2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

{{Short description|none}} {{redirect|Isles of Wonder|the soundtrack album|Isles of Wonder (album)}} {{redirect|London 2012 opening ceremony|the Paralympics opening ceremony|2012 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony}} {{Use British English|date=August 2020}} {{Good article}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox news event | title = 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony | image_name = 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony (11).jpg | partof = [[2012 Summer Olympics]] | caption = The "Pandemonium" segment, during the final rehearsal of the ceremony on 25 July | date = {{Start date and age|2012|7|27|df=yes}} | time = 21:00 – 00:46 [[British Summer Time|BST]] ([[UTC+01:00|UTC+1]]) | venue = [[Olympic Stadium (London)|Olympic Stadium]] | place = [[London]], [[United Kingdom]] | coordinates = {{coord|51|32|19|N|0|01|00|W|region:GB_type:event|display=inline,title}} | also known as = ''Isles of Wonder'' | filmed by = {{Bulleted list|[[BBC]]|[[Olympic Broadcasting Services]] (OBS)|[[Done and Dusted]]}} | participants = | awards = | url = {{YouTube|4As0e4de-rI|The ceremony on the IOC YouTube channel}} }} {{2012 Summer Olympics}} The [[Olympic opening ceremony|opening ceremony]] of the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] took place on the evening of Friday 27 July 2012 in the [[Olympic Stadium (London)|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'''''<ref>{{cite web |title= Isles of Wonder |url=http://olympicopeningceremony.tumblr.com/tagged/stage1 |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref> 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 [[United Kingdom|Britain]]'s ability to stage an opening ceremony that could reach the standard set at the [[Beijing]] [[2008 Summer Olympics|Summer Games of 2008]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Engineering the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony|url=http://www.theengineer.co.uk/in-depth/the-big-story/engineering-the-london-2012-olympics-opening-ceremony/1013640.article|work=The Engineer|first=Stephen|last=Harris|date=23 August 2012|access-date=24 August 2012|archive-date=28 September 2015|archive-url=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|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=London 2012 cannot match Beijing Olympics opening ceremony 'because of trade unions'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/2617980/London-2012-cannot-match-Beijing-Olympics-opening-ceremony-because-of-trade-unions.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first=Richard|last=Spencer|date=25 August 2012|access-date=24 August 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Five Ways for London to Top the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/philip-hepple/london-2012-olympics-five-ways-to-top-beijing-opening-ceremony_b_1282811.html?ref=uk|work=Huffington Post|first=Philip|last=Hepple|date=16 February 2012|access-date=24 August 2012}}</ref> The [[2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|2008 ceremony]] had been noted for its scale, extravagance and expense, hailed as the "greatest ever",<ref name="AFPGreatestEver">{{cite web|url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ibNAUAq-kZNOy3LmO9HAI2cN-smg |title=Press hails 'greatest ever' Olympic opening show |publisher=[[Agence France-Presse]] |date=9 August 2008 |access-date=13 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511131508/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ibNAUAq-kZNOy3LmO9HAI2cN-smg |archive-date=11 May 2013 |df=dmy }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Kortekaas">{{cite web|last=Kortekaas |first=Vanessa |url=https://www.ft.com/content/4e49451e-1f76-11e1-9916-00144feabdc0 |title=Cameron doubles budget for Olympic ceremonies |publisher=FT.com |date=5 December 2011 |access-date=29 June 2012}}</ref> Nonetheless, the London opening ceremony was immediately seen as a tremendous success, widely praised as a "masterpiece" and "a love letter to Britain".<ref name="Dawson"/><ref>{{cite news|title=London 2012: the experts' view of the Olympic opening ceremony|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9434563/London-2012-the-experts-view-of-the-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9434563/London-2012-the-experts-view-of-the-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first1=Harvey|last1= Goldsmith| first2=Arlene|last2= Phillips| first3=David|last3= Quantick| first4=Mick|last4= Brown| first5=Mary|last5= Beard| date=29 July 2012|access-date=5 August 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=BBCmedreact>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19025686 |date=28 July 2012|access-date=1 August 2012|title=Media reaction to London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony|work=BBC}}</ref>

The ceremony began at 21:00 [[British Summer Time|BST]] and lasted almost four hours.<ref name="ending_time">{{cite web|last=Fowler|first=Scott|url=http://www.kansascity.com/2012/07/27/3727711/scott-fowler-brits-show-their.html |title=Brits show their knack for theater, humor|work=The Kansas City Star|date=27 July 2012|access-date=31 July 2012}}</ref> It was watched by an estimated worldwide television audience of 900 million, falling short of the [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]]'s 1.5 billion viewership estimate for the 2008 ceremony,<ref>{{cite report |url=https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/IOC_Marketing/Broadcasting/Beijing_2008_Global_Broadcast_Overview.pdf |title=Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008: Global Television and Online Media Report |author1=Sponsorship Intelligence |date=Sep 2009 |publisher=International Olympic Committee |page=3 |access-date=27 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=London 2012 opening ceremony draws 900 million viewers|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-oly-ratings-day-idUKBRE8760V820120807?feedType=RSS&feedName=sportsNews|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808184607/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-oly-ratings-day-idUKBRE8760V820120807?feedType=RSS&feedName=sportsNews|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 August 2016|work=Retuers|first=Avril|last=Ormsby| date=7 August 2012|access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref> but becoming the most viewed in the UK and US.<ref>{{cite news |last=Douglas| first=Torin|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19026694 |title=Olympics ceremony: 27m UK viewers watched opening |work=BBC |date= 28 July 2012|access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="pomerantz1">{{cite news |last=Pomerantz| first=Dorothy|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2012/07/28/olympics-opening-most-watched-non-u-s-ceremony-ever-and-pretty-good/ |title=Olympics Opening Most Watched Non-U.S. Ceremony Ever (And Pretty Good) |work=Forbes |date= 28 July 2012|access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref> 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 of the United Kingdom|culture]], and were noted for their vibrant [[storytelling]] and use of music. Two shorter sections drew particular comment, involving a filmed [[cameo appearance]] of [[Elizabeth II|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 [[British humour|Britain's sense of humour]].<ref>{{cite web|title=A "noisy, busy, witty, dizzying production": What the world thought of London 2012's opening ceremony|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/london-2012-what-the-world-thought-1178468|newspaper=Daily Mirror|date=28 July 2012|access-date=22 August 2012}}</ref> The ceremony featured children and young people in most of its segments, reflecting the "inspire a generation" aspiration of [[London bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics|London's original bid for the Games]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Case Study – LONDON 2012: How We Won The Bid|url=http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/hlst/documents/olympic_sig/case_studies/CS10-How-we-Won-the-Bid.pdf|work=Higher Education Academy Oxford Brookes University|date=February 2010|access-date=24 August 2012|archive-url=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|archive-date=3 August 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

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.<ref name=BBCDVD>[http://www.bbcshop.com/sport/london-2012-olympic-games-dvd/invt/bbcdvd3745/ ''London 2012 Olympic Games'', BBC Shop, London, October 2012]. Retrieved 28 October 2012.</ref>

==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.<ref name=QNov2012>{{Citation | last = Lynskey | first = Dorian | title = Oblivion with Bells | journal = [[Q (magazine)|Q]] | volume = 318 | pages = 82–88 | date = January 2013|orig-year=published November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Danny Boyle to direct London 2012 opening ceremony|url=http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/news_stories/7199.aspx|work=Gov.uk|date=22 June 2010|access-date=24 August 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Danny Boyle's journey from truck driving to the Olympics |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolreport/21741278 |work=BBC |date=11 March 2013 |access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref> He said it "felt weirdly more like a ... civic or national responsibility" to take the job.<ref name=GDBCotP>{{cite news |title=Danny Boyle: champion of the people |first=Jonathan |last=Freedland |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/mar/09/danny-boyle-queen-olympics-film |newspaper=The Guardian |date=9 March 2013 |access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Danny talks about tonight's ceremony (cropped).jpg|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."<ref name=DBTO>{{cite magazine |title=How Danny Boyle followed up 'Slumdog Millionaire' |first=Dave |last=Calhoun |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/how-danny-boyle-followed-up-slumdog-millionaire-1 |magazine=Time Out |access-date=16 March 2013 |archive-date=26 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526055943/https://www.timeout.com/london/film/how-danny-boyle-followed-up-slumdog-millionaire-1 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=GDBF>{{cite news |title=Olympics opening ceremony: Danny Boyle credits late father for inspiration |first=Owen |last=Gibson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/jul/27/olympic-opening-ceremony-danny-boyle-father |newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=27 July 2012}}</ref> Beijing's budget had been £65m, whereas London's final budget was £27m, which was twice the original provision.<ref name="Kortekaas"/><ref>{{cite news |title=London 2012: Isles of Wonder theme for Olympic ceremony |first1=Jane |last1=Mower|first2=Michael|last2=Hirst |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16747032 |work=BBC News |date=27 January 2012 |access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref> The London stadium had the same number of seats as [[Beijing National Stadium|Beijing's]], but was half the size; this intimacy of scale meant that Boyle felt he could achieve something personal and connecting.<ref name=DBTO/><ref name="DB&FCBvid">{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvPRnMS88ns|work=Liverpool Hope University|title=Danny Boyle and Frank Cottrell-Boyce - Words of Wonder|first1=Danny |last1=Boyle|first2=Frank | last2=Cottrell-Boyce|date=10 October 2012|access-date=14 March 2013}}</ref>

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' speech<ref name="IoWDT">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympicsvideo/9044505/London-2012-Olympics-Shakespeares-Caliban-the-inspiration-for-Isles-of-Wonder-opening-ceremony.html|archive-url=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|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 December 2013|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|title=London 2012 Olympics: Shakespeare's Caliban the inspiration for 'Isles of Wonder' opening ceremony|date=27 July 2012|access-date=21 March 2013}}</ref>), and partly by the [[G. K. Chesterton]] aphorism: "The world shall perish not for lack of wonders, but for lack of wonder."<ref name="DB&FCBvid"/><ref name="GdnFCB">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/29/frank-cottrell-boyce-olympics-opening-ceremony?CMP=twt_gu|newspaper=The Guardian|title=The night we saw our mad, fantastical dreams come true|first=Frank | last=Cottrell-Boyce|date=29 July 2012|access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref>

In July 2010, Boyle started brainstorming ideas with designer [[Mark Tildesley (production 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 (history book)|Pandaemonium]]'', (named after the capital of Hell in ''[[Paradise Lost]]'') by [[Humphrey Jennings]], which collated contemporary reports from the [[Industrial Revolution]].<ref name=QNov2012/><ref name="GdnFCB"/><ref name=Jennings>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/06/pandaemonium-humphrey-jennings-review |title=Pandæmonium by Humphrey Jennings – review The book behind the Olympic opening ceremony |first=Nicholas| last=Lezard|author-link=Nicholas Lezard |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=20 October 2012 |access-date=25 November 2012}}</ref> It had become traditional during the opening ceremony to "produce" the [[Olympic symbols#Rings|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.<ref name=QNov2012/>

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.<ref name=QNov2012/>

{{quote box|quote="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 I|Abraham Darby]] smelted iron in a blast furnace, using [[Coke (fuel)|coke]]. And so began the [[Industrial Revolution]]. Out of [[Coalbrookdale|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 – [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]], [[William Blake|Blake]] and [[John Milton|Milton]]. You'll hear the glorious noise of our unrivalled pop culture. You'll see characters from our great children's literature – [[Peter Pan (character)|Peter Pan]] and [[Captain Hook]], [[Mary Poppins (character)|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 (hymn)|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."|source=Danny Boyle, in the ceremony programme.<ref name=Intro>{{cite news |title=Danny Boyle's intro on Olympics programme |url=http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2012/07/27/danny-boyles-intro-on-olympics-programme/ |publisher=Awards Daily |first=Ryan |last=Adams |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=7 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206135250/http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2012/07/27/danny-boyles-intro-on-olympics-programme/ |archive-date=6 February 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>|width=25%|align=right}}

