Well, as I guess most of the world was watching the opening ceremony last night, I guess I don’t need to write a good description of what happened.

In a typically British way, we had to start with the Shipping Forecast for the island surrounded by the sea.

Matt Lancashire (CC-BY 2.0)

Matt Lancashire (CC-BY 2.0)

I’d heard that there was a plan to have the British countryside represented in the stadium, clouds and all, and I thought this was just going to be a complete failure, that we’d never live up to Beijing’s gauntlet. After the performance last night, with the Isles of Wonder section (forging the Olympic Rings), and Happy and Glorious (the Bond bit), it just looked amazing.

Matt Lancashire (CC-BY 2.0)

Matt Lancashire (CC-BY 2.0)

Awaiting the arrival of Bond and Her Majesty —Matt Lancashire (CC-BY 2.0)

The use of technology in the modern world was nicely illustrated by a young couple hooking up with the use of technology in the stadium at a “night out”, with Dizzee Rascal performing live on stage.

Matt Lancashire (CC-BY 2.0)

The NHS and other literary works were represented as well, including Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, and Harry Potter. We also can’t forget Mr Bean’s “assistance” in playing Chariots of Fire.

Matt Lancashire (CC-BY 2.0)

Matt Lancashire (CC-BY 2.0)

All in all, it was a memorable show, there’s even rumours about this being the first lesbian kiss broadcast on Saudi Arabian state TV, but there’s been no confirmation from anywhere about that.