceremony Tracy Owen McVeigh Gibson 28 July 2012 4 March 2013 and for the parachute jump by BASE jumper and stuntman Gary Connery wearing a dress, hat, jewellery and with a handbag.BBC News London 2012 remembered: Gary Connery loved his Olympic skydiving entrance for opening ceremony https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/10205509/London-2012-remembered-Gary-Connery-loved-his-Olympic-skydiving-entrance-for-opening-cermony.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/10205509/London-2012-remembered-Gary-Connery-loved-his-Olympic-skydiving-entrance-for-opening-cermony.html 12 January 2022 subscription live 27 July 2013 27 July 2013BBC News London 2012: 'Amazing' to be Queen's stunt double https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-19031022 28 July 2012 29 July 2012 Bond was played by Mark Sutton.BBC News Olympic Bond parachutist Mark Sutton killed https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23707434 15 August 2014 15 August 2013 The helicopter had flown to the stadium from Stapleford Aerodrome in Essex, piloted by Marc Wolff. The Union Flag was then raised by members of the British Armed Forces, while the first and third verses of the national anthem were performed a cappella by the Kaos Signing Choir for Deaf and Hearing Children. Second to the right, and straight on till morning (21:35–21:47) The first part of this sequence celebrated the National Health Service ("the institution which more than any other unites our nation", according to the programme), which had been founded in the year of the previous London Games in 1948. Music was by Mike Oldfield. Six hundred dancers, some of whom were NHS staff, along with 1,200 volunteers, some recruited from British hospitals, entered along with children on 320 hospital beds, some of which functioned as trampolines. They started a short jive routine. Watching from the tor were specially invited hospital staff and nine child patients from Great Ormond Street Hospital.Incredible honour for Great Ormond Street Hospital at London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony http://www.gosh.org/gen/news/latest-news/2012-archive/incredible-honour-for-great-ormond-street-hospital-at-london-2012-olympic-opening-ceremony/ Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity 27 June 2012 28 July 2012 The blankets on the beds illuminated and the beds were arranged to depict a child's face with a smile and a tear (the Hospital Children's Charity's logo). The acronym "GOSH" then changed into the initials "NHS", turning into the shape of a crescent moon as the children were hushed to sleep and read books by the nurses. The sequence then moved on to celebrate British children's literature. J. K. Rowling began by reading from J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan (whose copyright was given to Great Ormond Street Hospital). The Child Catcher appeared amongst the children, followed by giant puppet representations of villains from British children's literature: the Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook, Cruella de Vil, and Lord Voldemort. Minutes later, 32 women playing Mary Poppins descended with their umbrellas, as the villains deflated and the actors resumed dancing. The music for this sequence included partially rearranged sections from Tubular Bells (with a giant set of tubular bells at the rear of the stage), Tubular Bells III and, after the villains had been driven away by the Mary Poppins characters, In Dulci Jubilo.Dizzee Rascal, Emeli Sandé, Mike Oldfield perform at Olympics opening ceremony https://www.nme.com/news/dizzee-rascal/65184 NME 27 June 2012 28 July 2012 During this performance the children in pyjamas jumped up and down on their brightly lit beds, creating a memorable image amid the darkness of the stadium. The sequence concluded with a pale, gigantic baby's head, with a rippling sheet for its body, in the centre of the arena. This celebrated the Scottish pioneers of obstetric ultrasound imaging.The Oxford Companion to the London 2012 Opening Ceremony http://blog.oup.com/2012/08/oxford-companion-london-2012-opening-ceremony/ Oxford University Press Blog Alice Northover 12 August 2012 3 September 2012 Interlude (21:47–21:52) Simon Rattle was then introduced to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Vangelis's "Chariots of Fire", as a tribute to the British film industry with Rowan Atkinson reprising his role as Mr. Bean, comically playing a repeated note on a synthesiser. He then lapsed into a filmed dream sequence in which he joined the runners from the film Chariots of Fire, beating them in their iconic run along West Sands at St Andrews by riding in a car, rejoining the race and tripping the front runner. Danny Boyle later said: "It wasn't actually Mr. Bean. Strictly speaking, the name of his character was Derek."March 2026 In 2021's Happy Birthday Mr Bean documentary, Atkinson also stated that the performance was not actually intended to be the character Mr. BeanMarch 2026.Happy Birthday Mr. Bean https://www.itv.com/hub/happy-birthday-mr-bean/10a0711a0001 www.itv.com ITV 2 February 2021 Raphael Amy Boyle Danny Danny Boyle: Creating Wonder Faber & Faber 2013 978-0-571-30187-4 Frankie and June say...thanks Tim (21:52–22:09) This sequence celebrated British popular music and culture, paying homage to each decade since the 1960s.London 2012 Olympics: opening ceremony star describes her 'surreal' night https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympicsvideo/9434650/London-2012-Olympics-opening-ceremony-star-describes-her-surreal-night.html https://web.archive.org/web/20120728214950/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympicsvideo/9434650/London-2012-Olympics-opening-ceremony-star-describes-her-surreal-night.html dead 28 July 2012 The Telegraph 28 July 2012 1 August 2012 To the accompaniment of the BBC newsreel theme "Girls in Grey" and the theme tune from The Archers, a young mother and son arrive in a Mini Cooper at a full-size replica of a modern British house. The 1987 "don't worry about a hurricane" weather forecast by Michael Fish was shown on the big screens as rain suddenly poured on the house, followed by "Push the Button", by Sugababes. In the centre of the arena the sides of another house, three times larger, were used as screens to show clips from various TV programmes, music videos and films, including A Matter of Life and Death (June is named for its protagonist), as well as Gregory's Girl, Kes, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Snowman, The Wicker Man, Modern Family, Four Weddings and a Funeral, British soap operas Coronation Street and EastEnders, Spanish TV show Cuéntame cómo pasó, and Boyle's own Trainspotting on the top and the inside of the house on the bottom.Olympic opening ceremony: Peter Bradshaw's review Peter Bradshaw https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/27/olympic-opening-ceremony-review?newsfeed=true The Guardian 27 June 2012 28 July 2012 A large group of dancers, centred around Frankie and June (19-year-old Henrique Costa and 18-year-old Jasmine Breinburg) on a night out, performed to an assortment of British popular songs arranged broadly chronologically, beginning with "Going Underground" by The Jam, suggesting a ride on the London Underground. During this track images of the Underground were projected onto the house and former London Mayor Ken Livingstone was briefly seen driving the train. Throughout the sequence cast members were texting each other or placing social networking status updates on the Internet. Frankie and June first notice each other as a snippet from "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton plays, but when Frankie saw that June had dropped her phone on the Tube, he set off to return it (communicating using last number redial to her sister's phone). thumb|right|Tim Berners-Lee's tweet, "This is for everyone" An extended dance sequence followed, with songs including "My Generation" by The Who, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones, "My Boy Lollipop" sung by Millie Small, "All Day and All of the Night" by the Kinks, "She Loves You" by the Beatles (with footage of the band performing the song), "Trampled Under Foot" by Led Zeppelin, "Starman" by David Bowie, "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen (during which the sound of the TARDIS from Doctor Who could be heard), "Pretty Vacant" by the Sex Pistols (during which dancers on power jumpers wearing large heads with Mohawk hairstyles performed a pogo dance, and the lyrics to the song were spelt out in LED lights around the stadium), "Blue Monday" by New Order, "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (during which Frankie, asked by June for his name, replied by revealing one of the band's "Frankie say..." T-shirts), "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" by Soul II Soul, "Step On" by Happy Mondays, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics, "Firestarter" by The Prodigy, and "Born Slippy .NUXX" by Underworld, ending with the cast singing "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" as Frankie and June walked towards each other. A sequence from the film Four Weddings and a Funeral was projected behind them; when they kissed, a montage of memorable kisses from film, TV and real life was shown (including one of the first interracial kisses on British television in Emergency Ward 10 and the first lesbian kiss from Brookside, which in some countries, including Saudi Arabia, then became the first lesbian kiss ever shown on pre-watershed television), while "Song 2" by Blur was played. A live performance of "Bonkers" by Dizzee Rascal (who grew up in the host borough of Tower Hamlets)Matthew McKinnon: Grime Wave. CBC.ca, 5 May 2005. Online at the Internet Archive followed, along with a further sequence in which all the cast (and Britain's Got Talent dancing duo Signature) attend a party at June's house while, Amy Winehouse's "Valerie", Muse's "Uprising", and Tinie Tempah's "Pass Out" played. At the close, while "Heaven" by Emeli Sandé was played, the larger house was raised to reveal Tim Berners-Lee working at a NeXT Computer, like the one on which he invented the World Wide Web. He tweeted "This is for everyone",Berners-Lee Tim This is for everyone https://twitter.com/timberners_lee/status/228960085672599552 Twitter 27 July 2012 28 July 2012 instantly spelt out in LED lights around the stadium.Sir Tim Berners-Lee stars in Olympics opening ceremony Karen Friar https://www.zdnet.com/article/web-inventor-tim-berners-lee-stars-in-olympics-opening-ceremony/ ZDNet 28 July 2012 28 July 2012 The programme explained "Music connects us with each other and with the most important moments in our lives. One of the things that makes those connections possible is the World Wide Web". Boyle wanted to honour Berners-Lee for having made the World Wide Web free and available to everyone (hence the tweet), rather than seeking a commercial profit from it.Lunch with the FT: Tim Berners-Lee Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson https://www.ft.com/content/b022ff6c-f673-11e1-9fff-00144feabdc0 Financial Times 7 September 2012 13 March 2013 Abide with Me (22:09–22:20) A filmed sequence showed extracts from the torch relay around the UK, to the music "I Heard Wonders" by David Holmes. This then cut live to show David Beckham driving a dramatically illuminated motor boat down the River Thames and under Tower Bridge, to fireworks, while footballer Jade Bailey held on to the torch in the boat. This section had been rehearsed on 24 July 2012 when the close-up shots were pre-recorded,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSjn9scDRTk https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/mSjn9scDRTk 2021-11-14 live Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony - fireworks rehearsal Tower Bridge Mark Baynes YouTube 24 July 2012 8 March 2013 and was directed by Stephen Daldry. There was then a tribute to "..friends and family of those in the stadium who cannot be here tonight", including the victims of the "7/7" 2005 London bombings (on the day after London had been awarded the Games).London Olympics: Ceremony cathartic for 7/7 medic Claire Heald https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19150896 BBC 6 August 2012 6 August 2012 Photos of people who had died were displayed on screens as a memorial, accompanied by an excerpt from Brian Eno's ambient work "An Ending (Ascent)". The hymn "Abide with Me" was then sung by Emeli Sandé while a group of dancers choreographed by and including Akram Khan performed a contemporary dance on the theme of mortality.Amy Raphael, Danny Boyle: Creating Wonder, London: Faber & Faber, published 21 March 2013, 9780571301867, page 434.Dancer Akram Khan reckons he can never top role in London Olympics opening ceremony Akram Khan https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/10203546/Dancer-Akram-Khan-reckons-he-can-never-top-role-in-London-Olympics-opening-ceremony.