But the Queen's role - played to perfection - still left the audience awe-struck and delighted both in the stadium and around the world. 'The Queen made herself more accessible then ever before,' Boyle said earlier today. It is the first time the Queen has 'acted' in a film and she allowed two of her own corgis to star - Monty, 13, who used to belong to the Queen Mother and Holly, nine. 'she was delighted to be asked to be involved in something so 
After appearing in the stadium, looking disheveled, a disgruntled-looking Queen adjusts herself and then takes her seat in the VIP area
exceptional,' a Buckingham Palace spokesman said. The segment was filmed in April. 'It's been a hell of a job keeping it secret for so long,' said a source. Performers in the Olympics opening ceremony tonight hailed
the
the
The Queen is applauded by other dignitaries after making her arrival in the Olympic Stadium
experience as 'magical'. Around 7,500 volunteers from around the world took part in the spectacular show in front of a packed Olympic Stadium in east London and a television audience of billions. Sarah Lane, 28, danced in the climactic 'frankie and june say... Thanks Tim' section to a medley of British pop hits. Moments after coming off stage, the scriptwriting student from Kennington in south London, said: 'It felt like the whole world came together for a good old British knees-up. 'It was just incredible - the perfect evening. Even the sky was a perfect colour.' Asked what the atmosphere was like with her fellow performers, she said: 'Everyone was so happy. 'The audience, the cast - it was a massive party and no-one wanted to get off the stage.'
David Beckham appears to drive the torch up the River Thames in a Speedboat, as fireworks are set off on Tower Bridge
but he had a little help from a crew, who were cleverly hidden from shot
British rockers The Arctic Monkeys performed in the centre of the stadium
A spectacular firework display marked the band's performance
Performers pay silent tribute to war dead and the victims of the 7/7 terrorist attacks
The silent tribute added a sombre touch to the ceremony
Miss Lane started rehearsals for the modern dance section in mid-April, and has practised for more than 120 hours. She said: 'The whole experience has been great. Even when we were rehearsing in a car park for five hours in the rain, everyone's spirit was really high. 'Danny Boyle was really approachable, which made such a difference. He made everyone feel part of the team and he thanked us all personally during rehearsals. 'I think Danny really captured the spirit of Britain, and everyone was part of the show. 'It was
Scottish singer Emeli Sande of performs a moving rendition of 'Abide With Me'
Rowan Atkinson in his role as Mr Bean takes part in an Opening Ceremony sketch
Atkinson cheated his way to victory in a mock up of the famous Chariots of Fire scene
truly magical." An army of young patients salute the NHS A celebration of the Health Service – featuring more than 600 real NHS staff and patients – was one of the ceremony’s centrepieces. Director Danny Boyle had said he wanted to celebrate the NHS as a proud British establishment as part of the show. During the set, happy pyjama-clad patients – played by children – leaped up and down on 320 giant hospital beds, which doubled as 
Dancers perform in the Gosh and NHS scene during the opening ceremony
trampolines, while nurses danced around them. Dressed in 1950s uniforms, the nurses used luminous hospital beds to spell out the words ‘NHS’ and ‘GOSH’, standing for Great Ormond Street Hospital. The patients, who later left their beds to join a dance routine, included real patients from the London children’s hospital. Among them was Lottie Pink, ten, from South West London, who was treated for a brain tumour two years ago and returns to the hospital every few months for check-ups. She said: ‘I am proud to represent all the great work the hospital does. Without them, I would not be here. This is a once-in-a-lifetime.’ The NHS section of the show also paid tribute to Britain’s contribution to children’s literature, with several villains recreated as spectacular nightmares suffered by the children. They included the Queen of Hearts from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Captain Hook from JM Barrie’s Peter Pan. Mr Boyle said of the NHS section: ‘One of the reasons we put the NHS in the show is that everyone is aware of how important the NHS is to everybody in this country. ‘We believe, as a nation, in universal healthcare. It doesn’t matter how poor you are, how rich you are, you will get treated.’ However, some observers on Twitter remarked that it was a somewhat ‘socialist’ vision of Britain and an obvious ‘protest’ against NHS cuts. 