When Boyle returned to work on the ceremony in the spring of 2011 he asked [[Rick Smith (Underworld)|Rick Smith]] of [[Underworld (band)|Underworld]], with whom he had worked on several film projects as well as his [[Frankenstein (2011 play)|theatrical production]] of [[Mary Shelley]]'s ''[[Frankenstein]]'', to be the musical director.<ref name=QNov2012/><ref name="baltin1">{{cite magazine |title=Underworld Named Music Directors of 2012 Olympics|first=Steve |last=Baltin |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/underworld-named-music-directors-of-2012-olympics-20111208 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=8 December 2011 |access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref name=QNov2012/>

The cast included professional performers and 7,500 volunteers.<ref>{{citation|title= Volunteers|work= London 2012|url= http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/General/01/30/27/74/OOCVolunteers_Neutral.pdf|date= 19 July 2019}}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 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 Dagenham|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.<ref name=QNov2012/><ref name=GDBCotP/> Further volunteers were recruited to help with security and marshalling, and to support the technical crew.<ref name=GDBF/><ref>{{cite news |title=Danny Boyle hails 15,000 Olympics opening ceremony volunteers |first1=Wesley |last1=Johnson|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/danny-boyle-hails-15000-olympics-opening-ceremony-volunteers-7982152.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/danny-boyle-hails-15000-olympics-opening-ceremony-volunteers-7982152.html |archive-date=1 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=The Independent |date=27 January 2012 |access-date=29 July 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Young British athletes light cauldron at Olympics Opening Ceremony |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/olympics/906568-young-british-athletes-light-cauldron-at-olympics-opening-ceremony#ixzz226AYmCK1 |newspaper=Metro |first=Julian|last=Shea|date=27 July 2012 |access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Kenneth Branagh recalls the opening ceremony of London 2012 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2012/dec/23/kenneth-branagh-danny-boyle-olympics |newspaper=The Observer|first=Kenneth|last=Branagh|date=23 December 2012 |access-date=23 December 2012}}</ref>

The [[Olympic Bell]], the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world,<ref>{{cite web|title=London 2012: Bradley Wiggins rings bell to start Olympic ceremony|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19018575|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130419210608/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19018575|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 April 2013|work=BBC Sport|date=27 July 2012|access-date=24 August 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollanduktrade.nl/dutch-technology-shines-gold-at-london-olympics/ |work=Holland UK Trade |first=Bram |last=van der Veen |date=13 July 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012 |title=Dutch technology shines gold at London Olympics |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518103302/http://www.hollanduktrade.nl/dutch-technology-shines-gold-at-london-olympics/ |archive-date=18 May 2013 }}</ref> It was inscribed with a line from [[Caliban]]'s speech in ''The Tempest'': "Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises".<ref name=Magnay>{{cite news|last=Magnay|first=Jacquelin|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9043917/London-2012-Olympics-Shakespeare-theme-to-lead-Isles-of-Wonder-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=London 2012 Olympics: Shakespeare theme to lead 'Isles of Wonder' Olympic opening ceremony |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=27 January 2012 |access-date=31 July 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

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 form]]ers (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 [[Great Britain|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 [[The Proms|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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Olympic opening ceremony will recreate countryside with real animals |first=Owen |last=Gibson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jun/12/london-2012-olympic-opening-ceremony |newspaper=The Guardian |date=12 June 2012 |access-date=27 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=London 2012 opening ceremony promises spectacle and surprises |first=Charlotte |last=Higgins |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jun/12/london-2012-opening-ceremony-spectacle?intcmp=239 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=12 June 2012 |access-date=27 July 2012}}</ref> 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|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.<ref>{{cite news |title=London 2012 Olympics: Campaigners fear for opening ceremony animals |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9375479/London-2012-Olympics-Campaigners-fear-for-opening-ceremony-animals.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9375479/London-2012-Olympics-Campaigners-fear-for-opening-ceremony-animals.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=4 July 2012 |access-date=27 July 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> 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."<ref name=moonbook/>

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.<ref name=QAug2012>{{Citation | title = It's the Rock and Roll Olympics! | journal = Q | volume = 315 | pages = 82–88 | date = October 2013|orig-year=published August 2012}}</ref> [[A.R. Rahman]], who worked with Boyle on ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'' and ''[[127 Hours]]'', composed a [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] song "Nimma Nimma" to showcase [[India–United Kingdom relations|Indian influence in the UK]], according to Boyle's wishes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A.R Rahman to compose a song for the Olympics {{!}} Filmfare.com |url=https://www.filmfare.com/news/ar-rahman-to-compose-a-song-for-the-olympics-743.html |access-date=19 August 2025 |website=www.filmfare.com}}</ref> More Indian music was also scheduled for inclusion in the medley including a [[Tamil language|Tamil]] song from the 1989 [[Hindi cinema|Bollywood]] film [[Ram Lakhan]] titled "Naanthaan Ungappanda".<ref>{{cite news |title=AR Rahman's punjabi track to rock Olympics inaugural |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/music/news/AR-Rahmans-punjabi-track-to-rock-Olympics-inaugural/etarticleshow/14526087.cms |archive-url=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 |url-status=live |archive-date=18 May 2013 |first=AR| last=Reshmi|date=30 June 2012 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=27 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rajan |first=M. C. |date=25 June 2012|title=Ilaiyaraaja's composition to open 2012 London Games |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/olympics-2012/story/ilaiyaraajas-composition-to-open-2012-london-games-106765-2012-06-23 |access-date=19 August 2025 |website=India Today}}</ref> [[Paul McCartney]] was to be the ceremony's closing act.<ref>{{cite news|title=2012: Olympics: Paul McCartney closes London's opening ceremony|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-33747_162-57481790/2012-olympics-paul-mccartney-closes-londons-opening-ceremony/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728222546/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-33747_162-57481790/2012-olympics-paul-mccartney-closes-londons-opening-ceremony/|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 July 2012|date=27 July 2012|work=CBS News|access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref>

[[Sebastian Coe, Baron Coe|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 [[List of members of the International Olympic Committee|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.<ref>''Our Queen'', documentary film, first broadcast on ITV on 17 March 2013.</ref> Boyle was surprised to hear that the Queen would be happy to play herself, and wanted a speaking part.<ref name=GDBCotP/> 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''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19018666|title=How James Bond whisked the Queen to the Olympics|date=27 July 2012|access-date=19 October 2012|first=Nicolas|last=Brown|work=BBC News}}</ref>

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.<ref name=QNov2012/> In 2016 Boyle recounted how he had come under pressure from [[Jeremy Hunt]], then the [[Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport|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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/danny-boyle-nhs-celebration-tories-london-2012-olympics-opening-ceremony-a7129186.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=1 May 2022 |url-access=subscription|title=Danny Boyle claims Tories tried to axe NHS celebration in London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony|first=Samuel|last=Osborne|date=10 July 2016|access-date=22 July 2019|newspaper=The Independent}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

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.<ref name="GdnFCB"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.podium.ac.uk/news/view/906/apply-now-for-free-london-2012-olympic-games-opening-ceremony-rehearsal-tickets|archive-url=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|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 July 2012|title=Apply now for free London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony rehearsal tickets|work=Podium.ac.uk|date=16 July 2012|access-date=25 November 2012}}</ref>

==Officials and guests==

=== Royal Box === Seated in the Royal Box were the [[Elizabeth II|Queen]] and the [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Duke of Edinburgh]], the [[Charles III|Prince of Wales]], and other members of the [[British royal family]]. They were accompanied by [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] [[Rowan Williams]], [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[David Cameron]], [[Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|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 International Olympic Committee|President of the IOC]] [[Jacques Rogge]], [[London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games|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 [[2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-19015294|title=Securing the heads of state|first=Gordon|last=Corera|work=BBC News |date=27 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=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 |archive-url=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 |archive-date=28 July 2012 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=London 2012: Red carpet and a hard sell for biggest ever gathering of|date=23 July 2012|website=The Independent|first=Jerome|last=Taylor|author2=Cahal Milmo|author3=Nigel Morris}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Proceedings==

===Schedule=== {| class="wikitable" |- !Time (BST) !Section title |- ! colspan="2" |{{Start date|2012|07|27|df=yes}} |- ! 21:00–21:04 | [[#Countdown (21:00–21:04 BST)|Countdown]] |- ! 21:04–21:09 | [[#Green and Pleasant Land (21:04–21:09)|Green and Pleasant Land]] |- ! 21:09–21:25 | [[#Pandemonium (21:09–21:25)|Pandemonium]] |- ! 21:25–21:35 | [[Happy and Glorious (film)|Happy and Glorious]] |- ! 21:35–21:47 | [[#Second to the right, and straight on till morning (21:35–21:47)|Second to the right, and straight on till morning]] |- ! 21:47–21:52 | [[#Interlude (21:47–21:52)|Interlude]] |- ! 21:52–22:09 | [[#Frankie and June say...thanks Tim (21:52–22:09)|Frankie and June say...thanks Tim]] |- ! 22:09–22:20 | [[#Abide with Me (22:09–22:20)|Abide with Me]] |- ! 22:20–00:00 | [[#Welcome (22:20–00:00)|Welcome]] |- ! colspan="2" |{{Start date|2012|07|28|df=yes}} |- ! 00:00–00:07 | [[#Bike a.m. (00:00–00:07 BST 28 July)|Bike a.m.]] |- ! 00:07–00:24 | [[#Let the Games Begin (00:07–00:24)|Let the Games Begin]] |- ! 00:24–00:38 | [[Jordan Duckitt|There Is a Light That Never Goes Out]] |- ! 00:38–00:46 | [[#And in the end (00:38–00:46)|And in the end]] |}

===Prologue=== [[File:2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony (18).jpg|thumb|right|upright|Scene before the ceremony commenced, representing rural Britain]] At exactly 20:12 [[British Summer Time|BST]], the [[Red Arrows]] performed a flypast over the [[Olympic Stadium (London)|Olympic Stadium]] and then over the concert in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]].<ref name="flypast">{{cite news |title=London 2012: Red Arrows Perform Stunning Fly-By Before Olympic Opening Ceremony |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/07/27/london-2012-red-arrows-olympics_n_1711429.html |work=Huffington Post |date=28 July 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> This concert featured artists selected to represent the four nations of the United Kingdom: [[Duran Duran]], [[Stereophonics]], [[Snow Patrol]] and [[Paolo Nutini]].<ref name="hydeshow">{{cite news |title=Hyde Park show kicks off Olympics |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19014489 |work=BBC News |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=10 August 2012}}</ref>

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 (Frank Turner song)|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.<ref name="frankturner">{{cite news |title=THE BEST OF 2012: AN OLYMPIC STORY BY FRANK TURNER! |url=http://www.rocksound.tv/blog/article/the-event-that-shall-not-be-named-an-olympic-story-by-frank-turner |work=Rock Sound |first=Frank |last=Turner |date=27 December 2012 |access-date=8 August 2012 |archive-date=7 May 2013 |archive-url=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 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[London Symphony Orchestra|LSO]] On Track (an orchestra of 80 young musicians from 10 East London boroughs together with 20 LSO members) then performed [[Edward Elgar]]'s "[[Enigma Variations#Variation IX (Adagio) "Nimrod"|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Classical music at the Olympic Opening Ceremony 2012 |url=https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/pictures/event/classical-music-opening-ceremony/ |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=Classic FM |language=en}}</ref> This performance celebrated Britain's maritime heritage and geographical insularity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Definitively the greatest classical music moments in Olympics history |url=https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/best-olympics-classical-music-performances-in-history/ |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=Classic FM |language=en}}</ref>

===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]].

[[File:Bradley Wiggins 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.jpg|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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Danny Boyle's Olympic opening ceremony: madcap, surreal and moving |first=Owen |last=Gibson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/27/olympic-opening-ceremony?newsfeed=true |newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> To the sound of "Surf Solar" by [[Fuck Buttons]], it followed the [[River Thames]] from [[Thames Head|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 circle]]s in a field, and a rowing race (to the tune of the "[[Eton Boating Song]]").