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/10203546/Dancer-Akram-Khan-reckons-he-can-never-top-role-in-London-Olympics-opening-ceremony.html 12 January 2022 subscription live The Daily Telegraph 27 July 2013 27 July 2013 Welcome (22:20–00:00) 2012 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations thumb|Team GB enters the 2012 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations last The Parade of Nations of athletes (drawn from the 10,490 competing) and officials from 204 nations (and also the "Independent Olympic Athletes") was led, according to custom, by the Greek team, followed by other competing countries in alphabetical order, and finally the host nation Great Britain. Each of the 205 teams entered the stadium led by their flagbearer, accompanied by a child volunteer carrying a copper petal (later revealed to be part of the cauldron) and a young woman carrying a sign with the country's name in English (and wearing a dress made from fabric printed with photos of people who had applied to be Olympic volunteers).http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Media Guide 27 July 2012 1 August 2012 33 31 July 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120731215816/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf dead The parade was accompanied by mainly British dance tracks and popular songs, including "Galvanize" by Chemical Brothers, "West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys, "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele, "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees and both "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "Beautiful Day" by Irish band U2, with Great Britain entering to David Bowie's song "Heroes". Welsh drum and bass DJ High Contrast mixed and sequenced the music for the athletes' parade. Music with a fast rhythm of 120 bpm was used in an attempt to keep the teams walking quickly around the stadium, and this was reinforced by the drummers in the stadium; nevertheless the parade part of the programme took 1 hour 40 minutes to complete, compared to the 1 hour 29 minutes estimated in the official media guide. Once all of the athletes were inside the stadium, seven billion small pieces of paper were dropped from a Westland helicopter, each piece representing one person on Earth. Each nation's flag was planted on the Glastonbury Tor. Bike a.m. (00:00–00:07 BST 28 July) thumb|Doves at the opening ceremony Once the athletes had gathered in the centre of the stadium, Arctic Monkeys performed "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and The Beatles' "Come Together", the latter while 75 cyclists circled the stadium with wings lit by LEDs representing Doves of Peace. Doves were traditionally released at Olympic opening ceremonies, although real birds have not been used since 1992. A single dove cyclist, his beak painted yellow in honour of Bradley Wiggins, appeared to fly out of the stadium. Let the Games Begin (00:07–00:24) thumb|left|Muhammad Ali receives the Olympic FlagThe formal part of the ceremony was introduced by Sebastian Coe, speaking from the Tor and surrounded by flags of the participating nations. He welcomed the watching world to London. He expressed pride in being British and part of the Olympic movement, and said that the Olympics "brings together the people of the world...to celebrate what is best about mankind". He continued to speak of the "truth and drama" of sport, and then thanked Britain for "making all this possible". Rogge responded by thanking London, stating that it was the third time that London had held the Games, following 1908, held at short notice when Rome was unable to do so (after a volcanic eruption), and 1948 three years after the end of World War II. Rogge thanked the thousands of volunteers, to huge cheers. He announced that for the first time in Olympic history, every team had female participants. Rogge acknowledged the important role the UK had played as "the birthplace of modern sport", codifying its "fair play" ethos and building sport into the school curriculum. He appealed to athletes to play fairly and be drug-free, according to the values of Baron de Coubertin, reminding them that they were role models who would "inspire a generation". After expressing these sentiments again briefly in French, he invited the Queen to open the Games. The Queen declared the competition officially open, immediately followed by a trumpet fanfare based on a theme from Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield and then a fireworks display. The 2012 ceremony was the second time the Queen had opened an Olympic Games, the first being the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal in her capacity as Queen of Canada. It was also the first time any individual had opened a Summer Olympics twice (two more Olympiads had been opened on her behalf, with a further two Winter Games opened on her behalf). The Olympic Flag was carried by eight people chosen from around the world to embody the Olympic values: Doreen Lawrence (chosen for her "tireless thirst for justice"), Haile Gebrselassie (for his "fight against poverty"), Sally Becker (for her "courage"), Ban Ki-moon (as UN secretary-general), Leymah Gbowee (as "a great peacemaker"), Shami Chakrabarti (for "her integrity"), Daniel Barenboim (for bringing "harmony in place of discord"), and Marina Silva (as UN Champion of the Earth).http://au.sports.yahoo.com/photos/olympic-flag-carried-daniel-barenboim-sally-becker-shami-photo-052852459--oly.html The Olympic flag is carried by Daniel Barenboim, Sally Becker, Shami Chakrabati CBE, Leymah Gbowee, Haile Gebrselassie, Doreen Lawrence OBE, Ban Ki-moon and Marina Silva during the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games at the Olympic Stadium in London, Saturday, July 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Ezra Shaw, Pool) | View photo – Yahoo!7 Sport Au.sports.yahoo.com 20 April 2011 31 July 2012 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120731065404/http://au.sports.yahoo.com/photos/olympic-flag-carried-daniel-barenboim-sally-becker-shami-photo-052852459--oly.html 31 July 2012 dmy The flag paused in front of Muhammad Ali (invited to represent "respect, confidence, conviction, dedication, generosity and spiritual strength"), who held it for a few moments. The flag was received by a colour guard of Her Majesty's Armed Forceshttp://goc2012.culture.gov.uk/2012/07/armed-forces-raise-flags/ https://web.archive.org/web/20120728065628/http://goc2012.culture.gov.uk/2012/07/armed-forces-raise-flags/ dead 28 July 2012 Members of the Armed Forces to raise the Union and Olympic flags at Opening Ceremony Government Olympic Communication Newsroom 27 July 2012 13 March 2013 and hoisted to the Olympic Anthem, performed by the LSO and the Grimethorpe Colliery Band. A brief reprise of "And I will Kiss" commenced the Olympic Oaths, taken by taekwondo athlete Sarah Stevenson on behalf of the athletes, by British AIBA Referee Mik Basi on behalf of the officials, and by Eric Farrell on behalf of the coaches.http://en.mastaekwondo.com/2012/07/sarah-stevenson-takes-olympic-oath-at-the-ceremony/ Sarah Stevenson takes Olympic oath at the ceremony 28 July 2012 S Ramirez masTaekwondo 13 March 2013 12 November 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131112140741/http://en.mastaekwondo.com/2012/07/sarah-stevenson-takes-olympic-oath-at-the-ceremony/ deadhttp://www.gbboxing.org.uk/news/boxing-stalwart-takes-centre-stage-at-greatest-show-on-earth-407.php Boxing stalwart takes centre stage at greatest show on earth 3 August 2012 GB Boxing 13 March 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131005014553/http://www.gbboxing.org.uk/news/boxing-stalwart-takes-centre-stage-at-greatest-show-on-earth-407.php 5 October 2013 dead dmy-all There Is a Light That Never Goes Out (00:24–00:38) 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics cauldron thumb|right|Thomas Heatherwick's Olympic Cauldron after being lit This section was named after the song of the same name by The Smiths. The motorboat driven by David Beckham arrived with the Olympic Flame via the Limehouse Cut and the Lee Navigation. Steve Redgrave lit his torch from that on the boat, and carried it into the stadium through an honour guard of 500 of the construction workers who had built the Olympic Park. He passed the flame on to a team of seven young people, each nominated by a famous British Olympian to convey the Games' aim to "inspire a generation".Seven teenagers light Games' cauldron Kate Holton Neil Maidment http://in.reuters.com/article/olympics-opening-ceremony-young-athletes-idINDEE86R00020120728 Reuters 28 July 2012 28 July 2012 23 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200923151542/https://in.reuters.com/article/olympics-opening-ceremony-young-athletes-idINDEE86R00020120728 dead Six of the team were athletes, and the seventh was a volunteer young ambassador.London 2012 remembered: the cauldron lighters https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/10203579/London-2012-remembered-the-cauldron-lighters.