Countdown (21:00–21:04 BST) 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

the 2012 tour de france winner bradley wiggins opening ceremony

a two-minute film journey along thames, directed boyle , produced bbc, opened ceremony. sound of surf solar fuck buttons, followed river thames source heart of london, juxtaposing images of contemporary british life pastoral shots , flashes of scenes stadium. characters ratty, mole , toad wind in willows briefly seen, monty python hand pointing towards london on umbrellas, , intercity 125 train passing olympic rings crop circles in field. @ battersea power station pink floyd pig flying between towers; clock sound pink floyd song time heard passing big ben. soundtrack included clips theme tune of south bank show, london calling clash, , sex pistols god save queen film followed route of band s infamous cruise down river thames during silver jubilee. after lifting aerial view of east london mirroring title sequence of bbc soap opera eastenders, sound of drum beats closing theme, film flashed down through thames barrier, bow creek, , below surface through london underground train , station, historic footage of isambard kingdom brunel s thames tunnel, , through rotherhithe tunnel. switched sequence filmed outside stadium shortly before ceremony, superimposed posters previous summer olympics (all of them except 1900 paris, 1936 berlin, 1984 los angeles, , 1996 atlanta), recording of map of problematique muse. ended live shot of 3 cast members holding posters 2012 competition.

there 10-second countdown in stadium, children holding clusters of balloons burst simultaneously (although 1 set failed burst), audience shouting out numbers.

bradley wiggins, had won tour de france 5 days earlier, opened ceremony ringing olympic bell hung @ 1 end of stadium. 4 upper-atmosphere balloons released, each expected carry set of olympic rings , camera mid-stratosphere.