The BBC is to give viewers the chance to re-live Danny Boyle’s extraordinary opening to the London 2012 Olympic Games exactly one year on from the ceremony taking place.
A special two-and-a-half-hour director’s cut version of the ceremony will air on Saturday, July 27, at 7.00pm on BBC Three.
It will feature extended highlights of the ceremony including all the unforgettable moments, as well as a selection of previously unseen footage from the four-hour spectacular, which provided an extraordinary introduction to an unforgettable month of sport both in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The widely acclaimed ‘Isles of Wonder’, directed by Danny Boyle, was watched by 27 million in the UK and an estimated worldwide television audience of 900 million people.
Featuring appearances from the likes of Bradley Wiggins, Kenneth Branagh as Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Daniel Craig as James Bond, Rowan Atkinson, before the Games were officially opened by the Queen, the event was seen as a golden moment for Great Britain after seven years of meticulous preparation and planning.
The opening ceremony began with a specially produced BBC film following London’s iconic river – the Thames – from its source in the parish of Kemble in Gloucestershire, through the Cotswold Hills and into London itself (see below).
CLICK HERE to re-live the entire London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony
On its way to the Olympic Stadium itself, the film catches a glimpse of famous past British Olympians, Oxford and Cambridge boat race; Battersea Power Station with Pink Floyd’s flying pig; the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and the Rotherhithe Tunnel, before entering the stadium, which marked the start of a spectacular four-hour long ceremony.
After the mind-blowing ‘Pandemonium’ section, which encapsulated the economic and social development of Great Britain through Industrial Revolution, the ceremony produced many other memorable moments that will live long in the minds of the millions who watched it around the world..
‘Her Majesty’ was seen parachuting into the stadium with James Bond after meeting 007, played by Daniel Craig, at Buckingham Palace, while Rowan Atkinson assisted in the performance the famous ‘Chariots of Fire’ theme with the London Symphony Orchestra with a comic result.
There was also former England football captain David Beckham driving a speedboat while helping along the Olympic flame, plus the unforgettable lighting of the Olympic cauldron by seven young aspiring athletes, which conveyed the 2012 Games’ tagline to ‘inspire a generation’.
There were also amazing live musical performances by the likes of Emeli Sande and the Arctic Monkeys, with Sir Paul McCartney’s set bringing the ceremony to a conclusion.
BBC Three’s special broadcast of the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony director’s cut forms part of a bumper weekend marking the one-year anniversary of the Games being held at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The BBC and Channel 4 will share live coverage of the Sainbury’s Anniversary Games, which is being held inside the Olympic Stadium exactly one year on from the opening of London 2012.
This special event spans over three days, with IAAF Diamond League action on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, featuring the return of many Olympic champions. Both days of the meeting will be covered live on BBC Television.
A third day of action on the Sunday dedicated to showcasing the Paralympic champions of 2012, which will be shown exclusively live on Channel 4.
‘Olympic Opening Ceremony 2012: Isles of Wonder’ will also be available to watch in high-definition on BBC Red Button’s HD stream, as well as on-demand via BBC iPlayer.
Saturday 27th July
Olympic Opening Ceremony 2012: Isles of Wonder
7.00pm-9.30pm BBC Three
here we go