At [[Battersea Power Station]] a [[Pink Floyd pigs|Pink Floyd pig]] was flying between the towers; the clock sound from another Pink Floyd song "[[Time (Pink Floyd song)|Time]]" was heard passing [[Big Ben#Tower|Big Ben]]. The soundtrack included clips from the theme tune of ''[[The South Bank Show]]'', "[[Caprice No. 24 (Paganini)|Caprice No. 24]]" (as composed by [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]] in his ''[[Variations (Andrew Lloyd Webber album)|Variations]]'' fusion album), and the [[Sex Pistols]]' "[[God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song)|God Save the Queen]]" as the film followed the route of the band's cruise down the River Thames during the [[Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Silver Jubilee]].<ref name="xan">{{cite news |title=London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony – as it happened |first=Xan |last=Brooks |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/london-2012-olympics-blog/2012/jul/27/london-2012-olympics-opening-ceremony-live |newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref><ref name=nmeplaylist>{{cite news |title=Olympics Opening Ceremony – The Playlist |first=Luke |last=Lewis |url=https://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=1&title=olympics_opening_ceremony_playlist&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 |newspaper=NME |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012 |archive-url=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 |archive-date=30 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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 [[EastEnders theme tune|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 (song)|London Calling]]" by [[The Clash]], the [[London Underground]]'s [[Mind the Gap]] public address warning, and "[[Smile (Lily Allen song)|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 Summer Olympics|1900 Paris]], [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin]], [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]], and [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]]), to a recording of "[[Map of the Problematique]]" by [[Muse (band)|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 [[2012 Tour de France|Tour de France]] five days earlier, opened the ceremony by ringing the [[Olympic Bell]] that hung at one end of the stadium. Four [[weather balloon|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)=== {{Quote box |title = "Be not afeard" speech |tstyle = text-align: left; |quote = 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. |source = [[William Shakespeare]], ''[[The Tempest]]'', [[Wikisource:The Tempest#SCENE II. Another part of the island 2|Act 3, Scene II]] |align = 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: "[[And did those feet in ancient time|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 "[[Cwm Rhondda|Bread of Heaven]]" (from [[Rhossili|Rhossili Beach]] in [[Wales]]).<ref name="koreen">{{cite news|title=London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony live |first=Eric |last=Koreen |url=https://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/london-2012-olympic-opening-ceremonies-live |newspaper=The National Post |date=27 June 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20120806010159/http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/07/27/london-2012-olympic-opening-ceremonies-live/ |archive-date=6 August 2012 }}</ref> These were inter-cut with footage of notable [[Rugby Union|Rugby Union Home Nations]]' [[Try (rugby)|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]] [[stagecoach]]es entered, carrying businessmen and early [[Business magnate|industrialist]]s in [[Victorian era|Victorian]] [[Morning dress|dress]] and [[top hat]]s, led by [[Kenneth Branagh]] as [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]]. The 50 men stepped down from the carriages and [[Surveying|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 programme<ref>{{cite news |title=Danny Boyle Welcomes The World To London |first=Danny |last=Boyle |url=http://descrier.co.uk/uk/2012/07/london-2012-danny-boyle-welcomes-the-world-to-london/ |newspaper=The Descrier |date=28 July 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> 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.

[[File:2012 Olympics opening ceremony, Industrial Revolution scene.jpg|thumb|left|Scene representing [[Life in Great Britain during the Industrial Revolution|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),<ref>{{cite web|title=Volunteering for the greatest show on earth|url=http://www.ism.org/blog/article/volunteering_for_the_greatest_show_on_earth|publisher=Incorporated Society of Musicians|first=Laura|last=Hollands|date=28 August 2012|access-date=4 September 2012|archive-date=21 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221071920/http://www.ism.org/blog/article/volunteering_for_the_greatest_show_on_earth|url-status=dead}}</ref> led by [[Evelyn Glennie]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Evelyn Glennie on the Olympics Opening Ceremony |url=http://tomtommag.com/2013/02/evelyn-glennie-on-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/|publisher=Tom Tom Magazine |date=14 February 2013|access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref> 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.<ref name=QNov2012/> So began what Boyle had called the "biggest scene change in theatre history" and something he had been advised against attempting.<ref>{{cite web|title=Among those dark satanic mills|url=http://www.sean.co.uk/a/london2012-opening-ceremony.shtm|first=Sean|last=McManus|access-date=24 August 2012}}</ref> [[Underworld (band)|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 [[steeplejack]]s rose from the ground, along with other industrial machinery: five [[beam engine]]s, 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.<ref name="koreen"/> It also included a [[minute's silence]] in remembrance of the loss of life of both [[world war]]s, featuring British "[[Tommy Atkins|Tommies]]" and shots of [[Remembrance poppy|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.<ref name=DVDcomm>Danny Boyle and Frank Cottrell-Boyce, audio commentary track to the BBC DVD of the opening ceremony</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Unpredictable and inventive as the British themselves, this was the People's Opening Ceremony| url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/london-2012-opening-ceremony-opinion-1176668 |newspaper=[[Daily Mirror]]|first=Brian|last=Reade|date=28 July 2012|access-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>

Volunteers paraded around the stadium representing some of the groups that had changed the face of Britain: the [[Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom|woman's suffrage]] movement, the [[Jarrow Crusade]], the first [[Caribbean]] immigrants arriving in 1948 on board the ''[[HMT Empire Windrush#West Indian immigrants|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]]. [[File:KOCIS Korea London Olympics TeamKorea 09 (7683501986).jpg|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 [[loom|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 [[Olympic symbols#Rings|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.<ref name="xan"/><ref name="DTPand">{{cite news |title=London 2012: How the might of the industrial revolution was created on stage|first=Patrick |last=Sawer |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9435386/London-2012-How-the-might-of-the-industrial-revolution-was-created-on-stage.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=28 July 2012 |access-date=7 February 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===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 [[God Save the Queen|the national anthem]]), featured the character [[James Bond (character)|James Bond]], played by [[Portrayal of James Bond in film|then-Bond actor]] [[Daniel Craig]], entering the front gate of [[Buckingham Palace]] in a [[London black cab]]. His entrance (accompanied by an arrangement of [[George Frideric Handel|Handel]]'s "[[The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba|Arrival of the Queen of Sheba]]") is noticed by Brazilian children (a nod to [[Rio de Janeiro]], which was to be [[2016 Summer Olympics|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 [[Queen's audience room|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, London|The Mall]], [[Nelson's Column]], the [[Palace of Westminster]] with an animated [[Statue of Winston Churchill, Parliament Square|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]]".<ref name="xan"/><ref name="bbc120712jb">{{cite news |first=Nic |last=Brown |work=BBC News |title=How James Bond whisked the Queen to the Olympics |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19018666 |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> The Queen and the [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Duke of Edinburgh]], along with [[Jacques Rogge|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 (courtier)|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 [[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|Queen's funeral]], Coe told BBC News he originally took the concept to [[Anne, Princess Royal|Princess Anne]] whose only question was "What kind of helicopter?"<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2022/politics/global/queen-elizabeth-ii-funeral-1235376534/|title=Elizabeth II Receives Lavish State Funeral as Thousands Flock to London Streets to Say Goodbye|magazine=Variety|date=19 September 2022}}</ref> Back in 2014, during a State visit by Irish President [[Michael D. Higgins|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."<ref>{{cite web|title='A new era of friendship': Higgins makes historic UK speech|url=https://www.channel4.com/news/irish-president-michael-d-higgins-queen-state-visit|work=Channel4 News|date=8 April 2014|access-date=20 March 2024}}</ref>

For the scenes with the helicopter, the Queen was doubled by actress [[Julia McKenzie]],<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Guardian |title= London 2012: Danny Boyle thrills audiences with inventive Olympics opening ceremony |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-boyle-olympics-opening-ceremony | first1=Tracy| first2= Owen | last1=McVeigh| last2=Gibson|date=28 July 2012 |access-date=4 March 2013}}</ref> and for the parachute jump by [[BASE jumping|BASE jumper]] and [[stunt performer|stuntman]] [[Gary Connery]] wearing a dress, hat, jewellery and with a handbag.<ref>{{cite news |work=BBC News |title= London 2012 remembered: Gary Connery loved his Olympic skydiving entrance for opening ceremony |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/10205509/London-2012-remembered-Gary-Connery-loved-his-Olympic-skydiving-entrance-for-opening-cermony.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |date=27 July 2013 |access-date=27 July 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=BBC News |title= London 2012: 'Amazing' to be Queen's stunt double |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-19031022 |date=28 July 2012 |access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref> Bond was played by [[Mark Sutton]].<ref>{{cite news |work=BBC News |title= Olympic Bond parachutist Mark Sutton killed |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23707434 |date=15 August 2014 |access-date=15 August 2013}}</ref> 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 [[God Save the Queen|the national anthem]] were performed ''[[a cappella]]'' by the [[Kaos Signing Choir for Deaf and Hearing Children]].<ref name="koreen"/>

===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 [[trampoline]]s. They started a short jive routine. Watching from the tor were specially invited hospital staff and nine child patients from [[Great Ormond Street Hospital]].<ref name="GOSH">{{cite news |title=Incredible honour for Great Ormond Street Hospital at London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony |url=http://www.gosh.org/gen/news/latest-news/2012-archive/incredible-honour-for-great-ormond-street-hospital-at-london-2012-olympic-opening-ceremony/ |publisher=Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity |date=27 June 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> 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 [[Children's literature#United Kingdom|British children's literature]]. [[J. K. Rowling]] began by reading from [[James Matthew Barrie|J. M. Barrie]]'s ''[[Peter and Wendy|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: [[Queen of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)|the Queen of Hearts]], [[Captain Hook]], [[Cruella de Vil]], and [[Lord Voldemort]]. Minutes later, 32 women playing [[Mary Poppins (character)|Mary Poppins]] descended with their umbrellas, as the villains deflated and the actors resumed dancing.<ref name="xan"/> 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 / On Horseback|In Dulci Jubilo]]''.<ref name="dizzee">{{cite news |title=Dizzee Rascal, Emeli Sandé, Mike Oldfield perform at Olympics opening ceremony |url=https://www.nme.com/news/dizzee-rascal/65184 |newspaper=NME |date=27 June 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> 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 ultrasonography|obstetric ultrasound imaging]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Oxford Companion to the London 2012 Opening Ceremony |url=http://blog.oup.com/2012/08/oxford-companion-london-2012-opening-ceremony/ |work=Oxford University Press Blog|first=Alice|last=Northover|date=12 August 2012|access-date=3 September 2012}}</ref>

===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 (instrumental)|Chariots of Fire]]", as a tribute to the British film industry with [[Rowan Atkinson]] reprising his role as [[Mr. Bean (character)|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."{{fact|date=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. Bean{{clarify|date=March 2026}}.<ref name="Happy Birthday Mr Bean">{{cite web |title=Happy Birthday Mr. Bean |url= https://www.itv.com/hub/happy-birthday-mr-bean/10a0711a0001 |website= www.itv.com |publisher=ITV |access-date=2 February 2021}}</ref><ref name=raphael>{{Cite book | last1 = Raphael | first1 = Amy | last2 = Boyle | first2 = Danny | title = Danny Boyle: Creating Wonder | publisher = Faber & Faber | date = 2013 | isbn =978-0-571-30187-4 }}</ref>

===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.<ref>{{cite news |title=London 2012 Olympics: opening ceremony star describes her 'surreal' night |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympicsvideo/9434650/London-2012-Olympics-opening-ceremony-star-describes-her-surreal-night.html |archive-url=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 |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 July 2012 |newspaper=The Telegraph|date=28 July 2012 |access-date=1 August 2012}}</ref> To the accompaniment of the BBC [[Television Newsreel|newsreel]] theme "Girls in Grey" and the [[Barwick Green|theme tune]] from ''[[The Archers]]'', a young mother and son arrive in a [[Mini Hatch|Mini Cooper]] at a full-size replica of a modern British house. The [[Great Storm of 1987|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 (Sugababes song)|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 (1946 film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'' (June is named for its protagonist), as well as ''[[Gregory's Girl]]'', ''[[Kes (film)|Kes]]'', ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]'', ''[[The Snowman]]'', ''[[The Wicker Man (1973 film)|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 (film)|Trainspotting]]'' on the top and the inside of the house on the bottom.<ref>{{cite news |title=Olympic opening ceremony: Peter Bradshaw's review |first=Peter |last=Bradshaw |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/27/olympic-opening-ceremony-review?newsfeed=true|newspaper=The Guardian| date=27 June 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> 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 [[short message service|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).