Actresses dressed as Mary Poppins float above the stadium, clinging onto umbrellas
Earlier, Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins rang the giant bell which marked the start of the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Wearing a yellow jersey Wiggins, fresh from his victory as the first British man to win the tour, was greeted with cheers at the Olympic Park. It was the dramatic start of a breathtaking spectacular capturing the best of Britain to launch the long-awaited games as the eyes of the 
Children perform on trampolines as dancers play Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital staff
Rapper Dizzee Rascal performs live inside the stadium
The lights dimmed inside the stadium, while a tribute to Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital glowed blue
of the world turned on London.The £27 million opening ceremony started simply with the Olympic Stadium turned into a meadow, a green and pleasant land. On the real grass covering the bowl of the stadium there were hills, a cottage and people enjoying an idyllic version of British life. The world's largest harmonically-tuned bell, weighing 23 tonnes and measuring two metres tall and three metres wide, rang inside the stadium to start a Shakespeare-inspired spectacle featuring 900 children from the six east London host boroughs. The bell, produced by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, is inscribed with a quote from The Tempest's Caliban: 'Be 
Inflatable yellow submarines float above artists during The Age of Industry scene
The Olympic rings are illuminated with pyrotechnics as they are raised above the stadium during the Opening Ceremony
Sparks fly as the five rings are then joined to form the famous Olympic symbol
Forged in steel mills in the centre of the stadium, the Olympic Rings rise above the crowd
The bell stood at one end of the stadium in Stratford, east London, while at the opposite end a version of Glastonbury Tor - a holy hill in south west England - was topped off with a giant oak. A huge waterwheel stood parallel with the 100 metre finish line where, in just a week's time, the fastest men in
Industrial workers forge the Olympic rings in a mocked up steel mil
A spectacular aerial view of the 'Satanic Mills' in Danny Boyle's take on the Industrial Revolution
Giant smoke stacks appeared out of the centre of the stadium, as the Green and Pleasant Land was replaced with a stark industrial landscape
Actors dressed as the Beatles' from their Sergeant Pepper album marched around the stadium
the world will race to be named Olympic champion. Oscar winner Boyle, the man responsible for the the remarkable transformation of the stadium where the athletics will take place, said: 'Tonight's a warm-up act for the Games. 'That's one of the things you have to keep remembering. 'You big it up for different reasons, and you hear it bigged up or slammed or whatever it is and you've got to keep remembering we're the warm-up act.' As warm up acts go, it was hot. A digital 10-second countdown flashed on to the crowd,
They were joined by real Chelsea Pensioners
Actor Kenneth Branagh performs a speech from Shakespeare's The Tempest in character as Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins opens the Olympic Opening Ceremony by ringing a giant bell
with balloons popping on each number, and the ceremony began. The five Olympic rings, attached to four balloons, were released and floated up into the sky, set to reach the stratosphere by the end of the ceremony. In the stadium, all was still in the idyllic countryside setting. Children played on the meadow and sports took place on the village green, before a single child's
The Red Arrows aerobatic display team fly over the Olympic Stadium at 8:12pm prior to the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games
The Red Arrows fly past as a giant clock countdowns to the start of the Opening Ceremony
Worldwide audience: More than a billion people around the world are expected to watch the historic event
Opening night: The organisers have promised the show will be spectacular
voice sang out the words to Danny Boy. Sir Kenneth Branagh, dressed as Isambard Kingdom Brunel, entered the scene reciting Caliban's speech from Shakespeare's The Tempest as some 62,000 spectators saw Boyle's spectacular Isles of Wonder unveil. In sharp contrast, the pounding of the drums began, ushering in Britain's industrial revolution as the stadium darkened and the atmosphere changed. Pandemonium broke out, with the peaceful countryside torn to pieces as the age of industry sprouted from the ground, with banging so loud the audience felt their seats vibrate. A cast of hundreds swarmed on to the centre of the arena as the darker, grimier,
Umbrellas appear throughout the stadium as heavy rain falls in East London
High in the sky: An aerial view of the stadium shows the presence the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London
urban landscape emerged, with giant smoking chimneys rising up from the ground. Suddenly, everything stopped as silence descended for a moment to remember the fallen. A poppy field was revealed at one side of the stadium as a sense of calm prevailed while the audience stood to remember the dead. But the scene was soon swallowed up in a hive of activity. Chelsea Pensioners, suffragettes, Jarrow marchers and a band wearing the brightly-coloured Beatles' Sgt Pepper's uniform joined the parade. All the while the massive cast of drummers danced and beat out the music in unison. Four giant rings started to hover and descend from the sky while another rose up from the ground to meet them in mid-air before all five
