2012 Summer Olympics significant event 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
Opening ceremony
Titled "The Isles of Wonder", the opening ceremony began at 21:00 British Summer Time (UTC+1) on 27 July in the Olympic Stadium. Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle was artistic director and Rick Smith of Underworld was musical director.The Games were officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. This was the second Olympic Games opened personally by the Queen, the first being in 1976 in Montreal, Canada. The ceremony featured a short comic film starring Daniel Craig as secret agent James Bond and the Queen as herself. There was also a musical comedy item starring Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean playing along with the London Symphony Orchestra.Live musical performers included Frank Turner, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Mike Oldfield, Dizzee Rascal, Arctic Monkeys, and Sir Paul McCartney who performed "Hey Jude" as the closing act. Broadcast live on BBC One, the ceremony attracted a peak viewing audience of over 27 million in the UK.