[[File:This is for Everyone.jpg|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 (song)|Starman]]" by [[David Bowie]], "[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]" by [[Queen (band)|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 hairstyle]]s performed a [[Pogo (dance)|pogo]] dance, and the lyrics to the song were spelt out in LED lights around the stadium), "[[Blue Monday (New Order song)|Blue Monday]]" by [[New Order (band)|New Order]], "[[Relax (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song)|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]], "[[He's Gonna Step on You Again#Happy Mondays version|Step On]]" by [[Happy Mondays]], "[[Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)]]" by [[Eurythmics]], "[[Firestarter (The Prodigy song)|Firestarter]]" by [[The Prodigy]], and "[[Born Slippy .NUXX]]" by [[Underworld (band)|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 (television programme)|Brookside]]'', which in some countries, including Saudi Arabia, then became the first lesbian kiss ever shown on [[Watershed (television)|pre-watershed]] television),<ref name="xan"/> while "[[Song 2]]" by [[Blur (band)|Blur]] was played. A live performance of "[[Bonkers (song)|Bonkers]]" by [[Dizzee Rascal]] (who grew up in the host borough of [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets|Tower Hamlets]])<ref name="CBC">Matthew McKinnon: ''Grime Wave''. [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC.ca]], 5 May 2005. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100306173323/http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/grimewave.html Online] at the [[Internet Archive]]</ref> followed, along with a further sequence in which all the cast (and ''[[Britain's Got Talent]]'' dancing duo [[Signature (dance group)|Signature]]) attend a party at June's house while, [[Amy Winehouse]]'s "[[Valerie (The Zutons song)|Valerie]]", [[Muse (band)|Muse]]'s "[[Uprising (song)|Uprising]]", and [[Tinie Tempah]]'s "[[Pass Out (Tinie Tempah song)|Pass Out]]" played.<ref name="dizzee"/>

At the close, while "[[Heaven (Emeli Sandé song)|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 [[Twitter|tweeted]] "This is for everyone",<ref>{{cite web|last=Berners-Lee|first= Tim|title=This is for everyone|url=https://twitter.com/timberners_lee/status/228960085672599552|publisher=Twitter|date=27 July 2012|access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> instantly spelt out in LED lights around the stadium.<ref name="xan"/><ref name=Friar>{{cite news |title=Sir Tim Berners-Lee stars in Olympics opening ceremony |first=Karen |last=Friar |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/web-inventor-tim-berners-lee-stars-in-olympics-opening-ceremony/ |newspaper=ZDNet |date=28 July 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lunch with the FT: Tim Berners-Lee |first=Andrew |last=Edgecliffe-Johnson |url=https://www.ft.com/content/b022ff6c-f673-11e1-9fff-00144feabdc0|newspaper=[[Financial Times]] |date=7 September 2012 |access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref>

===Abide with Me (22:09–22:20)=== A filmed sequence showed extracts from the [[2012 Summer Olympics torch relay|torch relay]] around the UK, to the music "I Heard Wonders" by [[David Holmes (musician)|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 (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,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSjn9scDRTk| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/mSjn9scDRTk| archive-date=2021-11-14 | url-status=live|title=Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony - fireworks rehearsal Tower Bridge|first=Mark|last=Baynes| publisher=YouTube|date=24 July 2012|access-date=8 March 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> 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" [[7 July 2005 London bombings|2005 London bombings]] (on the day after London had been awarded the Games).<ref name="BBC77">{{cite news|title=London Olympics: Ceremony cathartic for 7/7 medic|first=Claire|last=Heald|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19150896 |work=[[BBC]] |date=6 August 2012|access-date=6 August 2012}}</ref> 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]]<ref name="xan"/><ref name="dizzee"/> while a group of dancers choreographed by and including [[Akram Khan (dancer)|Akram Khan]] performed a contemporary dance on the theme of mortality.<ref name=Raphaelbook>Amy Raphael, ''Danny Boyle: Creating Wonder'', London: Faber & Faber, published 21 March 2013, {{ISBN|9780571301867}}, page 434.</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Dancer Akram Khan reckons he can never top role in London Olympics opening ceremony|first=Akram|last=Khan|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/10203546/Dancer-Akram-Khan-reckons-he-can-never-top-role-in-London-Olympics-opening-ceremony.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=27 July 2013|access-date=27 July 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Welcome (22:20–00:00)=== {{see also|2012 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations}} [[File:2012 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations, Team GB.jpg|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 at the 2012 Summer Olympics|Independent Olympic Athletes]]") was led, according to custom, by the [[Greece|Greek]] team, followed by other competing countries in [[alphabetical order]], and finally the host nation [[Team GB|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 [[2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics cauldron|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).<ref name=MedGuide33>{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf|title=London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Media Guide|date=27 July 2012|access-date=1 August 2012|page=33|archive-date=31 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731215816/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The parade was accompanied by mainly British dance tracks and popular songs, including "[[Galvanize (song)|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 [[Team GB|Great Britain]] entering to [[David Bowie]]'s song "[["Heroes" (David Bowie song)|Heroes]]".<ref name="koreen"/> Welsh [[drum and bass]] DJ [[High Contrast]] mixed and sequenced the music for the athletes' parade.<ref name=QAug2012/>

Music with a fast rhythm of 120 [[tempo|bpm]]<ref name=QNov2012/> 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 [[Confetti|small pieces of paper]] were dropped from a [[Westland Helicopters|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)=== [[File:KOCIS Korea London Olympics TeamKorea 14 (7683500060).jpg|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 [[LED]]s representing [[Peace symbol#The dove and olive branch|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)===

[[File:Muhammed Ali receives the Olympic Flag at the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.JPG|thumb|left|[[Muhammad Ali]] receives the Olympic Flag]]The formal part of the ceremony was introduced by [[Sebastian Coe, Baron Coe|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 people|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".<ref name="xan"/> 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 Summer Olympics|1908]], held at short notice when [[Rome]] was unable to do so (after a volcanic eruption), and [[1948 Summer Olympics|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 [[Pierre de Coubertin|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.<ref name="xan"/>

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.<ref name="xan"/> 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).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://au.sports.yahoo.com/photos/olympic-flag-carried-daniel-barenboim-sally-becker-shami-photo-052852459--oly.html |title=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 |publisher=Au.sports.yahoo.com |date=20 April 2011 |access-date=31 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731065404/http://au.sports.yahoo.com/photos/olympic-flag-carried-daniel-barenboim-sally-becker-shami-photo-052852459--oly.html |archive-date=31 July 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> 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 Forces]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://goc2012.culture.gov.uk/2012/07/armed-forces-raise-flags/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728065628/http://goc2012.culture.gov.uk/2012/07/armed-forces-raise-flags/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 July 2012 |title=Members of the Armed Forces to raise the Union and Olympic flags at Opening Ceremony |publisher=Government Olympic Communication Newsroom |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=13 March 2013 }}</ref> and hoisted to the [[Olympic Hymn|Olympic Anthem]], performed by the [[London Symphony Orchestra|LSO]] and the [[Grimethorpe Colliery Band]]. A brief reprise of "And I will Kiss" commenced the [[Olympic Oath]]s, taken by [[taekwondo]] athlete [[Sarah Stevenson]] on behalf of the athletes, by British [[International Boxing Association (amateur)|AIBA]] Referee [[Mik Basi]] on behalf of the officials, and by Eric Farrell on behalf of the coaches.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://en.mastaekwondo.com/2012/07/sarah-stevenson-takes-olympic-oath-at-the-ceremony/|title=Sarah Stevenson takes Olympic oath at the ceremony|date=28 July 2012|first=S|last=Ramirez|work=masTaekwondo|access-date=13 March 2013|archive-date=12 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112140741/http://en.mastaekwondo.com/2012/07/sarah-stevenson-takes-olympic-oath-at-the-ceremony/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gbboxing.org.uk/news/boxing-stalwart-takes-centre-stage-at-greatest-show-on-earth-407.php|title=Boxing stalwart takes centre stage at greatest show on earth|date=3 August 2012|work=GB Boxing|access-date=13 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005014553/http://www.gbboxing.org.uk/news/boxing-stalwart-takes-centre-stage-at-greatest-show-on-earth-407.php|archive-date=5 October 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===There Is a Light That Never Goes Out (00:24–00:38)=== {{See also|2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics cauldron}} [[File:Olympic Cauldron after being lit at the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.jpg|thumb|right|Thomas Heatherwick's Olympic Cauldron after being lit]]

This section was named after [[There Is a Light That Never Goes Out|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, London|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".<ref>{{cite news |title=Seven teenagers light Games' cauldron |first1=Kate |last1=Holton |first2=Neil |last2=Maidment |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/olympics-opening-ceremony-young-athletes-idINDEE86R00020120728 |work=Reuters |date=28 July 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012 |archive-date=23 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923151542/https://in.reuters.com/article/olympics-opening-ceremony-young-athletes-idINDEE86R00020120728 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Six of the team were athletes, and the seventh was a volunteer young ambassador.<ref>{{cite news|title=London 2012 remembered: the cauldron lighters|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/10203579/London-2012-remembered-the-cauldron-lighters.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/10203579/London-2012-remembered-the-cauldron-lighters.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=27 July 2013|access-date=27 July 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

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]]"<ref name="TDCC">{{cite news|title=Singer 'thought invite was dream' |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/singer-thought-invite-was-dream-16190962.html|newspaper=The Belfast Telegraph|date=28 July 2012|access-date=27 July 2012}}</ref> with the Dockhead Choir, [[Only Men Aloud]], Elizabeth Roberts, and Esme Smith. This had been written especially for the ceremony by [[Rick Smith (Underworld)|Rick Smith]] of [[Underworld (band)|Underworld]].<ref name="TDCC"/>

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 204<ref name=Gdnind>{{cite web|title=Olympic cauldron lit by sport stars of future| url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/28/olympic-cauldron-lit-youngsters |newspaper=The Guardian|first=Owen|last=Gibson|date=28 July 2012|access-date=10 December 2012 |quote=The independent athletes had a petal for the Athletes' Parade, but this was not attached to the cauldron.}}</ref> 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).<ref>{{cite news|title=Olympic Cauldron|url=http://www.heatherwick.com/2012-olympic-cauldron/|publisher=Heatherwick Studio|access-date=13 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217021742/http://www.heatherwick.com/2012-olympic-cauldron/|archive-date=17 February 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Cauldron Lighting Segment (Full)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei54TO1VBlM| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/Ei54TO1VBlM| archive-date=2021-11-14 | url-status=live|publisher=Olympic YouTube Channel|date=27 July 2012|access-date=27 July 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The cauldron lighters were (''nominator in brackets''):<ref>{{cite web|title=Heatherwick Olympic cauldron lit by young hopefuls|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19024475|work=BBC News|date=28 July 2012|access-date=3 August 2012}}</ref> *Callum Airlie ([[Shirley Robertson]]) *Jordan Duckitt ([[Duncan Goodhew]]) *[[Desiree Henry]] ([[Daley Thompson]]) *Katie Kirk ([[Mary Peters (athlete)|Mary Peters]]) *Cameron MacRitchie ([[Steve Redgrave]]) *Aidan Reynolds ([[Lynn Davies]]) *[[Adelle Tracey]] ([[Kelly Holmes]])

[[2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics cauldron|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.<ref>{{cite news|title=London 2012: Thomas Heatherwick, the designer behind the Olympic cauldron that stunned viewers |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9434325/London-2012-Thomas-Heatherwick-the-designer-behind-the-Olympic-cauldron-that-stunned-viewers.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first=Roya|last=Nikkhah|date=28 July 2012|access-date=28 July 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Olympic cauldron represents peace says designer Heatherwick |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19028963|work=BBC|date=28 July 2012|access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref>

===And in the end (00:38–00:46)=== A flurry of spectacular fireworks accompanied by [[Pink Floyd]]'s song "[[Eclipse (Pink Floyd song)|Eclipse]]" was supported by images of memorable Olympic victories shown on the big screens, with the stadium pixels showing [[Jesse Owens]] running.<ref name=DVDcomm/> 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 [[ArcelorMittal Orbit|Orbit]] tower was illuminated. [[Paul McCartney]] and his band performed the closing section of "[[The End (The Beatles song)|The End]]", and then "[[Hey Jude]]", with its chorus sung by the audience to close the ceremony at 00:46 BST.<ref name="xan"/>

