The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games kick off this afternoon with the opening ceremony – a year late and looking very different from how they were first planned, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 begins!
As the opening ceremony gets underway at midday today, we’re looking back at our top five memories from the dazzling opening ceremony at the London 2012 games.
1 The countdown
Remember the nerves we felt when the countdown to the ceremony began?
Read more: When does the Tokyo Olympics start? Which new sports have been added?
Because, let’s face it, the handover ceremony at Beijing 2008 was underwhelming and we were all wondering if London could pull it off.
But even the countdown was great – a 60-second swoosh round London.
2 The fiery Olympic rings
The stadium transformed from green fields to industrial Britain.
Kenneth Branagh as Isambard Kingdom Brunel directed the amazing dancers, the drummers drummed, the Chelsea Pensioners marched, and suddenly there were five Olympic rings burning brightly above the crowds.
We’re a bit emotional just thinking about it now.
3 The tribute to the NHS
Back in 2012, when no one had heard of Covid, we couldn’t possibly have predicted how grateful we’d all be to the NHS less than a decade later.
Opening ceremony director Danny Boyle’s tribute to the health service seems even more poignant and important now.
4 Mr Bean
And then it all got a bit quiet, as we were told the London Philharmonic Orchestra were paying tribute to the British film industry playing Chariots of Fire.
But those of us who thought they’d take the chance to go and top up their wine glass missed Mr Bean (otherwise known as actor Rowan Atkinson) hilariously playing the famous tune.
5 The Queen
As if all that brilliance wasn’t enough, we were then treated to a short film of Daniel Craig as James Bond heading off to Buckingham Palace to see the Queen.
It wouldn’t be the real Queen, we all thought. It would be an actress. Helen Mirren, perhaps. Or Joanna Lumley. But no.
It was the actual real Queen, proving she’s got a brilliant sense of humour.
And a sense of self-preservation when she handed over to a stunt performer rather than parachuting into the stadium herself.
There were other highlights of course. David Beckham speeding down the Thames with the Olympic torch, Emile Sande’s beautiful singing in the moving memorial segment, clips of Corrie being beamed across the world, Paul McCartney doing what he does best and being a national treasure… so many amazing moments.
The world looks very different this year, but we’re ready for Tokyo 2020 and we can’t wait to see what the opening ceremony looks like.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony will air on BBC One, today, at midday.
Will you be watching? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.