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/10203579/London-2012-remembered-the-cauldron-lighters.html 12 January 2022 subscription live The Daily Telegraph 27 July 2013 27 July 2013 The teenagers made a lap of the stadium, each carrying the torch in turn, while Alex Trimble, lead singer of Two Door Cinema Club, performed "Caliban's Dream"Singer 'thought invite was dream' http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/singer-thought-invite-was-dream-16190962.html The Belfast Telegraph 28 July 2012 27 July 2012 with the Dockhead Choir, Only Men Aloud, Elizabeth Roberts, and Esme Smith. This had been written especially for the ceremony by Rick Smith of Underworld. Each young athlete was greeted by their nominating Olympian (watched by 260 British medallists from previous summer and winter Games since London 1948) and presented with their own torch, which was then lit from the flame. They jogged through a corridor between assembled athletes to the centre of the stadium, where the 204Olympic cauldron lit by sport stars of future https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/28/olympic-cauldron-lit-youngsters The Guardian Owen Gibson 28 July 2012 10 December 2012 The independent athletes had a petal for the Athletes' Parade, but this was not attached to the cauldron. copper petals (each inscribed with the name of the team it accompanied during the parade) were now seen in a circular formation attached to long pipes (the petals were to accompany each team home after the competition, as a souvenir).Olympic Cauldron http://www.heatherwick.com/2012-olympic-cauldron/ Heatherwick Studio 13 March 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130217021742/http://www.heatherwick.com/2012-olympic-cauldron/ 17 February 2013 dead dmy-all The young athletes lit some of the petals, and when the flame had spread to all of them, the pipes rose slowly from the floor of the stadium and converged to form the cauldron.The Cauldron Lighting Segment (Full) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei54TO1VBlM https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/Ei54TO1VBlM 2021-11-14 live Olympic YouTube Channel 27 July 2012 27 July 2012 The cauldron lighters were (nominator in brackets):Heatherwick Olympic cauldron lit by young hopefuls https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19024475 BBC News 28 July 2012 3 August 2012 Callum Airlie (Shirley Robertson) Jordan Duckitt (Duncan Goodhew) Desiree Henry (Daley Thompson) Katie Kirk (Mary Peters) Cameron MacRitchie (Steve Redgrave) Aidan Reynolds (Lynn Davies) Adelle Tracey (Kelly Holmes) The cauldron designed by Thomas Heatherwick was described as "one of the best-kept secrets of the opening ceremony": until this point, its design, location, and who would light it had not been revealed.London 2012: Thomas Heatherwick, the designer behind the Olympic cauldron that stunned viewers https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9434325/London-2012-Thomas-Heatherwick-the-designer-behind-the-Olympic-cauldron-that-stunned-viewers.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9434325/London-2012-Thomas-Heatherwick-the-designer-behind-the-Olympic-cauldron-that-stunned-viewers.html 12 January 2022 subscription live The Daily Telegraph Roya Nikkhah 28 July 2012 28 July 2012Olympic cauldron represents peace says designer Heatherwick https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19028963 BBC 28 July 2012 30 July 2012 And in the end (00:38–00:46) A flurry of spectacular fireworks accompanied by Pink Floyd's song "Eclipse" was supported by images of memorable Olympic victories shown on the big screens, with the stadium pixels showing Jesse Owens running. The climax of this section was a live view of the Olympic rings 34 kilometres (21 miles) above the Earth, transmitted from one of the balloons launched three and a half hours earlier. The sky was then lit by searchlights piercing the smoke (another iconic London image) from the fireworks, the Orbit tower was illuminated. Paul McCartney and his band performed the closing section of "The End", and then "Hey Jude", with its chorus sung by the audience to close the ceremony at 00:46 BST. Music Isles of Wonder (album) thumb|upright|left|Segment of the opening ceremony celebrating British music The eclectic programme of music was chosen to showcase almost exclusively British musicOlympics opening ceremony pays tribute to British pop music Tim Jonze https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jul/27/olympics-opening-ceremony-british-pop?newsfeed=true The Guardian 27 July 2012 29 July 2012https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/olympics-ceremony-london-2012-arctic-monkeys-355714 London 2012: Olympics Opening Ceremony Soundtrack Album Tops Download Charts The Hollywood Reporter 29 July 2012 13 March 2013 with pieces representing the UK's four nations.Sawer Patrick London 2012: opening ceremony wows the Queen and the world with wit and drama https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9434274/London-2012-opening-ceremony-wows-the-Queen-and-the-world-with-wit-and-drama.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9434274/London-2012-opening-ceremony-wows-the-Queen-and-the-world-with-wit-and-drama.html 12 January 2022 subscription live The Daily Telegraph 31 July 2012 28 July 2012 It included classical works by British composers such as Hubert Parry, and performances by UK choirs and orchestras. The focus was mainly on music of the 1960s onwards, causing one Chinese journalist to ask: "Will this be the most rock and roll opening ceremony ever?".Olympics opening ceremony: the view from abroad Alexandra Topping https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/27/olympics-opening-ceremony-view-from-abroad?intcmp=239 The Guardian 27 July 2012 29 July 2012 Rick Smith and Underworld composed pieces for the ceremony, including "And I Will Kiss"Underworld - And I Will Kiss (Edit) (London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1jPRQOkuWw https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/i1jPRQOkuWw 2021-11-14 live YouTube 27 July 2012 29 July 2012 used during the "Pandemonium" section, and "Caliban's Dream"Underworld - Caliban's Dream (London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mec8GZkEpD4 https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/Mec8GZkEpD4 2021-11-14 live YouTube 27 July 2012 29 July 2012 heard during the lighting of the cauldron. These were favourably reviewed; in The Guardian, Michael Hann wrote "Underworld ... had a bit of a triumph: the builds and fades they learned in the world of dance music lent the sometimes overwhelming visual spectacle a sense of structure".Olympic opening ceremony: the music, reviewed Michael Hann https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/27/olympic-opening-ceremony-music?intcmp=239 The Guardian 27 July 2012 29 July 2012 Musical motifs were used to bind the ceremony programme together: for example, the "whistling" theme first heard during the minute's silence embedded within "And I Will Kiss" returned frequently – behind the fury as the ring was being forged, emerging triumphant as the five rings came together, and again later as the main theme of "Caliban's Dream" while the flame was paraded around the stadium. thumb|Mike Oldfield performing "Tubular Bells" at the opening ceremony Bells were a theme of the opening day of the Olympics, starting at 8:12am with artist Martin Creed's Work No. 1197: All the Bells, when bells were rung across the UK including forty strikes of Big Ben.Bells toll across UK as Martin Creed's army of ringers welcome Olympics Severin Carrell Charlotte Higgins https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/jul/27/bells-toll-martin-creed-olympics?newsfeed=true The Guardian 27 July 2012 30 July 2012 "The sound of bells is the sound of England", Boyle had told volunteers during rehearsal. Moon Russell Days of Wonders Oak House Partnership 2012 978-095747310-2 Much of the music for the ceremony contained "bell" references, linking to the large bell forged for the ceremony and evoking bells as "the sound of freedom and peace". Modified sequences based on the traditional British eight-bell peal underlaid "And I Will Kiss" and carried through into the "Tubular Bells"/NHS section, with handbells and a tolling large bell featured on "Caliban's Dream" and at key points in the ceremony. A handbell chime also played after the close, as the stadium emptied. Boyle approached many of the artists personally, to see if they would be interested in performing, and he also flew to Barbados for an hour-long meeting with Mike Oldfield. A few turned him down, including Elvis Costello and David Bowie. The performing artists were paid a nominal £1 fee to make their contracts legally binding. The pre-recorded soundtrack Isles of Wonder was released on iTunes at midnight of 28 July 2012, with a two-disc CD set released on 2 August.Isles of Wonder https://www.amazon.co.uk/Isles-Wonder-Opening-Ceremony-Olympic/dp/B008MIHQQI/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1343554067&sr=1-1 Amazon 29 July 2012 Within two days, the download album had topped the iTunes album charts in Britain, France, Belgium and Spain, and reached No. 5 in the United States, as well as being No. 5 in the British album charts. Rick Smith's concluding comment in the CD cover notes was: "The isle is full of noises. The soundtrack writes itself." +Main musical items in the opening ceremony, in the order first performed (not including the music used in the Parade of Nations)And in the end... http://olympicopeningceremony.tumblr.com/tagged/music London 2012 Opening Ceremony website music credits 30 July 2012London 2012 Olympics: the full musical playlist for the Olympic opening ceremony https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9341231/London-2012-Olympics-the-full-musical-playlist-for-the-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9341231/London-2012-Olympics-the-full-musical-playlist-for-the-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html 12 January 2022 subscription live The Daily Telegraph Sophia Heath 19 June 2012 30 July 2012 Piece Artist Written by Notes Start time (BBC iPlayer)Opening Ceremony with TV Commentary https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics BBC 28 July 2012 3 August 2012 "Sailor's Boots" Frank Turner Frank Turner Played during the prologue, not on iPlayer "Wessex Boy" Frank Turner Frank Turner, Nigel Powell Played during the prologue, not on iPlayer "I Still Believe" Frank Turner Frank Turner, Nigel Powell Played during the prologue, not on iPlayer "Nimrod" (from the Enigma Variations) LSO On Track youth orchestra Conducted by François-Xavier Roth Assistant conductor: Matthew Gibson Edward Elgar Arr. Gareth Glyn Played during the prologue (an excerpt from a BBC Radio 4 Shipping Forecast was played over a part) also played during Kenneth Branagh's "Be not afeard" speech in the Pandemonium section. 