==Music== {{See also|Isles of Wonder (album)}} [[File:London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony - British Music section.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Segment of the opening ceremony celebrating British music]] The eclectic programme of music was chosen to showcase almost exclusively [[Music of the United Kingdom|British music]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Olympics opening ceremony pays tribute to British pop music|first=Tim |last=Jonze|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jul/27/olympics-opening-ceremony-british-pop?newsfeed=true |newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="washingtonpost1">{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/olympics-ceremony-london-2012-arctic-monkeys-355714 |title=London 2012: Olympics Opening Ceremony Soundtrack Album Tops Download Charts|work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=29 July 2012|access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref> with pieces representing [[Countries of the United Kingdom|the UK's four nations]].<ref name=telegraph-wit>{{cite news|last=Sawer|first=Patrick|title=London 2012: opening ceremony wows the Queen and the world with wit and drama|url=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 |archive-url=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 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=31 July 2012|date=28 July 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> It included [[Classical music of the United Kingdom|classical works]] by [[List of British classical composers|British composers]] such as [[Charles Hubert Parry|Hubert Parry]], and performances by UK choirs and orchestras. The focus was mainly on [[British popular music|music of the 1960s onwards]], causing one [[Chinese people|Chinese]] journalist to ask: "Will this be the most rock and roll opening ceremony ever?".<ref>{{cite news |title=Olympics opening ceremony: the view from abroad|first=Alexandra |last=Topping |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/27/olympics-opening-ceremony-view-from-abroad?intcmp=239 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref>

Rick Smith and Underworld composed pieces for the ceremony, including "[[And I Will Kiss]]"<ref>{{cite news |title=Underworld - And I Will Kiss (Edit) (London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1jPRQOkuWw | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/i1jPRQOkuWw| archive-date=2021-11-14 | url-status=live|publisher=YouTube |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=29 July 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> used during the "Pandemonium" section, and "[[Caliban's Dream]]"<ref>{{cite news |title=Underworld - Caliban's Dream (London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mec8GZkEpD4 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/Mec8GZkEpD4| archive-date=2021-11-14 | url-status=live|publisher=YouTube |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=29 July 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite news |title=Olympic opening ceremony: the music, reviewed|first=Michael|last=Hann |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/27/olympic-opening-ceremony-music?intcmp=239 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref>

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. [[File:London Olympics Opening Ceremony - Mike Oldfield.jpg|thumb|Mike Oldfield performing "[[Tubular Bells]]" at the opening ceremony]] Bells were a theme of the opening day of the Olympics, starting at 8:12{{nbsp}}am with artist [[Martin Creed]]'s ''[[All the Bells|Work No. 1197: All the Bells]]'', when bells were rung across the UK including forty strikes of Big Ben.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bells toll across UK as Martin Creed's army of ringers welcome Olympics |first1=Severin| last1=Carrell| first2=Charlotte| last2=Higgins| url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/jul/27/bells-toll-martin-creed-olympics?newsfeed=true|newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref> "The sound of bells is the sound of England", Boyle had told volunteers during rehearsal.<ref name="moonbook">{{cite book|last1 = Moon | first1 = Russell| title = Days of Wonders | publisher = Oak House Partnership | year= 2012 | isbn = 978-095747310-2}}</ref> 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 [[Ring of bells|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]].<ref name=GDBCotP/> The performing artists were paid a nominal £1 fee to make their contracts legally binding.<ref name=QAug2012/>

The pre-recorded soundtrack ''[[Isles of Wonder: Music for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games|Isles of Wonder]]'' was released on iTunes at midnight of 28 July 2012, with a two-disc CD set released on 2 August.<ref>{{cite news |title=Isles of Wonder |url=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 |work=[[Amazon.com|Amazon]] |access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref name="washingtonpost1"/> Rick Smith's concluding comment in the CD cover notes was: "The isle is full of noises. The soundtrack writes itself."

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="min-width:600px;" |+Main musical items in the opening ceremony, in the order first performed (not including the music used in the Parade of Nations)<ref name=music-credits>{{cite web|title=And in the end...|url=http://olympicopeningceremony.tumblr.com/tagged/music|work=London 2012 Opening Ceremony website music credits|access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref><ref name=DTmusic>{{cite news|title=London 2012 Olympics: the full musical playlist for the Olympic opening ceremony|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9341231/London-2012-Olympics-the-full-musical-playlist-for-the-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first=Sophia|last=Heath|date=19 June 2012|access-date=30 July 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> |- ! Piece ! Artist ! Written by ! Notes ! Start time (BBC iPlayer)<ref name=BBCiP>{{cite web|title=Opening Ceremony with TV Commentary|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics|work=BBC|date=28 July 2012|access-date=3 August 2012}}</ref> |- | "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 song)|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|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 song)|Time]]" | [[Pink Floyd]] | [[Roger Waters]], [[David Gilmour]], [[Nick Mason]], [[Richard Wright (musician)|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 (Andrew Lloyd Webber album)|Variations]]'' (Theme to ''[[The South Bank Show]]'') | [[Julian Lloyd Webber]] | [[Niccolò Paganini]] Arr. [[Julian Lloyd Webber]] | ''Green and Pleasant Land'' filmed segment | 00:05:48 |- | "[[God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song)|God Save the Queen]]" | Sex Pistols | Lydon/Matlock/Jones/Cook | ''Green and Pleasant Land'' filmed segment | 00:05:53 |- | [[EastEnders theme tune|Theme to ''EastEnders'']] | | [[Simon May]] and [[Leslie Osborne]] | ''Green and Pleasant Land'' filmed segment | 00:06:05 |- | "Under The House" | [[Public Image Ltd.|P.I.L.]] | [[John Lydon]], [[Martin Atkins]], [[Keith Levene]] | ''Green and Pleasant Land'' filmed segment | 00:06:09 |- | "[[London Calling (song)|London Calling]]" | [[The Clash]] | [[Joe Strummer]], [[Mick Jones (The Clash)|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 song)|Smile]]" | [[Lily Allen]] | L. Allen, [[Iyiola Babalola]], Darren Lewis | ''Green and Pleasant Land'' filmed segment | 00:06:28 |- | "[[Map of the Problematique]]" | [[Muse (band)|Muse]] | [[Matthew 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 |- | "[[And did those feet in ancient time|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 Ceiriog Hughes|John Hughes]] Lyrics: [[William Williams (Crwys)|William Williams]] Arr. [[Tim Rhys-Evans]] | Filmed segment: Welsh choir at [[Rhossili|Rhossili Bay]] | 00:10:15 |- | "[[And I Will Kiss]]" | [[Underworld (band)|Underworld]], [[Evelyn Glennie]], The 1000 Pandemonium Drummers LSO on Track, conducted by François-Xavier Roth Assistant conductor: Matthew Gibson The [[Grimethorpe Colliery Band|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 (Handel)|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 (film)|Dr. No]]) | [[John Barry (composer)|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 Soan Musical 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mike Oldfield - London Olympics 2012 opening ceremony - Alasdair Malloy Percussion Camera |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjenmsITnBs | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/jjenmsITnBs| archive-date=2021-11-14 | url-status=live|publisher=YouTube |date=29 July 2012 |access-date=13 March 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> | 00:38:37; 00:43:10 |- | "[[Tubular Bells]] (Part One - Swing)"<ref name=Oldfield>{{cite news |title=Mike Oldfield – Music For The Opening Ceremony Of The London 2012 Olympic Games |url=http://www.discogs.com/Mike-Oldfield-Music-For-The-Opening-Ceremony-Of-The-London-2012-Olympic-Games/release/3939211 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref> | [[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 Soan Musical 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"<ref name=Oldfield/> | [[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 (instrumental)|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 (composer)|Charles Williams]] | ''Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim'' segment. This track is preceded by [[Greenwich Time Signal|the pips]]. | 00:56:27 |- | Theme to ''[[The Archers]]'' ("Barwick Green") | | [[Arthur Wood (composer)|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 song)|Push the Button]]" | [[Sugababes]] | [[Dallas Austin]], [[Mutya Buena]], [[Keisha Buchanan]], [[Heidi Range]] | ''Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim'' segment | 00:57:18 |- | "[[Enola Gay (song)|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 (band)|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 (musician)|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 (song)|Starman]]" | [[David Bowie]] | David Bowie | ''Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim'' segment | 01:03:42 |- | "[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]" | [[Queen (band)|Queen]] | [[Freddie Mercury]] | ''Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim'' segment | 01:03:59 |- | "[[Pretty Vacant]]" | Sex Pistols | [[Johnny Rotten]], [[Steve Jones (musician)|Steve Jones]], [[Paul Cook]], [[Glen Matlock]] | ''Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim'' segment | 01:04:55 |- | "[[Blue Monday (New Order song)|Blue Monday]]" | [[New Order (band)|New Order]] | [[Gillian Gilbert]], [[Peter Hook]], [[Stephen Morris (musician)|Stephen Morris]], [[Bernard Sumner]] | ''Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim'' segment | 01:06:02 |- | "[[Relax (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song)|Relax]]" | [[Frankie Goes To Hollywood]] | [[Peter Gill (FGTH drummer)|Peter Gill]], [[Holly Johnson]], [[Brian Nash (musician)|Brian Nash]], [[Mark O'Toole (musician)|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 |- | "[[He's Gonna Step on You Again#Happy Mondays version|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 (Eurythmics)|Dave Stewart]] | ''Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim'' segment | 01:06:58 |- | "[[Firestarter (The Prodigy song)|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 (band)|Underworld]] | [[Underworld (band)|Rick Smith]], [[Karl Hyde]], [[Darren Emerson]] | ''Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim'' segment | 01:07:57 |- | "[[I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles]]" | | Music: [[John Kellette]] Lyrics: [[James Kendis]], [[James Brockman]] and [[Nat Vincent]] | ''Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim'' segment | 01:08:17 |- | "[[Song 2]]" | [[Blur (band)|Blur]] | [[Damon Albarn]], [[Graham Coxon]], [[Alex James (musician)|Alex James]], [[Dave Rowntree]] | ''Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim'' segment. Montage of kisses including the ground-breaking ''[[Brookside (television programme)|Brookside]]'' pre-watershed lesbian kiss in 1994. | 01:09:00 |- | "[[Bonkers (song)|Bonkers]]" | [[Dizzee Rascal]] | [[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 (The Zutons song)|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 (song)|Uprising]]" | [[Muse (band)|Muse]] | [[Matthew Bellamy]] | ''Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim'' segment | 01:10:56 |- | "Random Antics" | Mikey J feat. [[Kano (rapper)|Kano]] | Asante/Robinson | | |- | "[[Pass Out (Tinie Tempah song)|Pass Out]]" | [[Tinie Tempah]] | Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu, McKenzie | ''Frankie and June say ... Thanks Tim'' segment | 01:11:29 |- | "[[Heaven (Emeli Sandé song)|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]] |- | "[[The Holy Pictures|I Heard Wonders]]"<ref name=LAT>{{cite web|title=London Olympics: Opening ceremony celebrates pop music|url=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|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first=Todd|last=Martens|date=28 July 2012|access-date=1 August 2012}}</ref> | [[David Holmes (musician)|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 [[2012 Summer Olympics torch relay|Olympic torch relay]],<ref name=MedGuide36>{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf|title=London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Media Guide|date=27 July 2012|access-date=1 August 2012|page=36|archive-date=31 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731215816/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> ending with [[David Beckham]] and Jade Bailey in the speedboat on the Thames with the Olympic torch | 01:13:35 |- | "[[Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks|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 [[High Contrast|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 (footballer)|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 (London)|Olympic Stadium]] | 03:28:14 |- | "[[Caliban's Dream]]" | [[Underworld (band)|Underworld]], the Dockhead Choir, [[Evelyn Glennie]], [[Only Men Aloud]], Elizabeth Roberts, Esme Smith and [[Two Door Cinema Club|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 [[2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics cauldron|cauldron]], ending with the soprano solo | 03:33:31 |- | "[[Eclipse (Pink Floyd song)|Eclipse]]" | Pink Floyd | Roger Waters | Played during the final fireworks display | 03:40:53 |- | "[[The End (The Beatles song)|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== *{{flagicon|UK}} [[God Save the Queen|National Anthem of the United Kingdom]] – [[Kaos Signing Choir for Deaf and Hearing Children]] *{{flagicon|IOC}} [[Olympic Hymn|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.<ref name=techvid>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Z8pCTt1hE|title=Backstage at the London 2012 Olympic Ceremonies|work = Lsionline|date=12 September 2012|access-date=15 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19427139|title=Summer 'wettest in 100 years', Met Office figures show|date=30 August 2012|access-date=15 March 2013|page=15|work=BBC News}}</ref> Dismantling the staging took just sixty hours.<ref name=techvid/> 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 [[2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics cauldron|cauldron]]. To ensure that it remained secret, the cauldron was code-named "Betty", and installed and tested at night.<ref name=techvid/>

