London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony countdown

Follow all the action, news and events from the Olympics including the thoughts from The Independent's journalists, the latest pictures and what the world is saying about The Games

And now the Queen. At least she's not in an Addidas top. #indyolympics

by cahalmilmo via twitter 7/27/2012 8:28:30 PM
RT @fudgecrumpet: Woulda been cooler if James Bond and that Queen had got on Thunderbird 2...

by garethness via twitter 7/27/2012 8:29:38 PM
I don't care what anyway says, this is AMAZING! What other country would fly in the Queen and James bond?! love it #London2012

by keira_lindsay via twitter 7/27/2012 8:30:03 PM
Okay, they have won me. QE2 with James Bond. #openingceremony

by bluemoon61 via twitter 7/27/2012 8:30:15 PM
Top this Brazil! Opening ceremony is amazing with Bond and the Queen entering the stadium to 007 theme #OpeningCeremony #Olympics

by gezbrady via twitter 7/27/2012 8:30:55 PM
this is the weirdest opening ceremony

by fffian via twitter 7/27/2012 8:31:10 PM
Danny boyle is back in my good books after the james bond/her majesty parachute. The queen truely is a legend.

by jon_gleeson via twitter 7/27/2012 8:31:27 PM
RT @judybattista: RT @WSJSports: People are acting like they've never seen the Queen fly in a chopper w/ James Bond before. #london2012

by d_ericsson via twitter 7/27/2012 8:31:45 PM
Ok, so how many of you actually thought the Queen would parachute into the stadium? #indyolympics #olympics

by Jerome Taylor via twitter 7/27/2012 8:32:13 PM
This IS genius. Very funny. #indyolympics

by cahalmilmo via twitter 7/27/2012 8:32:17 PM
I could do with seeing more Brannagh
— Grace Dent (@gracedent) July 27, 2012

by Alan Cleaver 7/27/2012 8:34:43 PM
I am near delirious with joy. Overwhelming.

by tompeck via twitter 7/27/2012 8:34:53 PM
Tubular bells. Fantastic. Loving this ceremony so much more than I thought I ever would.

by Kittymai via twitter 7/27/2012 8:36:20 PM
The Olympic rings are created at the opening ceremony in the Olympic stadium

by Alan Cleaver 7/27/2012 8:38:39 PM
No channel 9 I don't want to see Good Morning America... Bring on #Olympics #London2012 Opening Cremony

by numberhuang via twitter 7/27/2012 8:40:20 PM
Did Ed Milliband put something in Lord Coe's tea? This is the best leftwing son et lumiere in history. #indyolympics

by cahalmilmo via twitter 7/27/2012 8:40:40 PM
Whatever our faults, the NHS is something we can be truly proud of #indyolympics #olympics

by Jerome Taylor via twitter 7/27/2012 8:40:48 PM
China found a pretty girl to faux sing for a less attractive one at opening ceremony. We showcase a choir for deaf kids. #indyolympics

by Jerome Taylor via twitter 7/27/2012 8:43:42 PM
No wonder there's a shortage of beds at the NHS, there all in the opening ceremony

by alexduke720 via twitter 7/27/2012 8:45:23 PM
Trevor Nelson on the mic. gambo will be LIVID.
— Grace Dent (@gracedent) July 27, 2012

by Alan Cleaver 7/27/2012 8:46:28 PM
Sir Simon Rattle conducting Chariots of Fire

by Alan Cleaver 7/27/2012 8:47:40 PM
Loving Rowan Atkinson in the #OpeningCeremony ! #Britishhero

by dezwog via twitter 7/27/2012 8:48:57 PM
Rowan Atkinson is nothing short of a legend. This is incredible.

by ashe666 via twitter 7/27/2012 8:49:00 PM
Rowan Atkinson YES! #Olympics

by Hannah_Marsh via twitter 7/27/2012 8:49:11 PM
Everything right with GB, they've covered. Sport, history, integration, Rowan Atkinson, the right to protest, theatre, the NHS, the lot

by FrankieToynton via twitter 7/27/2012 8:50:08 PM
Rowan Atkinson has got by far the biggest laugh from the foreign press corps I'm with. Dutch loving it. #indyolympics #olympics

by Jerome Taylor via twitter 7/27/2012 8:50:47 PM
Raises a single eyebrow and the whole stadium starts laughing #rowanatkinson #2012OlympicCeremony #indyolympics

by emilydugan via twitter 7/27/2012 8:50:56 PM
Spaniards in the press benches loving Mr Bean. A bogey on the loose is universal. #indyolympics

by cahalmilmo via twitter 7/27/2012 8:51:28 PM
I'm crying rowan atkinson you beautiful man

by TeganJaye via twitter 7/27/2012 8:52:23 PM
i think some people are exaggerating what they are seeing

by David Simpson 7/27/2012 8:54:36 PM
Apparently, we're not allowed to called this a Barratt home. And neither was Danny Boyle during a presser this AM. #indyolympics.

by cahalmilmo via twitter 7/27/2012 8:55:52 PM
The Queen and Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, at the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games

by Alan Cleaver 7/27/2012 8:59:19 PM
And the real reason for the late start time becomes clear. Danny Boyle wanted us all drunk. #IndyOlympics #OpeningCeremony

by BobJWilliams via twitter 7/27/2012 9:00:40 PM
I'm thinking this is a weaker section. It's supposed to be a giant party, love story and commentary on modern tech. #indyolympics

by cahalmilmo via twitter 7/27/2012 9:00:51 PM
Even when you speak the lingo and know the culture, this section on TV is a little odd #indyolympics #olympics
— Jerome Taylor (@JeromeTaylor) July 27, 2012

by Alan Cleaver 7/27/2012 9:02:23 PM
Loving the #LondonOlympics opening ceremony.

by drewtheline via twitter 7/27/2012 9:04:34 PM
Let's hear it for Braintree, Essex. My home town and the same place where Prodigy and the big flames came from. #indyolympics

by cahalmilmo via twitter 7/27/2012 9:04:52 PM
Wow, real heat coming from those flames, even at the back #olympicceremony #indyolympics

by emilydugan via twitter 7/27/2012 9:04:58 PM
Most countries play safe when it comes to Olympic ceremonies. We've been showcasing some of our edgiest & most radical music #indyolympics

by Jerome Taylor via twitter 7/27/2012 9:08:39 PM
We've claimed the internet!! #openingceremony #indyolympics

by cleavermike via twitter 7/27/2012 9:10:32 PM
"Tonight Matthew I'm going to be James Bond" D. Beckham #openingceremony #indyolympics

by cleavermike via twitter 7/27/2012 9:14:46 PM
I think Beckham's cheer just eclipsed the Queen's at Haggerston Park. #London2012 #OpeningCeremony #indyolympics

by Kevin Rawlinson via twitter 7/27/2012 9:14:54 PM
Tim Berners-Lee makes an appearance. No-one's been more worthy of a slot at the #London2012 #OpeningCeremony than him so far. #indyolympics

by Kevin Rawlinson via twitter 7/27/2012 9:14:59 PM
I know China spent FOUR times more than us on the opening ceremony but there are times when the stage feels a little empty #indyolympics

by Jerome Taylor via twitter 7/27/2012 9:15:07 PM
Will Rowan Atkinson provide one of the defining images of the opening ceremony?

by Alan Cleaver 7/27/2012 9:15:22 PM