00:00:00; 00:12:00 "The Road Goes on Forever" (One Minute to Midnight Mix) (which samples "Baba O'Riley" by The Who) High Contrast Played during the one minute countdown to the ceremony going live to the world 00:03:10 "Surf Solar" Fuck Buttons (credited as "F Buttons") Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power Green and Pleasant Land filmed segment 00:04:11 "Eton Boating Song" Eton College School Concert Choir and Orchestra William Johnson Cory, Capt. Algernon Drummond, Evelyn Wodehouse Green and Pleasant Land filmed segment 00:05:25 "Time" Pink Floyd Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Richard Wright Green and Pleasant Land filmed segment (Ticking clock/heartbeat bit as the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben are shown). Big Ben then strikes 00:05:43 Variations (Theme to The South Bank Show) Julian Lloyd Webber Niccolò PaganiniArr. Julian Lloyd Webber Green and Pleasant Land filmed segment 00:05:48 "God Save the Queen" Sex Pistols Lydon/Matlock/Jones/Cook Green and Pleasant Land filmed segment 00:05:53 Theme to EastEnders Simon May and Leslie Osborne Green and Pleasant Land filmed segment 00:06:05 "Under The House" P.I.L. John Lydon, Martin Atkins, Keith Levene Green and Pleasant Land filmed segment 00:06:09 "London Calling" The Clash Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon Green and Pleasant Land filmed segment 00:06:16 "Pomp and Circumstance" Op.39: March, No 1 in D London Symphony Orchestra Edward Elgar Green and Pleasant Land filmed segment 00:06:22 "Smile" Lily Allen L. Allen, Iyiola Babalola, Darren Lewis Green and Pleasant Land filmed segment 00:06:28 "Map of the Problematique" Muse Matt Bellamy Green and Pleasant Land filmed segment, played during the Olympic Games posters display; runs into the start of the live programme from the stadium with the balloon countdown from 10–1 00:06:31 "Jerusalem" The Dockhead Choir Choir coordinator: Mag Shepherd Poem: William Blake Music: Hubert Parry English choir, sung live in the stadium 00:08:16; 00:10:53 "Londonderry Air" ("Danny Boy") The Belfast Philharmonic Phil Kids Choir and JAM Junior Academy of Music Traditional Lyrics: Frederic Weatherly Filmed segment: Northern Irish choir on the Giant's Causeway 00:09:08 "Flower of Scotland" The Big Project Roy Williamson (The Corries) Arr. Kim Edgar Filmed segment: Scottish choir at Edinburgh Castle 00:09:40 "Bread of Heaven" Only Kids Aloud, Only Vale Kids Aloud and the WNO Singing Club Tune Cwm Rhondda by John Hughes Lyrics: William Williams Arr. Tim Rhys-Evans Filmed segment: Welsh choir at Rhossili Bay 00:10:15 "And I Will Kiss" Underworld, Evelyn Glennie, The 1000 Pandemonium Drummers LSO on Track, conducted by François-Xavier Roth Assistant conductor: Matthew Gibson The Grimethorpe Colliery Brass Band Orchestrated and conducted by Sandy Smith Steel Band: Nostalgia plus additional singers Smith/Hyde Written specially for the opening ceremony, and played live. Pandemonium section about the Industrial Revolution; an orchestral version briefly played before and after the Olympic Oaths later on in the ceremony 00:13:15; 03:30:01; 03:32:31 "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" from Solomon London Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Geoffrey Alexander George Frideric Handel Happy and Glorious filmed segment 00:29:00 "Music for the Royal Fireworks": IV. La Rejouissance London Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Geoffrey Alexander George Frideric Handel Happy and Glorious filmed segment 00:30:28 "Dambusters March" London Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Geoffrey Alexander Eric Coates Happy and Glorious filmed segment 00:31:08 "James Bond Theme" (from Dr. No) The John Barry Orchestra Monty Norman Happy and Glorious filmed segment 00:33:31 "Fanfare of the Common Welshman" London Symphony Orchestra Karl Jenkins Played as Queen Elizabeth II entered the stadium; later just before the Queen declaring the Games open: a fanfare, then another as the Olympic flag is brought in. 00:34:32; 03:22:37 "Sundowner" Blanck Mass Benjamin John Power Played while the Union Jack was brought in by members of the Armed Forces 00:35:08 "God Save the Queen" (National Anthem) The Kaos Signing Choir for Deaf and Hearing Children Signductor: Ali Wood Composer uncertain Sung live while the Union Flag was raised 00:37:04 "Tubular Bells" Mike Oldfield Alistair Mulloy, Luke Oldfield, Ash SoanMusical Director: Robin Smith Mike Oldfield Second to the right, and straight on till morning segment (NHS/Great Ormond Street Hospital); second time in this section while J. K. Rowling is reading; the monsters and villains arrive.Mike Oldfield - London Olympics 2012 opening ceremony - Alasdair Malloy Percussion Camera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjenmsITnBs https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/jjenmsITnBs 2021-11-14 live YouTube 29 July 2012 13 March 2013 00:38:37; 00:43:10 "Tubular Bells (Part One - Swing)"Mike Oldfield – Music For The Opening Ceremony Of The London 2012 Olympic Games http://www.discogs.com/Mike-Oldfield-Music-For-The-Opening-Ceremony-Of-The-London-2012-Olympic-Games/release/3939211 Discogs 13 March 2013 Mike Oldfield Mike Oldfield Second to the right, and straight on till morning segment (NHS/Great Ormond Street Hospital) jitterbugging nurses bit 00:40:09 "Secrets / Far Above the Clouds" (from Tubular Bells III) Alistair Mulloy, Luke Oldfield, Ash SoanMusical Director: Robin Smith Mike Oldfield Second to the right, and straight on till morning segment (NHS/Great Ormond Street Hospital) putting the children to bed, moon shape made with beds, Mary Poppinses/Poppi arrive and vanquish the monsters 00:42:18 "In Dulci Jubilo" Mike Oldfield Recorder: Andy Findon Traditional 14th-century song Second to the right, and straight on till morning segment (NHS/Great Ormond Street Hospital) Children dance again 00:47:19 "Olympic Tubular Bells Coda" Mike Oldfield Mike Oldfield Second to the right, and straight on till morning segment (NHS/Great Ormond Street Hospital) Piano music then orchestral as children put back to bed (again); giant baby arrives 00:48:48 "Chariots of Fire" The London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Simon Rattle Pianist: Iain Farrington Additional singers featuring Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) Vangelis Arr. Howard Goodall Orchestrated by David Butterworth Mr. Bean live and filmed segment 00:51:11 "Girls in Grey" Charles Williams and His Concert Orchestra Charles Williams Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment. This track is preceded by the pips. 00:56:27 Theme to The Archers ("Barwick Green") Arthur Wood Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment. The Archers theme tune is followed by Michael Fish's weather forecast downplaying the potential impact of the great storm of 1987. 00:56:36 "Black and White Rag" Winifred Atwell George Botsford Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 00:57:09 "Push the Button" Sugababes Dallas Austin, Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, Heidi Range Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 00:57:18 "Enola Gay" Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Andy McCluskey Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 00:57:49 "Food Glorious Food" from the original soundtrack recording of Oliver! Lionel Bart Arr. Green Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 00:58:18 "When I Was a Youngster" Rizzle Kicks Alexander-Sule/ Stephens/Street/Dring/Edwards/Ray Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 00:58:52 "Going Underground" The Jam Paul Weller Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 00:59:40 "Wonderful Tonight" Eric Clapton Eric Clapton Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:00:48 ? ? Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment orchestral piece – part of the Charlie Chaplin film score? 01:01:08 "My Generation" The Who Pete Townshend Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:01:18 "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" The Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, Keith Richards Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:01:38 "My Boy Lollipop" Millie Small Robert Spencer, Morris Levy, Johnny Roberts Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:02:00 "All Day and All of the Night" The Kinks Ray Davies Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:02:17 "She Loves You" The Beatles Lennon-McCartney Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:02:28 "Tiger Feet" Mud Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:02:51 "Trampled Under Foot" Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:03:15 "A Message to You, Rudy" The Specials Dandy Livingstone Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:03:33 "Starman" David Bowie David Bowie Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:03:42 "Bohemian Rhapsody" Queen Freddie Mercury Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:03:59 "Pretty Vacant" Sex Pistols Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Glen Matlock Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:04:55 "Blue Monday" New Order Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Bernard Sumner Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:06:02 "Relax" Frankie Goes To Hollywood Peter Gill, Holly Johnson, Brian Nash, Mark O'Toole Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:06:26 "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" Soul II Soul (featuring Caron Wheeler) Jazzie B, Caron Wheeler, Nellee Hooper, Simon Law Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:06:35 "Step On" Happy Mondays John Kongos, Christos Demetriou Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:06:54 "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" Eurythmics Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:06:58 "Firestarter" The Prodigy Contains samples of "SOS" by The Breeders Kim Deal, Anne Dudley, Keith Flint, Trevor Horn, Liam Howlett, J.J. Jeczalik, Gary Langan, Paul Morley Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:07:29 "Born Slippy .NUXX" Underworld Rick Smith, Karl Hyde, Darren Emerson Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:07:57 "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" Music: John KelletteLyrics: James Kendis, James Brockman and Nat Vincent Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:08:17 "Song 2" Blur Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, Dave Rowntree Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment. Montage of kisses including the ground-breaking Brookside pre-watershed lesbian kiss in 1994. 01:09:00 "Bonkers" Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills, Armand Van Helden Played live during the Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment. 01:09:12; 01:10:20; 01:11:42 "Nimma Nimma" A. R. Rahman A. R. Rahman Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:10:05 "Valerie" Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson Dave McCabe, Abi Harding, Sean Payne, Russell Pritchard, Boyan Chowdhury Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:10:42 "Uprising" Muse Matt Bellamy Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:10:56 "Random Antics" Mikey J feat. Kano Asante/Robinson "Pass Out" Tinie Tempah Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu, McKenzie Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:11:29 "Heaven" Emeli Sandé Sandé/Spencer/Khan/Chegwin/Craze Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim segment 01:11:57 As the house lifts up and reveals Tim Berners-Lee "I Heard Wonders"London Olympics: Opening ceremony celebrates pop music https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-london-2012-the-pop-music-at-the-olympics-opening-ceremony-20120727,0,4190908.story?page=2 Los Angeles Times Todd Martens 28 July 2012 1 August 2012 David Holmes There Is A Light That Never Goes Out filmed segment: recap of 1948 London Olympics, merging to the Olympic torch being lit in the Temple of Hera at Olympia in Greece and its progress throughout the UK on the Olympic torch relay,http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Media Guide 27 July 2012 1 August 2012 36 31 July 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120731215816/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf dead ending with David Beckham and Jade Bailey in the speedboat on the Thames with the Olympic torch 01:13:35 "An Ending (Ascent)" Brian Eno Brian Eno Played during the display of memorial photographs 01:18:29 "Abide With Me" Emeli Sandé Henry Francis Lyte Tune: "Eventide" by William Henry Monk Preceded by a single bell toll; sung live 01:19:14 "Welcome" Produced by Lincoln Barrett, John Harris