The stadium was rigged with a one million watt sound system and more than 500 speakers.<ref name=MedGuide15>{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf|title=London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Media Guide|date=27 July 2012|access-date=1 August 2012|page=15|archive-date=31 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731215816/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some {{convert|15000|sqm|acre}} of staging and 12,956 props were used,<ref>{{cite web|title=Olympics ceremony: 27m UK viewers watched opening|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19026694|work=BBC News|date=28 July 2012|access-date=2 August 2012}}</ref> as well as {{convert|7346|sqm|acre}} of turf including crops.<ref name=MedGuide21>{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf|title=London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Media Guide|date=27 July 2012|access-date=1 August 2012|page=21|archive-date=31 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731215816/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> 70,799<ref name=MedGuide15/> 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.<ref name=techvid/> 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.<ref>{{cite web|last=Desmarais |first=Christina |url=http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/?NewsID=3372809 |title=HOW THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY AUDIENCE BECAME A GIANT TV SCREEN |publisher=Digitalartsonline.co.uk |date=30 July 2012 |access-date=31 July 2012}}</ref> The 2D to 3D transformation and mapping of video content onto the panels were done by [[Avolites|Avolites Media]] [[media server]] consoles.<ref name=TpITait>{{cite web|title=Tait's Landscape Video System Engulfs Entire Olympic Stadium With Moving Images|url=http://www.tpimagazine.com/News/1511740/taits_landscape_video_system_engulfs_entire_olympic_stadium_with_moving_images.html|work=tpiMagazine.com|publisher=Total Production International|access-date=23 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108024914/http://www.tpimagazine.com/News/1511740/taits_landscape_video_system_engulfs_entire_olympic_stadium_with_moving_images.html|archive-date=8 January 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=LsiGreenInterview>{{cite journal|title=Interview - Dave Green|journal=Lighting and Sound International|date=July 2013|page=82|url=http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?PBID=8918c11d-2349-4b43-a6cc-a2fdecb2f2e2|access-date=16 July 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Flickr - Carine06 - Olympic Stadium (3).jpg|thumb|At the technical rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony]] Technical director Piers Shepperd masterminded the complex change from rural to industrial during "Pandemonium".<ref name="DTPand"/> The seven inflatable chimneys were made by Airworks, and varied in height (three were {{convert|22|m|ft|adj=on}}, two were {{convert|23|m|ft|adj=on}} and two were {{convert|30|m|ft|adj=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.<ref name=techvid/> Life-size [[beam engine]]s were constructed onstage by teams of stage hands and members of the Volunteer Staging Team.<ref name="DTPand"/> At the climax of "Pandemonium", in the [[Olympic symbols#Rings|Olympic ring]] forging scene, amber lights lit in sequence created the illusion of a {{convert|30|m|ft|adj=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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Papworth |first=Andrew |url=http://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/latest-news/review_of_the_year_2012_july_september_1_1782551 |title=Review of the Year 2012: July-September |work=Hunts Post |date=4 January 2013 |access-date=7 January 2013 |archive-date=6 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106101448/http://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/latest-news/review_of_the_year_2012_july_september_1_1782551 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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#Three Mills Studios|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 [[Metronome|metronomic]] four-beat to keep everyone walking and moving in time with the music.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZlZZf8MKpM | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/1ZlZZf8MKpM| archive-date=2021-11-14 | url-status=live|title=Olympic Opening Ceremony Hidden Camera with performers in ear monitor| website=[[YouTube]]|date=11 December 2012 |access-date=27 July 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|last=Corera |first=Gordon |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23195283|title=The 'cyber-attack' threat to London's Olympic ceremony|work=BBC News |date=8 July 2013 |access-date=10 July 2013}}</ref>

==Ceremony key team== {{Div col}} *Artistic director: [[Danny Boyle]]<ref>{{cite news |title=How Danny Boyle put together the show that wowed the world|first1=Alexandra |last1=Topping|first2=Owen|last2=Gibson |newspaper=The Observer |page=8 |date=29 July 2012}}</ref> *Producer: [[Tracey Seaward]] *Designers: [[Suttirat Anne Larlarb]] and [[Mark Tildesley (production designer)|Mark Tildesley]] *Writer: [[Frank Cottrell-Boyce]]<ref name="GdnFCB"/> *Music director: [[Rick Smith (Underworld)|Rick Smith]] ([[Underworld (band)|Underworld]]) *Associate director: [[Paulette Randall]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2012/09/01/paulette-randall-sets-the-jamaican-olympic-stage/|title=Paulette Randall sets the Jamaican Olympic stage|newspaper=[[Jamaica Observer]]|date=1 September 2012|access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/jul/09/paulette-randall-fences-director-interview|title=Paulette Randall interview: 'You never know what's around the corner, do you?'|first=Nosheen|last=Iqbal|newspaper=The Guardian|date=9 July 2013|access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref> *Movement director: [[Toby Sedgwick]] *Head of mass movement choreography: [[Steve Boyd]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://steveboydportfolio.com/Portfolio/Olympics/Pages/London_2012.html |title=LONDON 2012 HEAD OF MASS MOVEMENT CHOREOGRAPHY OPENING & CLOSING CEREMONIES OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES |publisher=Steve Boyd |access-date=7 February 2013 |archive-date=26 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126172335/http://www.steveboydportfolio.com/Portfolio/Olympics/Pages/London_2012.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> *Choreographers: Temujin Gill, Kenrick "H2O" Sandy and [[Akram Khan (dancer)|Akram Khan]] *Video editor: Sascha Dhillon<ref name=OCProg>London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Official Programme, p. 49</ref> *Visual effects supervisor: Adam Gascoyne<ref name=OCProg/> *Executive producer, production design: Mark Fisher<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stufish.com/stufish-staff/creative-team/mark-fisher.html |title=Mark Fisher Studio | |Stufish Staff | Creative Team | |publisher=Stufish |access-date=31 July 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203040901/http://www.stufish.com/stufish-staff/creative-team/mark-fisher.html |archive-date=3 February 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> *Executive producer, creative: [[Stephen Daldry]] *Lighting designer: [[Patrick Woodroffe (lighting designer)|Patrick Woodroffe]] *Associate lighting designer: [[Adam Bassett]] *Lead lighting programmer: [[Tim Routledge]]<ref>{{cite web|first=Tim |last=Routledge |url=http://www.timroutledge.co.uk/ |title=Lighting Designer | Lighting Director | Lighting Programmer – Tim Routledge, lighting design, programming |publisher=Timroutledge.co.uk |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=31 July 2012}}</ref> *Soundscape designer: Gareth Fry *Technical director: Piers Shepperd<ref>{{cite web|first=Piers |last=Shepperd |url=http://www.wonder.co.uk/ |title=Technical Director |publisher=Wonder.co.uk |date=27 July 2012 |access-date=31 July 2012}}</ref> *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 Hamilton (director)|Hamish Hamilton]]<ref name=TYDandD>{{Cite web |title=FILMING THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONY |last=Hamilton |first=Hamish |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_JDSfaWj4k |website=YouTube |date=12 February 2013 |access-date=21 March 2013}}</ref> *Executive producer, production: [[Catherine Ugwu]] *Press & publicity: Christopher Mitchell *Bike choreographer: [[Bob Haro]] *Bike project manager: Paul Hughes<ref>{{cite web |author=Xtreme Action Events |url=http://www.xtremeaction.co.uk/ |title=Event Director – Paul Hughes |publisher=xtremeaction.co.uk |date=1 August 2012 |access-date=1 August 2012 |archive-date=17 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121217015500/http://xtremeaction.co.uk/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> *Announcers: [[Marc Edwards (TV presenter)|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 *Production stage manager: Sam Hunter *Show caller: Julia Whittle {{Div col end}}

==TV coverage== [[File:2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony Fireworks Tower Bridge.jpg|thumb|Fireworks at [[Tower Bridge]]]] The [[BBC]]'s coverage started at 19:00 and continued uninterrupted until 00:50.<ref>{{cite news|title=How to watch the London Olympic opening ceremony |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2012/jul/27/how-to-watch-olympic-opening-ceremony|first=Stuart|last=Heritage|date=27 July 2012|access-date=14 March 2013|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> The BBC audience averaged about 24.46 million viewers and peaked at approximately 26.9 million.<ref name=viewfiguk>{{cite news|title=Olympic opening ceremony watched by nearly 27m |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jul/28/london-olympic-ceremony-tv-viewers|first=John|last=Plunkett|date=28 July 2012|access-date=24 August 2012|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> 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.<ref name=viewfiguk/> 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."<ref>{{cite web|title=London Olympics offers a boost to beleaguered BBC|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=8230357|first=David|last=Stringer|date=3 August 2012|access-date=14 June 2014|work=[[ESPN]]|publisher=[[The Walt Disney Company]]}}</ref> Euan Ferguson of ''[[The Observer]]'' commented that "Coverage of the Olympics so far ... has been near perfect".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/29/olympic-opening-ceremony-coverage-bbc |title=Olympic coverage sees the BBC's female anchors take an early lead |newspaper=The Observer |first=Euan|last=Ferguson|date=29 July 2012|access-date=5 August 2012}}</ref> However, [[Clive James]] was critical of the build-up programme, presented by [[Gary Lineker]] and [[Sue Barker]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Clive|last=James|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9440944/Clive-James-on...-the-London-2012-opening-ceremony-and-the-BBC-coverage.html |archive-url=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 |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 July 2012 |title=Clive James on... the London 2012 opening ceremony and the BBC coverage |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=31 July 2012|access-date=5 August 2012}}</ref> Commentators for the BBC were [[Huw Edwards (journalist)|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".<ref name="Dawson">{{cite web|last=Dawson |first=Andy |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-reviews/bbcs-trevor-nelson-stumbles-but-danny-1177361 |title=Boyle Command Performance is hampered by not-so-clever Trevor |newspaper=Daily Mirror |date=28 July 2012 |access-date=31 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9441775/London-2012-viewers-verdicts-on-BBC-sports-presenters.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9441775/London-2012-viewers-verdicts-on-BBC-sports-presenters.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=London 2012: viewers' verdicts on BBC sports presenters |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first= Hannah|last=Furness|date=1 August 2012|access-date=5 August 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Purnell |first=Gareth |url=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 |archive-url=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 |archive-date=1 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |title=Olympic opening ceremony view from the sofa: Sue, Gary and Team BBC whipped us into a frenzy – Olympic News – Olympics |newspaper=The Independent |date=28 July 2012 |access-date=5 August 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Donaghy |first=James |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2012/jul/31/olympic-sporting-commentary?newsfeed=true |title=Olympic sporting commentary: why more is often less |newspaper=The Guardian |date=31 July 2012 |access-date=5 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/27/olympic-opening-ceremony-tv?newsfeed=true |title=Olympic opening ceremony: the TV review |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Sam|last=Wollaston|date=27 July 2012|access-date=5 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Purnell |first=Gareth |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/comment/grace-dents-olympics-the-bbc-red-button-should-come-with-a-health-warning-7986144.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=1 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |title=Grace Dent's Olympics: The BBC red button should come with a health warning – Comment – Olympics |newspaper=The Independent |date=30 July 2012 |access-date=5 August 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Danny Boyle unhappy over plans for commentary over the Olympic opening ceremony|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9422502/Danny-Boyle-unhappy-over-plans-for-commentary-over-the-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=25 November 2012|date=24 July 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=Indycomm>{{cite news|title=Danny Boyle in private talks with Huw Edwards on Olympic Opening Ceremony|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/danny-boyle-in-private-talks-with-huw-edwards-on-olympic-opening-ceremony-7966269.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=1 May 2022 |url-access=subscription|first=Ian|last=Burrell|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=3 August 2012|date=24 July 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[Audio description]] was also provided with commentary by [[Nick Mullins]].<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC - The Ouch! Blog: Blind people to get their own special channel for the Olympic opening ceremony |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ouch/2012/07/olympic_opening_ceremony_gets.html |website=The Ouch! Blog |access-date=24 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