As they enter the stadium, ticketholders are greeted by England's 'Green and Pleasant Land' the starting point of Danny Boyle's Opening Ceremony extravaganza
Animals, including geese take to the stage against a backdrop of artificial clouds and a giant water wheel during the opening ceremony
burst into flames.The darkness inside the stadium was broken by the sound of Handel, which heralded the Queen's arrival. A fanfare played and music harked back to the Battle of Britain, while stadium spotlights strobed across the night sky. Then the familiar sound of the James Bond theme blasted out, while bright lights turned the banks of spectators in to panels of red, white and blue. After the Bond coup de theatre, prime ministers, presidents, US First Lady Michelle Obama, International Olympic Committee executives and spectators stood as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh accompanied IOC president Jacques Rogge into the stadium. The Royal Navy, Army and Air Force raised the Union Flag, as the National Anthem rang out from Kaos
Performers in costume gather on the field with animals before before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games
, a singing choir for deaf and hard of hearing children. A vigorously upbeat tone greeted hundreds of dancing nurses and their young patients on 320 luminous hospital beds in a celebration of the National Health Service. Staff and patients from the world-famous Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) were given a special cheer as the hospital's name was spelt out by the beds. Musician Mike Oldfield played Tubular Bells as one young girl read beneath the bedsheets in a tribute to the world of children's literature. In a rare public appearance, Harry Potter author JK Rowling started the tale of JM
Performers play cricket during the Opening Ceremony pre-show
Barrie's Peter Pan as Boyle's "Second to the right, and straight on 'til morning" segment got under way. Baddies from Britain's best-loved children's books, including Captain Hook, Cruella de Vil and Lord Voldemort, threatened the stage but were quickly banished by a troupe of Mary Poppins-type characters who descended from the skies. The giant wizard deflated and the nightmare was over as a lullaby swept over the scene. Then a giant baby, nestling safely under cover, fell asleep. The London Symphony Orchestra played a tribute to the British film industry with a performance of the Chariots of Fire theme, the 1981 Oscar-winning film
The giant Olympic Bell strikes an imposing figure at the end of the stadium. The bell will ring during the show, marking the start of the Games
based on the Olympic story of British athletes Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams. A two-up two-down house was the start of the ceremony's love story featuring Frankie and June, a teenage girl getting ready for a Saturday night out. A lost phone led to their budding romance, which was pursued through nightclubs playing music from the 1960s to today. Some of Britain's best-loved songs, from Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody to Underworld's
Clouds hover overhead as the Olympic Stadium fills with eager ticketholders
Born Slippy and Tinie Tempah's Pass Out, encapsulate each era. All partygoers were invited back to the house where Tim Berners-Lee, the Briton who invented the World Wide Web, was at his keyboard. The sentiment behind the opening ceremony appeared in giant black and white letters across the stadium audience: "This is for everyone." A memorial wall on the stadium screens was one of the touching moments of the ceremony, showing images of spectators' loved ones who have passed away, including the late fathers of Boyle and Olympics supremo Lord Coe. Dancers dressed in red, representing the struggle between life and death, were picked out by a spotlight in the darkness of the stadium as the clear powerful vocals of Emeli Sande pierced the air with Abide 
All creatures great and small: Performers, human and animal, get into position for the start of the Opening Ceremony
With Me. Sir Chris Hoy, Britain's flagbearer, joined athletes from the 204 competing Olympic nations as they smiled and waved during their moment in the spotlight. Representing the doves traditionally released at the Games to signal peace, 75 cyclists, complete with white wings, circled the stadium before one flew away. Sheffield band Arctic Monkeys played "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" before Lord Coe took to the stage with Rogge. After brief speeches, the Queen declared the 30th Olympiad officially open. Let the Games begin! 
Ready, steady, go!: Crowds start to arrive in Stratford shortly after 5, ahead of the Opening Ceremony tonight
Early birds are being allowed entry into the park, but they'll have to wait before they can take their seats for the big show
Audience members will be joined in the Olympic Stadium by hundreds of high-profile guests including Michelle Obama, David Cameron and The Royal Family, as well as hundreds of foreign officials and celebrities
Last minute nerves?: Opening Ceremony director Danny Boyle joins Locog chairman Sebastian Coe at a press conference today Source: Travelfwd