and Rick Smith Mixed by Simon Gogerly Medley of various songs played during the Athletes' Parade "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" Arctic Monkeys Lyrics by: Alex Turner Music by: Arctic Monkeys Played live 03:04:46 "Come Together" Arctic Monkeys Lennon-McCartney Played live 03:07:36 "Sundowner" London Symphony Orchestra Benjamin John Power Arr. Rick Smith Orchestrated by Geoffrey Alexander Played as the Olympic Flag is being paraded 03:23:06 "Olympic Anthem" London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Geoffrey Alexander Brass band: The Grimethorpe Colliery Band conducted by Sandy Smith Lyrics: Kostis Palamas Music: Spyridon Samaras Arr. Kirsty Whalley and Guy Barker Played as the Olympic flag is raised 03:26:12 "Sundowner" Blanck Mass Benjamin John Power Played as David Beckham and Jade Bailey come up the Limehouse Cut in the speedboat with the Olympic torch and hand over to Steve Redgrave, who runs with it into the Olympic Stadium 03:28:14 "Caliban's Dream" Underworld, the Dockhead Choir, Evelyn Glennie, Only Men Aloud, Elizabeth Roberts, Esme Smith and Alex Trimble London Symphony Orchestra LSO orchestrated and conducted by Geoffrey Alexander Rick Smith Soprano lead and choral score written and arranged by Rick and Esme Smith Drum score arranged by Rick Smith and Paul Clarvis Smith Written specially for the opening ceremony, and played live. The music that accompanied the arrival of the torch into the Olympic Stadium and the lighting of the cauldron, ending with the soprano solo 03:33:31 "Eclipse" Pink Floyd Roger Waters Played during the final fireworks display 03:40:53 "The End" Paul McCartney Lennon-McCartney A brief excerpt was played live, followed by the single toll of a bell. 03:42:42 "Hey Jude" Paul McCartney Lennon-McCartney Played live 03:43:42 Anthems UK National Anthem of the United Kingdom – Kaos Signing Choir for Deaf and Hearing Children IOC Olympic Anthem – London Symphony Orchestra Technical aspects The main loading of the stadium started on 10 May and took ten weeks of what was the wettest summer for a hundred years, posing considerable challenges.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Z8pCTt1hE Backstage at the London 2012 Olympic Ceremonies Lsionline 12 September 2012 15 March 2013https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19427139 Summer 'wettest in 100 years', Met Office figures show 30 August 2012 15 March 2013 15 BBC News Dismantling the staging took just sixty hours. The infield staging area was 2.5 metres high, and had to accommodate the elements revealed during the ceremony, such as the chimneys and beam engines from "Pandemonium", and the cauldron. To ensure that it remained secret, the cauldron was code-named "Betty", and installed and tested at night. The stadium was rigged with a one million watt sound system and more than 500 speakers.http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Media Guide 27 July 2012 1 August 2012 15 31 July 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120731215816/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf dead Some 15000 sqm acre of staging and 12,956 props were used,Olympics ceremony: 27m UK viewers watched opening https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19026694 BBC News 28 July 2012 2 August 2012 as well as 7346 sqm acre of turf including crops.http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Media Guide 27 July 2012 1 August 2012 21 31 July 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120731215816/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf dead 70,799 25 centimetre (10 inch) pixel panels were placed around the stadium, including between every seat. Each panel connected to a central computer and was fitted with nine full-colour LED pixels by Tait Technology. These enabled images to be broadcast during the performance, such as of a 1960s go-go dancer, a London Underground train, and a representation of the birth of the internet. The audience was also able to participate by waving the paddles to create a twinkling effect. These animations were designed by 59 Productions and the video animations were produced by Chinese company Crystal CG.Desmarais Christina http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/?NewsID=3372809 HOW THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY AUDIENCE BECAME A GIANT TV SCREEN Digitalartsonline.co.uk 30 July 2012 31 July 2012 The 2D to 3D transformation and mapping of video content onto the panels were done by Avolites Media media server consoles.Tait's Landscape Video System Engulfs Entire Olympic Stadium With Moving Images http://www.tpimagazine.com/News/1511740/taits_landscape_video_system_engulfs_entire_olympic_stadium_with_moving_images.html tpiMagazine.com Total Production International 23 July 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20140108024914/http://www.tpimagazine.com/News/1511740/taits_landscape_video_system_engulfs_entire_olympic_stadium_with_moving_images.html 8 January 2014 dead dmy-allInterview - Dave Green Lighting and Sound International July 2013 82 http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?PBID=8918c11d-2349-4b43-a6cc-a2fdecb2f2e2 16 July 2013 thumb|At the technical rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony Technical director Piers Shepperd masterminded the complex change from rural to industrial during "Pandemonium". The seven inflatable chimneys were made by Airworks, and varied in height (three were 22 m ft on, two were 23 m ft on and two were 30 m ft on high). They were made of soft fabric, with an outer layer of printed brick pattern. Each contained four industrial fans at the base to inflate them, and a smoke machine near the top, and were hoisted into the air from the overhead rigs. Life-size beam engines were constructed onstage by teams of stage hands and members of the Volunteer Staging Team. At the climax of "Pandemonium", in the Olympic ring forging scene, amber lights lit in sequence created the illusion of a 30 m ft on molten steel river, with pyrotechnic smoke and dry ice as steam. The original grass floor surface had been removed to reveal a giant stylised map of London.Papworth Andrew http://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/latest-news/review_of_the_year_2012_july_september_1_1782551 Review of the Year 2012: July–September Hunts Post 4 January 2013 7 January 2013 6 November 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131106101448/http://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/latest-news/review_of_the_year_2012_july_september_1_1782551 dead Working alongside the professional crew were more than 800 volunteers; some were production arts students from British drama schools. Many had been working on the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies since early 2012 at the Three Mills Studios and Dagenham rehearsal sites, before moving to the Stadium on 16 June. The thousands of cast were cued and co-ordinated by directions received through earphones ("in-ear monitors"), and adjustments were made during the performance: for example, during Pandemonium extra volunteers were sent to make sure all the turf was cleared on time. The earphones also carried a continuous electronic metronomic four-beat to keep everyone walking and moving in time with the music.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZlZZf8MKpM https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/1ZlZZf8MKpM 2021-11-14 live Olympic Opening Ceremony Hidden Camera with performers in ear monitor YouTube 11 December 2012 27 July 2013 In July 2013 it was revealed that on the morning of the ceremony, Britain's surveillance headquarters GCHQ had detected a credible cyber attack threat that could have killed the lighting system in the stadium. Counter-measures were taken, and in the afternoon contingency plans were discussed with government ministers at a meeting in the Cabinet Office briefing room. However, this attack never materialised.Corera Gordon https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23195283 The 'cyber-attack' threat to London's Olympic ceremony BBC News 8 July 2013 10 July 2013 Ceremony key team Artistic director: Danny BoyleHow Danny Boyle put together the show that wowed the world Alexandra Topping Owen Gibson The Observer 8 29 July 2012 Producer: Tracey Seaward Designers: Suttirat Anne Larlarb and Mark Tildesley Writer: Frank Cottrell-Boyce Music director: Rick Smith (Underworld) Associate director: Paulette Randallhttps://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2012/09/01/paulette-randall-sets-the-jamaican-olympic-stage/ Paulette Randall sets the Jamaican Olympic stage Jamaica Observer 1 September 2012 14 March 2025https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/jul/09/paulette-randall-fences-director-interview Paulette Randall interview: 'You never know what's around the corner, do you?' Nosheen Iqbal The Guardian 9 July 2013 14 March 2025 Movement director: Toby Sedgwick Head of mass movement choreography: Steve Boydhttp://steveboydportfolio.com/Portfolio/Olympics/Pages/London_2012.html LONDON 2012 HEAD OF MASS MOVEMENT CHOREOGRAPHY OPENING & CLOSING CEREMONIES OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES Steve Boyd 7 February 2013 26 January 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130126172335/http://www.steveboydportfolio.com/Portfolio/Olympics/Pages/London_2012.html dead Choreographers: Temujin Gill, Kenrick "H2O" Sandy and Akram Khan Video editor: Sascha DhillonLondon 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Official Programme, p. 49 Visual effects supervisor: Adam Gascoyne Executive producer, production design: Mark Fisherhttp://www.stufish.com/stufish-staff/creative-team/mark-fisher.html Mark Fisher Studio | |Stufish Staff | Creative Team | Stufish 31 July 2012 https://archive.today/20130203040901/http://www.stufish.com/stufish-staff/creative-team/mark-fisher.html 3 February 2013 dead dmy-all Executive producer, creative: Stephen Daldry Lighting designer: Patrick Woodroffe Associate lighting designer: Adam Bassett Lead lighting programmer: Tim RoutledgeTim Routledge http://www.timroutledge.co.uk/ Lighting Designer | Lighting Director | Lighting Programmer – Tim Routledge, lighting design, programming Timroutledge.co.uk 27 July 2012 31 July 2012 Soundscape designer: Gareth Fry Technical director: Piers ShepperdPiers Shepperd http://www.wonder.co.uk/ Technical Director Wonder.co.uk 27 July 2012 31 July 2012 Technical manager (technical design and staging): Jeremy Lloyd Technical manager (aerial): James Lee Technical manager (lighting, audio-visual, power): Nick Jones Technical manager (services and special projects): Scott Buchanan Senior production manager (audio and communications): Chris Ekers Executive producer, broadcast: Hamish HamiltonFILMING THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONY Hamilton Hamish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_JDSfaWj4k YouTube 12 February 2013 21 March 2013 Executive producer, production: Catherine Ugwu Press & publicity: Christopher Mitchell Bike choreographer: Bob Haro Bike project manager: Paul HughesXtreme Action Events http://www.xtremeaction.co.uk/ Event Director – Paul Hughes xtremeaction.co.uk 1 August 2012 1 August 2012 17 December 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121217015500/http://xtremeaction.co.uk/ dead Announcers: Marc Edwards and Layla Anna-Lee Ceremonies sound designer: Bobby Aitken Ceremonies