London Olympics open in style

The London 2012 Olympic Games have opened with a spectacular ceremony celebrating British history and culture, watched by a worldwide television audience estimated at around a billion people.

The ceremony, directed by the film maker Danny Boyle, took place at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London, on 27 July.

Isles of Wonder

The show, called Isles of Wonder, began with a scene of a green and pleasant land, before the industrial revolution transformed the landscape, with giant chimneys rising from the ground and workers forging the Olympic rings.

It paid tribute to the NHS, with hundreds of real nurses and doctors taking part, and to British children's literature, music and film.

One of the most talked-about moments was a film in which James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, escorted the Queen from Buckingham Palace. A stunt double then appeared to parachute into the stadium from a helicopter, before the real Queen entered.

Rowan Atkinson, as Mr Bean, played in the orchestra performing Chariots of Fire.

The cauldron

The Olympic cauldron was lit by seven young athletes, nominated by British Olympic champions. Its 204 copper petals, one for each competing nation, rose to form a single flame.

The torch arrived on a speedboat piloted by David Beckham, and was carried into the stadium by Sir Steve Redgrave.

The Games

More than 10,000 athletes from 204 nations will compete over 17 days. Team GB is hoping for its best result for more than a century.

The Olympic torch relay travelled around Britain for 70 days before the Games, including through Birmingham, where crowds lined the streets.

Reaction

The ceremony has been praised by critics and viewers. Many said it had captured the character of Britain, with its humour, eccentricity and history.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, said it had shown the best of Britain.

A long road

London won the right to host the Games in 2005, beating Paris. The Olympic Park was built on former industrial land in the Lower Lea Valley, and is intended to regenerate one of the poorest parts of London.

London is the first city to host the modern Olympics three times, after 1908 and 1948.