Nearly 41 million US viewers watched [[NBC]]'s coverage of the event. Criticism was levelled at its decision to [[Olympics on NBC#2012 Opening Ceremony|tape-delay this broadcast]], and not make a live version available even to cable and web users. There were frequent interruptions by commercial breaks.<ref>{{cite news|title=NBC Olympics Opening Ceremony Coverage Criticized For Tape Delay|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/27/nbc-olympics-opening-ceremony-coverage-tape-delay_n_1710306.html|access-date=29 July 2012|work=Huffington Post|date=27 July 2012}}</ref> Many US viewers looked for other ways to watch (such as the live [[BBC]] feed),<ref name="Deadspin">{{cite web |title=How To Watch The London Olympics Opening Ceremony Live (And Give The Finger To NBC) |first=Timothy |last=Burke |url=http://deadspin.com/5929680/how-to-watch-the-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-live-and-give-the-finger-to-nbc |website=[[Deadspin]]|date=27 July 2012 |access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref> despite both NBC and the IOC vowing to crack down on unauthorised streams.<ref name="TF">{{cite news |last=Ernesto|title=NBC and IOC Ready to Crackdown [sic] on Olympic Pirates|first=Ernesto |url=http://torrentfreak.com/nbc-and-ioc-ready-to-crackdown-on-olympic-pirates-120725/ |work=TorrentFreak|date=25 July 2012 |access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hills |first=David |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/28/london-2012-nbc-opening-ceremony |title=Row after NBC drop opening ceremony '7/7 tribute' |newspaper=The Guardian |date=28 July 2012|access-date=14 March 2013}}</ref> An NBC spokesman said the network had left out that segment because its programming was "tailored for the US audience".<ref>{{cite news |last=Hiestand| first=Michael |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/story/2012-07-28/NBC-tribute-to-victims-Michael-Phelps/56556494/1 |title=NBC elects to skip tribute to victims at opening ceremony |work=USA Today |date= 28 July 2012|access-date=14 March 2013}}</ref> There was also criticism of commentators [[Matt Lauer]] and [[Meredith Vieira]] for suggesting that [[Elizabeth II|the Queen]] had actually jumped out of a helicopter.<ref name="NPR">{{cite news |title=The Opening Ceremonies in London: From The Industrial Revolution To Voldemort|first=Linda |last=Holmes |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/07/28/157521409/the-opening-ceremonies-in-london-from-the-industrial-revolution-to-voldemort |work=NPR |date=28 July 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> Vieira and Lauer admitted to not knowing that [[Tim Berners-Lee]] was the inventor of the [[World Wide Web]],<ref name="AVClub">{{cite news |title=Review: Olympic opening ceremony|first=Noel |last=Murray |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-2012-summer-olympics-opening-ceremonies-1798173745 |work=The AV Club|date=28 July 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> as she commented "If you haven't heard of him, we haven't either", before Lauer told the audience to [[Google Search|Google]] him.<ref>{{Cite news |title=NBC's opening ceremony mess: the top six cringeworthy moments |last=Harris |first=Paul |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/us-news-blog/2012/jul/28/nbc-opening-ceremony-cringeworthy-moments?newsfeed=true |newspaper=The Guardian |date=28 July 2012 |access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref> These failings were picked up on [[Twitter]] during the broadcast with the [[hashtag]] #nbcfail.<ref>{{Cite news |title=NBC fail shows network's commitment to 'the last great buggy-whip Olympics' |last=Moore |first=Heidi |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/30/nbc-fail-buggy-whip-olympics?CMP=twt_gu |newspaper=The Guardian |date=30 July 2012 |access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref>

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.<ref name=TYDandD/> This situation led to some tension, as Boyle wanted more artistic control and felt he was getting no co-operation from the OBS.<ref name=Indycomm/><ref name=Gdntension>{{Cite news |title=Olympic opening ceremony: a feast of drama … and that's just the rehearsals |last1=Hopkins |first1=Nick|last2=Gibson|first2=Owen|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/18/olympic-opening-ceremony-drama?newsfeed=true |newspaper=The Guardian |date=18 July 2012 |access-date=21 March 2013}}</ref><ref name=GdnDVD>{{Cite news |title=Your next box set: London 2012 Olympic Games |last=Moss |first=Stephen |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/nov/01/box-set-london-2012-olympic-games |newspaper=The Guardian |date=1 November 2012 |access-date=25 November 2012}}</ref> He criticised the OBS coverage during his commentary for the BBC DVD.<ref name=DVDcomm/> In addition, the BBC filmed some of the pre-recorded parts of the ceremony.<ref name=Indycomm/> The filming was directed for television by [[Hamish Hamilton (director)|Hamish Hamilton]], who described it as "easily the most difficult job of my life".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2013/tvcraft/special-award|title=Television Craft - Special Award in 2013|work=BAFTA |date=29 April 2013|access-date=1 May 2013}}</ref>

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|Blu-ray disc]] set, which also contained more than seven hours of sporting highlights as well as the complete closing ceremony.<ref name=BBCDVD/> 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]].<ref name=GdnDVD/>

==Reception== ''[[The Times]]'' described the ceremony as "a masterpiece", with ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' saying it was "brilliant, breathtaking, bonkers and utterly British".<ref name=BBCmedreact/> 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."<ref>{{cite news |title=Olympics 2012 opening ceremony: 'A Britain as never seen before' |first=Tom |last=Fordyce |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/19022429 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=28 July 2012 |access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite news|title=London 2012: we've glimpsed another kind of Britain, so let's fight for it|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/10/london-2012-glimpsed-britain-fight?INTCMP=SRCH|first=Jonathan|last=Freedland|date=10 August 2012|access-date=11 August 2012|newspaper = The Guardian}}</ref> 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".<ref name=Gdnrevs>{{cite news |title=London 2012: Opening ceremony – reviews |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/29/london-2012-opening-ceremony-reviews |newspaper=[[The Observer]] |date=29 July 2012 |access-date=25 November 2012}}</ref> ''The Stage'' said that "Danny Boyle's spectacular and moving Olympics Opening Ceremony was undoubtedly the theatrical highlight of 2012".<ref>{{cite news |title=The Stage 100 2013: numbers 3 to 6 |url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/the-stage-100-2013-numbers-3-to-6/|work=The Stage |date=3 January 2013 |access-date=3 January 2013}}</ref>

{{quote box|quote="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."|source=Frank Cottrell-Boyce on the BBC Radio 4 ''Today'' programme, 28 July 2012.<ref name=FCBToday>{{cite news |title=London 2012 Opening Ceremony: Isles of Wonder – 27 July 2012 |url=http://andrewburdett.co.uk/2012/07/28/london-2012-opening-ceremony-isles-of-wonder-27-july-2012/ |publisher=Andrew Burdett |first=Frank|last=Cottrell-Boyce|date=28 July 2012 |access-date=14 March 2013}}</ref>|width=33%|align=right}}

Although praise came from across the political spectrum, a few on the British political right were unhappy. [[Aidan Burley]], a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Member of Parliament|MP]], denounced the ceremony on [[Twitter]] as "[[Left wing|leftie]] multicultural crap".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.itv.com/news/story/2012-07-27/twitter-anger-after-conservative-mp-aidan-burley-tweets-about-most-leftie-opening-ceremony/|title=MP attacks 'leftie Ceremony'|publisher=ITV News|date=27 July 2012|access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="BBC-refute" /> Burley's comments were dismissed by many fellow Conservatives, including [[David Cameron]] and [[Boris Johnson]].<ref name="BBC-refute">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19029510|title=London 2012: Boris Johnson dismisses 'leftie' complaint|work=BBC News|date=28 July 2012|access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="Guardian-Burley">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/jul/28/olympics-opening-ceremony-multicultural-crap-tory-mp?fb=optOut | title=Olympics opening ceremony was 'multicultural crap', Tory MP tweets | newspaper=The Guardian | date=28 July 2012 | access-date=28 July 2012 | last=Watt |first=Nicholas}}</ref>

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".<ref name=BBCmedreact/><ref name=nyt>{{cite news|last=Lyall|first=Sarah|title=A Five-Ring Opening Circus, Weirdly and Unabashedly British|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/28/sports/olympics/in-olympic-opening-ceremony-britain-asserts-its-eccentric-identity.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all|newspaper=The New York Times|date=27 July 2012|access-date=14 March 2013}}</ref> ''Forbes'' called it Boyle's "love song to Britain",<ref name="pomerantz1"/> while ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' noted its political aspects, calling it "a celebration of protest and dissent".<ref name=SIrev>{{cite magazine|last=Wolff|first=Alex|title=Opening ceremony a celebration -- of protest and dissent |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/alexander_wolff/07/27/london-opening-ceremonies/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t11_a0|archive-url=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|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 July 2012|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|date=28 July 2012|access-date=12 March 2013}}</ref> ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' said it was "an unforgettable start ... at once subversive and sublime"<ref name=BBCmedreact/> and ''[[The Times of India]]'' said that "London presented a vibrant picture of Great Britain's rich heritage and culture".<ref name=BBCmedreact/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-19026951|title=London 2012 opening ceremony wows world media|work=BBC News|date=28 July 2012|access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> The Chinese news agency ''[[Xinhua]]'' described the ceremony as "dazzling" and an "eccentric and exuberant celebration of British history, art and culture".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/video/2012-07/28/c_131744563.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801080859/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/video/2012-07/28/c_131744563.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 August 2012|title=London Olympics opening ceremony kicks off|publisher=Xinhua News Agency|date=28 July 2012|access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> 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."<ref name=Gdnrevs/>

Russian President [[Vladimir Putin|Putin]] said the ceremony was "wonderful and unforgettable".<ref>{{cite news|last=Hanna|first=Laurie|title=Full of Bean: Vladimir Putin found Rowan Atkinson Olympics sketch "hilarious" but refuses to talk about human rights|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mr-bean-at-the-olympics-opening-ceremony-1208216|newspaper=Daily Mirror|date=2 August 2012|access-date=14 March 2013}}</ref> [[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."<ref>{{cite news|last=Bonar|first=John|title=Full text of the interview by PM Dmitry Medvedev to The Times newspaper|url=http://www.rusemb.org.uk/article/155|date=30 July 2012|access-date=14 June 2014|work=BSR Russia}}</ref> Panos Samaras of Greece's [[New Hellenic Television|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 {{lang|de|[[Die Welt]]}} hailed it as "spectacular, glitzy but also provoking and moving".<ref>{{cite news|title=London 2012: What the world thought of the opening ceremony|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9434319/London-2012-What-the-world-thought-of-the-opening-ceremony.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=28 July 2012|access-date=7 August 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Chinese news [[CCTV-4]] said the ceremony was a "stunning feast for the eyes".<ref>{{cite news|title=Chinese News CCTV4 said London 2012 opening ceremony was "a stunning feast for the eyes."|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NivdY_UEetM| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/NivdY_UEetM| archive-date=2021-11-14 | url-status=live|work=CCTV4|date=28 July 2012|access-date=14 March 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> 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 (newspaper)|The Peninsula]]'' said that London did a "spectacular job" making the ceremony a "memorable event".<ref name=BBCmedreact/>

In an end of the year review, British magazine ''[[Q (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."<ref name=QNov2012/>