RF spectrum planning and management: Steve Caldwell Ceremonies monitor engineer: Steve Watson Ceremonies front of house engineer: Richard Sharratt Production manager radio mics and IEMs: Alison Dale Artist security director: Richard Barry Ceremonies Financial Controller: Andrew Slater Production stage manager: Sam Hunter Show caller: Julia Whittle TV coverage thumb|Fireworks at Tower Bridge The BBC's coverage started at 19:00 and continued uninterrupted until 00:50.How to watch the London Olympic opening ceremony https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2012/jul/27/how-to-watch-olympic-opening-ceremony Stuart Heritage 27 July 2012 14 March 2013 The Guardian The BBC audience averaged about 24.46 million viewers and peaked at approximately 26.9 million.Olympic opening ceremony watched by nearly 27m https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jul/28/london-olympic-ceremony-tv-viewers John Plunkett 28 July 2012 24 August 2012 The Guardian This was the largest average audience for any broadcast since 1996 and one of the top 20 most-watched UK television broadcasts of all time. David Stringer of Associated Press described the coverage as "a success...so far, the BBC's ambitious – and technically tricky – Olympic plan has worked almost without a flaw."London Olympics offers a boost to beleaguered BBC https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=8230357 David Stringer 3 August 2012 14 June 2014 ESPN The Walt Disney Company Euan Ferguson of The Observer commented that "Coverage of the Olympics so far ... has been near perfect".https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/29/olympic-opening-ceremony-coverage-bbc Olympic coverage sees the BBC's female anchors take an early lead The Observer Euan Ferguson 29 July 2012 5 August 2012 However, Clive James was critical of the build-up programme, presented by Gary Lineker and Sue Barker.Clive James https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9440944/Clive-James-on...-the-London-2012-opening-ceremony-and-the-BBC-coverage.html https://web.archive.org/web/20120731130451/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9440944/Clive-James-on...-the-London-2012-opening-ceremony-and-the-BBC-coverage.html dead 31 July 2012 Clive James on... the London 2012 opening ceremony and the BBC coverage The Daily Telegraph 31 July 2012 5 August 2012 Commentators for the BBC were Huw Edwards, Hazel Irvine and Trevor Nelson, the latter criticised by Andy Dawson of the Daily Mirror as floundering "like a ventriloquist's dummy pumped full of low-grade ketamine".Dawson Andy https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-reviews/bbcs-trevor-nelson-stumbles-but-danny-1177361 Boyle Command Performance is hampered by not-so-clever Trevor Daily Mirror 28 July 2012 31 July 2012https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9441775/London-2012-viewers-verdicts-on-BBC-sports-presenters.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9441775/London-2012-viewers-verdicts-on-BBC-sports-presenters.html 12 January 2022 subscription live London 2012: viewers' verdicts on BBC sports presenters The Daily Telegraph Hannah Furness 1 August 2012 5 August 2012Purnell Gareth https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/olympic-opening-ceremony-view-from-the-sofa-sue-gary-and-team-bbc-whipped-us-into-a-frenzy-7982773.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/olympic-opening-ceremony-view-from-the-sofa-sue-gary-and-team-bbc-whipped-us-into-a-frenzy-7982773.html 1 May 2022 subscription Olympic opening ceremony view from the sofa: Sue, Gary and Team BBC whipped us into a frenzy – Olympic News – Olympics The Independent 28 July 2012 5 August 2012Donaghy James https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2012/jul/31/olympic-sporting-commentary?newsfeed=true Olympic sporting commentary: why more is often less The Guardian 31 July 2012 5 August 2012https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/27/olympic-opening-ceremony-tv?newsfeed=true Olympic opening ceremony: the TV review The Guardian Sam Wollaston 27 July 2012 5 August 2012Purnell Gareth https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/comment/grace-dents-olympics-the-bbc-red-button-should-come-with-a-health-warning-7986144.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/comment/grace-dents-olympics-the-bbc-red-button-should-come-with-a-health-warning-7986144.html 1 May 2022 subscription Grace Dent's Olympics: The BBC red button should come with a health warning – Comment – Olympics The Independent 30 July 2012 5 August 2012 Private talks were held between Boyle and BBC commentators in the run-up to the ceremony. Boyle was unhappy with a voiceover being imposed on the ceremony, which he wanted viewers to be able to enjoy without commentary. The BBC offered several options including "no commentary" coverage for both its TV and online transmissions.Danny Boyle unhappy over plans for commentary over the Olympic opening ceremony https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9422502/Danny-Boyle-unhappy-over-plans-for-commentary-over-the-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9422502/Danny-Boyle-unhappy-over-plans-for-commentary-over-the-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html 12 January 2022 subscription live The Daily Telegraph 25 November 2012 24 July 2012Danny Boyle in private talks with Huw Edwards on Olympic Opening Ceremony https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/danny-boyle-in-private-talks-with-huw-edwards-on-olympic-opening-ceremony-7966269.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/danny-boyle-in-private-talks-with-huw-edwards-on-olympic-opening-ceremony-7966269.html 1 May 2022 subscription Ian Burrell The Independent 3 August 2012 24 July 2012 Audio description was also provided with commentary by Nick Mullins.BBC - The Ouch! Blog: Blind people to get their own special channel for the Olympic opening ceremony https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ouch/2012/07/olympic_opening_ceremony_gets.html The Ouch! Blog 24 July 2021 en Nearly 41 million US viewers watched NBC's coverage of the event. Criticism was levelled at its decision to tape-delay this broadcast, and not make a live version available even to cable and web users. There were frequent interruptions by commercial breaks.NBC Olympics Opening Ceremony Coverage Criticized For Tape Delay https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/27/nbc-olympics-opening-ceremony-coverage-tape-delay_n_1710306.html 29 July 2012 Huffington Post 27 July 2012 Many US viewers looked for other ways to watch (such as the live BBC feed),How To Watch The London Olympics Opening Ceremony Live (And Give The Finger To NBC) Timothy Burke http://deadspin.com/5929680/how-to-watch-the-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-live-and-give-the-finger-to-nbc Deadspin 27 July 2012 29 July 2012 despite both NBC and the IOC vowing to crack down on unauthorised streams.Ernesto NBC and IOC Ready to Crackdown [sic] on Olympic Pirates Ernesto http://torrentfreak.com/nbc-and-ioc-ready-to-crackdown-on-olympic-pirates-120725/ TorrentFreak 25 July 2012 29 July 2012 More significant criticism was levelled at NBC for cutting to a Ryan Seacrest interview with Michael Phelps during the "memorial wall" tribute including commemoration of the victims of the 7/7 London bombings, which was seen as disrespectful and insensitive.Hills David https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-nbc-opening-ceremony Row after NBC drop opening ceremony '7/7 tribute' The Guardian 28 July 2012 14 March 2013 An NBC spokesman said the network had left out that segment because its programming was "tailored for the US audience".Hiestand Michael https://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/story/2012-07-28/NBC-tribute-to-victims-Michael-Phelps/56556494/1 NBC elects to skip tribute to victims at opening ceremony USA Today 28 July 2012 14 March 2013 There was also criticism of commentators Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira for suggesting that the Queen had actually jumped out of a helicopter.The Opening Ceremonies in London: From The Industrial Revolution To Voldemort Linda Holmes https://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/07/28/157521409/the-opening-ceremonies-in-london-from-the-industrial-revolution-to-voldemort NPR 28 July 2012 28 July 2012 Vieira and Lauer admitted to not knowing that Tim Berners-Lee was the inventor of the World Wide Web,Review: Olympic opening ceremony Noel Murray https://www.avclub.com/the-2012-summer-olympics-opening-ceremonies-1798173745 The AV Club 28 July 2012 28 July 2012 as she commented "If you haven't heard of him, we haven't either", before Lauer told the audience to Google him.NBC's opening ceremony mess: the top six cringeworthy moments Harris Paul https://www.theguardian.com/media/us-news-blog/2012/jul/28/nbc-opening-ceremony-cringeworthy-moments?newsfeed=true The Guardian 28 July 2012 29 July 2012 These failings were picked up on Twitter during the broadcast with the hashtag #nbcfail.NBC fail shows network's commitment to 'the last great buggy-whip Olympics' Moore Heidi https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/30/nbc-fail-buggy-whip-olympics?CMP=twt_gu The Guardian 30 July 2012 30 July 2012 The ceremony was recorded by three separate broadcasters: the BBC, the Olympic Broadcasting Services (directed by the Finnish state broadcaster YLE on behalf of the OBS), and by independent production company Done and Dusted, hired by LOCOG and working under Boyle's direction. This was the first time that an independent production company had been used for an Olympic ceremony. This situation led to some tension, as Boyle wanted more artistic control and felt he was getting no co-operation from the OBS.Olympic opening ceremony: a feast of drama … and that's just the rehearsals Hopkins Nick Gibson Owen https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/18/olympic-opening-ceremony-drama?newsfeed=true The Guardian 18 July 2012 21 March 2013Your next box set: London 2012 Olympic Games Moss Stephen https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/nov/01/box-set-london-2012-olympic-games The Guardian 1 November 2012 25 November 2012 He criticised the OBS coverage during his commentary for the BBC DVD. In addition, the BBC filmed some of the pre-recorded parts of the ceremony. The filming was directed for television by Hamish Hamilton, who described it as "easily the most difficult job of my life".http://awards.bafta.org/award/2013/tvcraft/special-award Television Craft - Special Award in 2013 BAFTA 29 April 2013 1 May 2013 The BBC released footage of the entire ceremony on 29 October 2012, edited by Danny Boyle and with background extras, filling more than one disc of a five DVD or Blu-ray disc set, which also contained more than seven hours of sporting highlights as well as the complete closing ceremony. A "BBC commentary-free" option for the opening ceremony is available on the DVD, as well as a commentary track by Danny Boyle and Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Reception The Times described the ceremony as "a masterpiece", with The Daily Telegraph saying it was "brilliant, breathtaking, bonkers and utterly British". The BBC's chief sports writer Tom Fordyce called it "eccentric" and "tongue-in-cheek", saying "no-one expected ... it would be quite so gloriously daft, so