2012 London Olympic Games - Opening Ceremony

The London Olympics started this morning, 5.30am here, and there was a repeat at 2pm I'm told. Slept in so I missed it. And it's not on youtube thanks to copyright stuff, even though the dvd's not going to be out for a while. So for now all we've got is pretty pictures.

Union Jack, projected on the Palace of Westminster next to Big Ben on the bank of the River Thames

Fireworks fall from the Olympic rings during the opening ceremony.

Stems of the Olympic flame come together to form one, lighting the cauldron.

Mr Bean

Voldemort

Mary Poppins

Fireworks

More pictures here.

Some numbers...
Pieces of confetti dropped: 7,000,000,000
Garments used: 57,000
Recycled water bottles used in costumes: 40,000
Size of volunteer cast: 7,500
Props: 6,500
Drummers: 965
Dancers from the state-run National Health Service: 600
Hospital beds: 320
Kilometres of cable linking the pixel screens: 317
Rehearsals: 284
Sheep: 40
Umbrellas: 32
Horses: 12
Cows: 3