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."<ref name=QNov2012/>

In December 2012 the culture critic of ''The Guardian'' picked the ceremony as "best art event of the year".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/dec/05/olympic-opening-ceremony-2012-highlight?intcmp=122|title=The Olympics opening ceremony: my cultural highlight of 2012|last=Higgins|first=Charlotte|newspaper=The Guardian |date=5 December 2012|access-date=6 December 2012}}</ref> A British public survey by Samsung voted it the second most inspiring television moment of all time, second only to the [[Apollo 11|1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/olympic-opening-ceremony-most-inspiring-2012-television-moment-8425244.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/olympic-opening-ceremony-most-inspiring-2012-television-moment-8425244.html |archive-date=1 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Olympic opening ceremony 'most inspiring' 2012 television moment|last=Dex|first=Robert|newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=19 December 2012|access-date=20 December 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> A Digital Spy survey of more than 25,000 overwhelmingly voted the ceremony as the entertainment highlight of 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a446824/olympics-opening-ceremony-named-digital-spy-readers-2012-highlight.html|title=Olympics Opening Ceremony named Digital Spy readers' 2012 highlight|last=Nissim|first=Mayer|work=[[Digital Spy]] |date=22 December 2012|access-date=23 December 2012}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2012/12/19/the-web-votes-the-most-important-stories-of-201/|title=The Web Votes: The Most Important Stories of 2012|last=Konrad|first=Alex|work=[[Forbes]] |date=19 December 2012|access-date=22 December 2012}}</ref> The BBC reported that it was the most requested item from 2012 on its iPlayer on-demand service, with 3.3 million requests.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21177665|title=Olympic opening ceremony most requested on iPlayer|work=[[BBC]] |date=24 January 2013|access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>

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."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/honours-refusenik-danny-boyle-joins-illustrious-roll-call-of-rebels-8421000.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=1 May 2022 |url-access=subscription|title=Honours refusenik Danny Boyle joins illustrious roll call of rebels...|last=Legg|first=James|newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=16 December 2012|access-date=17 December 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Awards and accolades=== {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! width="25%" | Award ! width="30%" | Category ! width="30%" | Recipient(s) ! width="5%" | Result ! width="1%" | Ref. |- | [[London Evening Standard|Evening Standard]] Theatre Awards | Beyond Theatre Award | rowspan="3"|''2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony'' | {{won}} | <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/9703502/Tears-for-Victoria-Pendleton-as-Danny-Boyle-accepts-Evening-Standard-Award.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Tears for Victoria Pendleton as Danny Boyle accepts Evening Standard Award|last=Bowie-Sell|first=Daisy|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=26 November 2012|access-date=26 November 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> |- | [[Whatsonstage.com Awards|Whatsonstage.com Theatre Awards]] | Theatre Event of the Year | {{won}} | <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21466222|title=Sheridan Smith and Rupert Everett shine at theatre awards|work=[[BBC]] |first=Tim|last=Masters|date=18 February 2013|access-date=18 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20638808|title=Whatsonstage.com awards: Danny Boyle takes on Bard for theatre prize|work=BBC |date=7 December 2012|access-date=7 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/9877201/Danny-Boyle-Knighthood-not-my-cup-of-tea.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/9877201/Danny-Boyle-Knighthood-not-my-cup-of-tea.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Danny Boyle: Knighthood 'not my cup of tea'|first=Hannah|last=Furness|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=7 December 2012|access-date=7 December 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> |- | [[NME Awards]] | Music Moment of the Year | {{won}} | <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/9898027/Olympics-Opening-Ceremony-beats-Bowie-to-be-NME-Music-Moment-of-The-Year.html |archive-url=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 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Olympics Opening Ceremony beats Bowie to be NME Music Moment of The Year|first=Hannah|last=Furness|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=28 February 2013|access-date=4 March 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> |- | [[Royal Television Society|Royal Television Society Awards]] | Judges' Award | [[Danny Boyle]] | {{won}} | <ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rts.org.uk/rts-announces-winners-programme-awards-2012|title=RTS Announces Winners For The Programme Awards 2012|publisher=Royal Television Society Awards |date=20 March 2013|access-date=20 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/mar/20/clare-balding-bbc-rts-awards-olympics|title=Clare Balding and BBC win awards for Olympics coverage|first=Josh|last=Halliday|newspaper=The Guardian |date=20 March 2013|access-date=20 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21855669|title=Sean Bean awarded for cross-dressing Accused role|work=BBC |date=20 March 2013|access-date=20 March 2013}}</ref> |- | [[Royal Television Society|Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards]] | Design Craft and Innovation | Production Team | {{won}} | <ref>{{cite news|url=https://rts.org.uk/award/rts-announces-winners-craft-design-awards-2012 |title=RTS ANNOUNCES WINNERS FOR CRAFT & DESIGN AWARDS 2012 |work=The Royal Television Society |access-date=16 June 2021 }}</ref> |- | rowspan="2"|[[2013 British Academy Television Awards|British Academy Television Awards]] | [[British Academy Television Award for Best Sport and Live Event|Best Sport]] | rowspan="2"|''The London 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony'' | {{nom}} | <ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2013/television|title=Television in 2013|website=BAFTA |access-date=12 May 2013}}</ref> |- | Radio Times Audience Award | {{nom}} |<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21995173|title=Olympics opening ceremony among Bafta nominations|work=BBC |date=2 April 2013|access-date=2 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/win/radio-times-bafta-audience-award/58.html|title=The Radio Times Audience Award at the Television BAFTAs 2013|work=BAFTA |access-date=2 April 2013}}</ref> |- | rowspan="1"|[[2013 British Academy Television Craft Awards|British Academy Television Craft Awards]] | [[British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Director: Multi-Camera|Best Director: Multi-Camera]] | [[Hamish Hamilton (director)|Hamish Hamilton]] and Tapani Parm | {{won}} | <ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2013/tvcraft/director-multi-camera|title=Television Craft Director - Multi-Camera in 2013|website=BAFTA |date=29 April 2013|access-date=1 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22333785|title=Bafta honour for Olympic programmes|work=BBC |date=29 April 2013|access-date=29 April 2013}}</ref> |- | rowspan="5"|[[65th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards|Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards]] | [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live)|Outstanding Special Class Program]] | Jim Bell, Molly Solomon, [[Bucky Gunts]], Joe Gesue and Carol Larson | {{nom}} | rowspan="5"|<ref>{{cite news|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|title=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|url=https://deadline.com/2013/09/creative-arts-emmy-awards-2013-winners-live-587432/|access-date=29 September 2013|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|publisher=[[PMC (company)|PMC]]|date=15 September 2013}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news|title=London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony|url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/london-2012-olympic-games-opening-ceremony|publisher=Emmys.com|access-date=20 July 2013}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news|title=Emmy Awards: Hugh Bonneville fights Damian Lewis for acting award|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23358869|access-date=18 July 2013|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|date=18 July 2013}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news|title=Emmys 2013: Complete list of nominees|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/tv/la-et-st-emmy-nominations-2013-list,0,6335367.story|access-date=18 July 2013|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=18 July 2013}}</ref> |- | [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Production Design for a Variety, Reality or Competition Series|Outstanding Art Direction for Variety or Nonfiction Programming]] | Mark Tildesley, Suttirat Anne Larlarb, [[Danny Boyle]] | {{won}} |- | [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special|Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special]] | [[Bucky Gunts]] and [[Hamish Hamilton (director)|Hamish Hamilton]] | {{nom}} |- | [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special|Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special]] | Patrick Woodroffe, Adam Bassett, Al Gurdon, Tim Routledge | {{nom}} |- | [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming|Outstanding Picture Editing for Short-Form Segments and Variety Specials]] | Sascha Dhillon (for Segment: "Happy and Glorious") | {{nom}} |- |}

==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.<ref name=GDBCotP/> 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<ref>{{cite web |title= What Every CEO Can Learn From The Olympics' Wacky Opening Ceremony |url=http://www.fastcompany.com/1844301/what-every-ceo-can-learn-olympics%E2%80%99-wacky-opening-ceremony |first=Adam|last=Hanft|work=Fast Company |date=1 August 2012 |access-date=14 March 2013}}</ref> and creative freedom, as well as the trust placed in and loyalty inspired from the workers and volunteers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Team Danny Boyle: 5 Lessons in Leadership|url=http://intentionalworkplace.com/2012/08/02/team-danny-boyle-5-lessons-in-leadership/|publisher=The Intentional workplace|first=Louise|last=Altman|date=2 August 2012|access-date=14 March 2013|archive-date=28 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228040102/http://intentionalworkplace.com/2012/08/02/team-danny-boyle-5-lessons-in-leadership/|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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."<ref name=GDBCotP/> [[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."<ref>{{cite web |title= We created the hope of a better Britain. But what remains of the Olympic magic? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/13/olympic-opening-ceremony-britain-cottrell-boyce|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Frank Cottrell|last=Boyce|date=13 July 2013 |access-date=14 July 2013}}</ref>

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".<ref>{{cite web |title= Sochi 2014 opening ceremony: Ernst delivers disco-led paean to the past |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/feb/07/sochi-2014-opening-ceremony-ernst-disco-paean-to-past|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Owen|last=Gibson|date=7 February 2014 |access-date= 8 February 2014}}</ref>

==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==

* {{cite book |first=Frank |last=Cottrell-Boyce |first2=Humphrey |last2=Jennings |first3=Marie-Louise |last3=Jennings |title=[[Pandaemonium (history book)|Pandaemonium 1660-1886: The Coming of the Machine as Seen by Contemporary Observers]] |publisher=Icon Books |year=2012 |isbn=9781848315853}} * {{cite book |first=Russell |last=Moon |title=Days of Wonders: Inside the 2012 Opening Ceremony |publisher=The Oak House Partnership |year=2012 |isbn=978-095747310-2}} * {{cite book |first=Amy |last=Raphael |title=Danny Boyle: Creating Wonder |location=London |publisher=Faber & Faber |date=21 March 2013 |isbn=9780571301867 |url=http://www.faber.co.uk/catalog/danny-boyle-amy-raphael/9780571301867|access-date=17 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401072635/http://www.faber.co.uk/catalog/danny-boyle-amy-raphael/9780571301867|archive-date=1 April 2013|url-status=dead}}

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== {{External media |width=500px |video1= [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4As0e4de-rI Opening Ceremony – London 2012 Olympic Games, IOC's Official Channel] |video2= [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvPRnMS88ns#t=315 "Words of Wonder: The books that inspired the London 2012 opening ceremony"] |video3= [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_JDSfaWj4k Clips from the computerised pre-visualisation, information on filming and production etc.] |video4= [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Z8pCTt1hE Technical aspects of the ceremony] |video5= [http://guru.bafta.org/hamish-hamilton-olympics-super-bowl-and-multi-camera-directing Hamish Hamilton on filming the ceremony, 4:47-7:40] |video6= [http://awards.bafta.org/award/2013/tvcraft/special-award Filming the opening ceremony, with input from Danny Boyle and Hamish Hamilton, 7:33-9:06] |image1=[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/london-2012-olympics-opening-ceremony-in-pictures-7984599.html?action=gallery&ino=1 London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony in pictures, Independent Newspaper] |video7= [http://www.pastpresented.ukart.com/marksnow/fireworkmap2012.htm Map-portal to online videos of the firework finale] |video8= [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyX90VnWAzw Video compilation recreating the warm-up/Prologue to the ceremony] }} * {{Commons category-inline}} * {{official website|http://www.london2012.com/spectators/ceremonies/opening-ceremony/}} * {{cite press release |title=London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Media Guide |url=http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf |url-status=dead|publisher=London 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731215816/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/Publications/01/30/43/40/OPENINGCEREMONYGUIDE_English.pdf |archive-date=31 July 2012 |access-date=21 December 2018}} **[https://library.olympic.org/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/60858/media-guide-london-2012-olympic-games-opening-ceremony-the-london-organising-committee-of-the-olympi Media guide on Olympic World Library] *[https://www.olympic.org/videos/jacques-rogge-speaks-at-the-opening-ceremony Video of Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee speech] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20120813022938/https://www.olympic.org/Documents/Games_London_2012/London_2012_Opening_ceremony_Speech_Jacques_Rogge.pdf Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee's speech] * [http://olympicopeningceremony.tumblr.com/ London Olympics Opening Ceremony Explorer] ** [http://olympicopeningceremony.tumblr.com/tagged/music Opening Ceremony Music List and Credits, Official Explorer website]

{{Olympic Games opening ceremonies}} {{Danny Boyle}} {{Elizabeth II}} {{Portal bar|London|Olympics|United Kingdom}} {{DEFAULTSORT:2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony}} [[Category:2012 Summer Olympics|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]]