cynicism-squashingly charming and, well, so much pinch-yourself fun."Olympics 2012 opening ceremony: 'A Britain as never seen before' Tom Fordyce https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/19022429 BBC Sport 28 July 2012 28 July 2012 Two weeks after the ceremony Jonathan Freedland of The Guardian wrote that "Boyle's spectacular, so beautifully executed and ingeniously conceived it lingers in the mind even as the closing draws near, stood apart from its predecessors thanks not only to its humour and eccentricity, but also because it had something to say."London 2012: we've glimpsed another kind of Britain, so let's fight for it https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/10/london-2012-glimpsed-britain-fight?INTCMP=SRCH Jonathan Freedland 10 August 2012 11 August 2012 The Guardian Writing in The Observer, Jackie Kay commented that "it seemed that Boyle had invented a new kind of opening ceremony, a concept ceremony, one that embraces big ideas as passionately as it does technical flamboyancy".London 2012: Opening ceremony – reviews https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/29/london-2012-opening-ceremony-reviews The Observer 29 July 2012 25 November 2012 The Stage said that "Danny Boyle's spectacular and moving Olympics Opening Ceremony was undoubtedly the theatrical highlight of 2012".The Stage 100 2013: numbers 3 to 6 https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/the-stage-100-2013-numbers-3-to-6/ The Stage 3 January 2013 3 January 2013 "Maybe you shouldn't have been able to interpret it that much, because it was about wonder. The theme of the show was to take things that we're very familiar with, and make them seem again wonderful to us: the things that you know about the industrial revolution and the internet, and say 'Aren't these things astonishing, that we live in the middle of?' and to kind of re-polish the pattern of life. So maybe it's alright that you were a little bit bewildered." Frank Cottrell-Boyce on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, 28 July 2012.London 2012 Opening Ceremony: Isles of Wonder – 27 July 2012 http://andrewburdett.co.uk/2012/07/28/london-2012-opening-ceremony-isles-of-wonder-27-july-2012/ Andrew Burdett Frank Cottrell-Boyce 28 July 2012 14 March 2013 33% right Although praise came from across the political spectrum, a few on the British political right were unhappy. Aidan Burley, a Conservative MP, denounced the ceremony on Twitter as "leftie multicultural crap".http://www.itv.com/news/story/2012-07-27/twitter-anger-after-conservative-mp-aidan-burley-tweets-about-most-leftie-opening-ceremony/ MP attacks 'leftie Ceremony' ITV News 27 July 2012 28 July 2012 Burley's comments were dismissed by many fellow Conservatives, including David Cameron and Boris Johnson.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19029510 London 2012: Boris Johnson dismisses 'leftie' complaint BBC News 28 July 2012 28 July 2012https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/jul/28/olympics-opening-ceremony-multicultural-crap-tory-mp?fb=optOut Olympics opening ceremony was 'multicultural crap', Tory MP tweets The Guardian 28 July 2012 28 July 2012 Watt Nicholas Foreign reaction was overwhelmingly positive. The New York Times said the ceremony was "hilariously quirky ... a wild jumble of the celebratory and the fanciful; the conventional and the eccentric; and the frankly off-the-wall".Lyall Sarah A Five-Ring Opening Circus, Weirdly and Unabashedly British https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/28/sports/olympics/in-olympic-opening-ceremony-britain-asserts-its-eccentric-identity.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all The New York Times 27 July 2012 14 March 2013 Forbes called it Boyle's "love song to Britain", while Sports Illustrated noted its political aspects, calling it "a celebration of protest and dissent".Wolff Alex Opening ceremony a celebration -- of protest and dissent http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/alexander_wolff/07/27/london-opening-ceremonies/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t11_a0 https://web.archive.org/web/20120728143042/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/alexander_wolff/07/27/london-opening-ceremonies/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t11_a0 dead 28 July 2012 Sports Illustrated 28 July 2012 12 March 2013 The Sydney Morning Herald said it was "an unforgettable start ... at once subversive and sublime" and The Times of India said that "London presented a vibrant picture of Great Britain's rich heritage and culture".https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-19026951 London 2012 opening ceremony wows world media BBC News 28 July 2012 28 July 2012 The Chinese news agency Xinhua described the ceremony as "dazzling" and an "eccentric and exuberant celebration of British history, art and culture".http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/video/2012-07/28/c_131744563.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20120801080859/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/video/2012-07/28/c_131744563.htm dead 1 August 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony kicks off Xinhua News Agency 28 July 2012 28 July 2012 Chinese artist Ai Weiwei praised the ceremony for its "human touch", saying "In London, they really turned the ceremony into a party ... such a density of information about events and stories and literature and music; about folktales and movies." Russian President Putin said the ceremony was "wonderful and unforgettable".Hanna Laurie Full of Bean: Vladimir Putin found Rowan Atkinson Olympics sketch "hilarious" but refuses to talk about human rights https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mr-bean-at-the-olympics-opening-ceremony-1208216 Daily Mirror 2 August 2012 14 March 2013 Dmitry Medvedev said "It was an exceptional spectacle, very well prepared and quite rich ... it succeeded in creating a very British atmosphere ... they managed to find the right language ... to communicate."Bonar John Full text of the interview by PM Dmitry Medvedev to The Times newspaper http://www.rusemb.org.uk/article/155 30 July 2012 14 June 2014 BSR Russia 27 February 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220227090116/https://www.rusemb.org.uk/article/155 dead Panos Samaras of Greece's NET said "it was more like a big musical, a rock opera ... than an Olympics ceremony". French sports newspaper L'Équipe wrote that the ceremony "took the classic from such events and had fun with them", while Le Parisien said it "was magnificent, inventive and offbeat drawing heavily on the roots of British identity". Germany's de Die Welt hailed it as "spectacular, glitzy but also provoking and moving".London 2012: What the world thought of the opening ceremony https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9434319/London-2012-What-the-world-thought-of-the-opening-ceremony.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9434319/London-2012-What-the-world-thought-of-the-opening-ceremony.html 12 January 2022 subscription live The Daily Telegraph 28 July 2012 7 August 2012 Chinese news CCTV-4 said the ceremony was a "stunning feast for the eyes".Chinese News CCTV4 said London 2012 opening ceremony was "a stunning feast for the eyes." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NivdY_UEetM https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/NivdY_UEetM 2021-11-14 live CCTV4 28 July 2012 14 March 2013 South Korea's Yonhap said it was "by turns dramatic, imaginative, humorous and solemn" and "weaved the story of the country's past, present and future". Singapore's Straits Times said it was a "grand show" noteworthy for both "scale" and "authenticity". The Australian praised a "glorious pandemonium devoted to London's thriving, chaotic energy ... deliberately revelling in the chaos of Britain's free society and popular culture". France's Le Figaro said the ceremony reflected "the best contributions that Britain has given to the world ... its sense of humour, its music, and of course sport". The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation said it was a "rocking, rollicking, sometimes quiet and brooding ceremony". Qatar's The Peninsula said that London did a "spectacular job" making the ceremony a "memorable event". In an end of the year review, British magazine Q said "It could all have been so different. As the London 2012 Summer Olympics approached, the tide of scepticism seemed almost irreversible. There was the heavy-handed sponsorship, the draconian security, the ticketing problems, the ballooning budget, and the lurking fear that the Opening Ceremony might be, in director Danny Boyle's pungent description, 'shite'. It took less than four hours on the night of Friday 27 July to turn the whole country around. Not only was the ceremony demonstrably not shite, it was the most surprising, moving, spectacular cultural event this country had ever seen...modern Britain, in all its berserk, multi-faceted glory." The writer of the ceremony, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, said: "People around us thought it might need defending, so I was told to do press the next morning. I was completely surprised [by the positive response]. A lot of people were surprised. But I don't think Danny was surprised. Danny never blinked. At no point did he show any feeling that it was going to be anything but amazing. And he was right." In December 2012 the culture critic of The Guardian picked the ceremony as "best art event of the year".https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/dec/05/olympic-opening-ceremony-2012-highlight?intcmp=122 The Olympics opening ceremony: my cultural highlight of 2012 Higgins Charlotte The Guardian 5 December 2012 6 December 2012 A British public survey by Samsung voted it the second most inspiring television moment of all time, second only to the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing.https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/olympic-opening-ceremony-most-inspiring-2012-television-moment-8425244.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/olympic-opening-ceremony-most-inspiring-2012-television-moment-8425244.html 1 May 2022 subscription live Olympic opening ceremony 'most inspiring' 2012 television moment Dex Robert The Independent 19 December 2012 20 December 2012 A Digital Spy survey of more than 25,000 overwhelmingly voted the ceremony as the entertainment highlight of 2012.http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a446824/olympics-opening-ceremony-named-digital-spy-readers-2012-highlight.html Olympics Opening Ceremony named Digital Spy readers' 2012 highlight Nissim Mayer Digital Spy 22 December 2012 23 December 2012 The ceremony was the second most-mentioned entertainment event on the internet in 2012, with just over six million mentions, coming second to the Grammy Awards.https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2012/12/19/the-web-votes-the-most-important-stories-of-201/ The Web Votes: The Most Important Stories of 2012 Konrad Alex Forbes 19 December 2012 22 December 2012 The BBC reported that it was the most requested item from 2012 on its iPlayer on-demand service, with 3.3 million requests.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21177665 Olympic opening ceremony most requested on iPlayer BBC 24 January 2013 24 January 2013 Boyle was offered a knighthood in late 2012, but turned it down, saying: "I'm very proud to be an equal citizen and I think that's what the Opening Ceremony was actually about."https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/honours-refusenik-danny-boyle-joins-illustrious-roll-call-of-rebels-8421000.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/honours-refusenik-danny-boyle-joins-illustrious-roll-call-of-rebels-8421000.html 1 May 2022 subscription Honours refusenik Danny Boyle joins illustrious roll call of rebels... Legg James The Independent 16 December 2012 17 December 2012 Awards and accolades Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref. Evening Standard Theatre Awards Beyond Theatre Award2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/9703502/Tears-for-Victoria-Pendleton-as-Danny-Boyle-accepts-Evening-Standard-Award.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/9703502/Tears-for-Victoria-Pendleton-as-Danny-Boyle-accepts-Evening-Standard-Award.html 12 January 2022 subscription live Tears for Victoria Pendleton as Danny Boyle accepts Evening Standard Award Bowie-Sell Daisy The Daily Telegraph 26 November 2012 26 November 2012 Whatsonstage.com Theatre Awards Theatre Event of the Year https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21466222 Sheridan Smith and Rupert Everett shine at theatre awards BBC Tim Masters 18 February 2013 18 February 2013https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20638808 Whatsonstage.com awards: Danny Boyle takes on Bard for theatre prize BBC 7 December 2012 7 December 2012https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/9877201/Danny-Boyle-Knighthood-not-my-cup-of-tea.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/9877201/Danny-Boyle-Knighthood-not-my-cup-of-tea.html 12 January 2022 subscription live Danny Boyle: Knighthood 'not my cup of tea' Hannah Furness The Daily Telegraph 7 December 2012 7 December 2012 NME Awards Music Moment of the Year https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/9898027/Olympics-Opening-Ceremony-beats-Bowie-to-be-NME-Music-Moment-of-The-Year.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/9898027/Olympics-Opening-Ceremony-beats-Bowie-to-be-NME-Music-Moment-of-The-Year.html 12 January 2022 subscription live Olympics Opening Ceremony beats Bowie to be NME Music Moment of The Year Hannah Furness The Daily Telegraph 28 February 2013 4 March 2013 Royal Television Society Awards Judges' Award Danny Boyle http://www.rts.org.uk/rts-announces-winners-programme-awards-2012 RTS Announces Winners For The Programme Awards 2012 Royal Television Society Awards 20 March 2013 20 March 2013 23 March 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130323114118/http://www.rts.org.uk/rts-announces-winners-programme-awards-2012 deadhttps://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/mar/20/clare-balding-bbc-rts-awards-olympics Clare Balding and BBC win awards for Olympics coverage Josh Halliday The Guardian 20 March 2013 20 March 2013https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21855669 Sean Bean awarded for cross-dressing Accused role BBC 20 March 2013 20 March 2013 Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards Design Craft and Innovation Production Team https://rts.org.uk/award/rts-announces-winners-craft-design-awards-2012 RTS ANNOUNCES WINNERS FOR CRAFT & DESIGN AWARDS 2012 The Royal Television Society 16 June 2021 British Academy Television Awards Best SportThe London 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony http://awards.bafta.org/award/2013/television Television in 2013 BAFTA 12 May 2013 Radio Times Audience Award https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21995173 Olympics opening ceremony among Bafta nominations BBC 2 April 2013 2 April 2013http://www.radiotimes.com/win/radio-times-bafta-audience-award/58.html The Radio Times Audience Award at the Television BAFTAs 2013 BAFTA 2 April 2013British Academy Television Craft Awards Best Director: Multi-Camera Hamish Hamilton and Tapani Parm http://awards.bafta.org/award/2013/tvcraft/director-multi-camera Television Craft Director - Multi-Camera in 2013 BAFTA 29 April 2013 1 May 2013https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22333785 Bafta honour for Olympic programmes BBC 29 April 2013 29 April 2013Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Special Class Program Jim Bell, Molly Solomon, Bucky Gunts, Joe Gesue and Carol Larson Andreeva Nellie HBO, 'Behind The Candelabra' Lead Creative Arts Emmy Awards; Bob Newhart, Dan Bucatinsky, Melissa Leo, Carrie Preston, Heidi Klum & Tim Gunn, 'Undercover Boss', 'South Park' & Tony Awards Among Winners https://deadline.com/2013/09/creative-arts-emmy-awards-2013-winners-live-587432/ 29 September 2013 Deadline Hollywood PMC 15 September 2013London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony http://www.emmys.com/shows/london-2012-olympic-games-opening-ceremony Emmys.com 20 July 2013Emmy Awards: Hugh Bonneville fights Damian Lewis for acting award https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23358869 18 July 2013 BBC News BBC 18 July 2013Emmys 2013: Complete list of nominees https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/tv/la-et-st-emmy-nominations-2013-list,0,6335367.story 18 July 2013 Los Angeles Times 18 July 2013 Outstanding Art Direction for Variety or Nonfiction Programming Mark Tildesley, Suttirat Anne Larlarb, Danny Boyle Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special Bucky Gunts and Hamish Hamilton Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special Patrick Woodroffe, Adam Bassett, Al Gurdon, Tim Routledge Outstanding Picture Editing for Short-Form Segments and Variety Specials Sascha Dhillon (for Segment: "Happy and Glorious") Legacy The ceremony was identified by some commentators as precipitating a new mood in the United Kingdom: it "had barely finished before it had become a byword for a new approach, not only to British culture but to Britishness itself. Politicians would soon be referring to it, using it as shorthand for a new kind of patriotism that does not lament a vanished Britain but loves the country that has changed. Boyle's ceremony was hailed from (almost) all sides...for providing a nation that had grown used to mocking its myriad flaws with a new, unfamiliarly positive view of itself ... It was, perhaps, this lack of cynicism that people responded to ... So used to British irony and detachment, it felt refreshing to witness an unembarrassed, positive case for this country. Boyle himself says this was the most important thing he took away from the Olympic experience: "How important it is to believe in something. You might make a fool of yourself and people will go, 'How can you believe in that, you stupid idiot?' But if you believe in something, you carry people with you." Business leaders also took inspiration from the event, admiring its risk-taking What Every CEO Can Learn From The Olympics' Wacky Opening Ceremony http://www.fastcompany.com/1844301/what-every-ceo-can-learn-olympics%E2%80%99-wacky-opening-ceremony Adam Hanft Fast Company 1 August 2012 14 March 2013 and creative freedom, as well as the trust placed in and loyalty inspired from the workers and volunteers.Team Danny Boyle: 5 Lessons in Leadership http://intentionalworkplace.com/2012/08/02/team-danny-boyle-5-lessons-in-leadership/ The Intentional workplace Louise Altman 2 August 2012 14 March 2013 28 February 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130228040102/http://intentionalworkplace.com/2012/08/02/team-danny-boyle-5-lessons-in-leadership/ dead In February 2013, the BBC's Head of Drama Ben Stephenson told an audience of writers, commissioners and producers that he "wanted them to seek inspiration from the opening ceremony of the London Olympics" which, he said, "had scale and brilliance and, above all, had succeeded not in spite of its Britishness but because of its Britishness, delighting viewers here and around the world by rooting itself in the authentic stories and spirit of these islands." Steve Coogan told Frank Cottrell-Boyce that he felt it was "like the emperor's new clothes in reverse ... it made irony and postmodernism feel tired and past its sell-by date", and Russell T Davies told Boyce: "It changed my idea of the possible." We created the hope of a better Britain. But what remains of the Olympic magic? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/13/olympic-opening-ceremony-britain-cottrell-boyce The Guardian Frank Cottrell Boyce 13 July 2013 14 July 2013 Reviewing the 2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony at Sochi, Russia, Owen Gibson of The Guardian observed that with his "complex, intimate snapshot of 'who we were, who we are and who we wish to be, Boyle "rewrote the rule book for opening ceremonies". Sochi 2014 opening ceremony: Ernst delivers disco-led paean to the past https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/feb/07/sochi-2014-opening-ceremony-ernst-disco-paean-to-past The Guardian Owen Gibson 7 February 2014 8 February 2014 See also 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony 2012 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony, which was also themed on The Tempest 2012 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony Further reading Frank Cottrell-Boyce Humphrey Jennings Marie-Louise Jennings Pandaemonium 1660-1886: The Coming of the Machine as Seen by Contemporary Observers Icon Books 2012 9781848315853 Russell Moon Days of Wonders: Inside the 2012 Opening Ceremony The Oak House Partnership 2012 978-095747310-2 Amy Raphael Danny Boyle: Creating Wonder London Faber & Faber 21 March 2013 9780571301867 http://www.faber.co.uk/catalog/danny-boyle-amy-raphael/9780571301867 17 March 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130401072635/http://www.faber.co.uk/catalog/danny-boyle-amy-raphael/9780571301867 1 April 2013 dead References 30em External links 500px Opening Ceremony – London 2012 Olympic Games, IOC's Official Channel "Words of Wonder: The books that inspired the London 2012 opening ceremony" Clips from the computerised pre-visualisation, information on filming and production etc. Technical aspects of the ceremony Hamish Hamilton on filming the ceremony, 4:47-7:40 Filming the opening ceremony, with input from Danny Boyle and Hamish Hamilton, 7:33-9:06 London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony in pictures, Independent Newspaper Map-portal to online videos of the firework finale Video compilation recreating the warm-up/Prologue to the ceremony http://www.london2012.com/spectators/ceremonies/opening-ceremony/ London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Media Guide http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf dead London 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120731215816/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf 31 July 2012 21 December 2018 Media guide on Olympic World Library Video of Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee speech Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee's speech London Olympics Opening Ceremony Explorer Opening Ceremony Music List and Credits, Official Explorer website London Olympics United Kingdom Opening ceremony Category:Arctic Monkeys Category:Articles containing video clips Category:Ceremonies in the United Kingdom Category:Emeli Sandé Category:Events at the London Stadium Category:London Symphony Orchestra Category:Olympics opening ceremonies Category:Paul McCartney