What time is the Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony? All you need to know about London 2012's big curtain-raiser

What time does it start? What channel is it on? Who's going to be in it? We've got it covered...

Here we go!: This view from the Goodyear Blimp gives a glimpse of what to expect Opening Ceremony

Barcroft

Though the football and archery competitions will already be up and running, it's the Opening Ceremony which really marks the beginning of London 2012. Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle is promising a spectacular £27million show.

What time does the Opening ceremony start?

Boyle's 'Isles Of Wonder' show kicks off at 9pm UK time on Friday, July 27 at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, East London. It's expected to last until midnight, with a fireworks display going on until 12.30am.

A replica of the £27 million Green and Pleasant land 2012 Olympics opening ceremony

Can you still buy tickets?

Good news! A limited number of tickets to the Opening Ceremony are still available from the official ticketing website www.tickets.london2012.com . Bad news! They're either £2012 or £1600 a pop.

Can't afford that! How can I watch it?

The Opening Ceremony will be shown live on BBC1, with free 3D coverage on the BBC HD channel. It will also be covered on Radio Five Live.

Aerial view shows the construction starting for the Olympic opening stage designed by Danny Boyle at the Olympic Stadium

Jason Hawkes / Barcroft

I won't be able to watch. How can I follow the Opening Ceremony?

With us!
We'll be live-blogging the whole shebang, bringing you photos, analysis and Twitter reaction to the spectacle. Click on the link below to follow the fun with Rob Leigh and Steve Anglesey.
The greatest show on earth - LIVE: Follow the action at the London 2012 opening ceremony in our live blog

What's going to happen?

Check out our list of 25 Opening Ceremony facts and rumours to see which celebrities will be appearing and what we think Danny Boyle has up his sleeve (warning: SPOILERS)

What's happening right now?

Follow the action in our London 2012 live blog...

4:25pm

Very much enjoying the CBBC guide to the Olympics on BBC1 now. Just learned that "boxing is a hard sport"

4:24pm

We need something to lighten the mood after that disappointment. How about some truly rotten Olympics jokes? And will Kriss Akabusi - who, let's face it, would laugh at a William Hague stand-up set - crack a smile when we tell them? Watch the video below...
Video: Kriss Akabusi laughs at anything. But will he laugh at our corny Olympics jokes?

4:18pm

Not great news from the women's archery. Naomi Folkard is Britain's highest-ranked participant after 72 arrows... and she's 42nd out of 64!

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4:10pm

Hate to spoil the Olympic torch surprise - but we all knew he was going to end up doing it anyway

John Terry lights the Olympic torch

 

4:08pm

The Blade Runner is here! Oscar Pistorius has flown into Heathrow from his Venice training camp (blades not pictured)

Oscar Pistorius arrives at Heathrow Airport from his training camp in Venice

David Dyson

 

4:01pm

Jeremy Hunt's bell ends...

We have no words to accompany this.  Just watch and laugh.
We did.

3:22pm

Room for an Olympian? The Olympic stars who could merit a place in your Fantasy Football team

If you've been enjoying the start of the London 2012 football tournament you may be wondering how many of the stars at the Olympics are available for selection in our Fantasy Football game.
Wonder no longer, as we bring you the lowdown on all the Premier League stars currently in Olympic action for their countries at London 2012.

3:20pm

Jake Humphrey's picks of the Olympics

With around 2,500 hours of TV coverage, choosing what to watch during the Olympics is a complicated business. But there are some events you should make sure you don't miss.
Here the face of the BBC's Olympics coverage picks his top 15 must-see moments to make the most of London 2012

3:02pm

Her Majesty to light the Olympic flame?

A royal flame: Could Her Majesty open London 2012 by lighting the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony?

Getty

There's a shock new contender to light the Olympic flame at the London 2012 opening ceremony tonight...
Her Majesty The Queen.
The Queen was previously listed as a 25/1 shot overnight, but those odds have tumbled to 9/2 as money has poured in on Her Majesty to be the "chosen one" to light the flame.
Despite the surge in bets for the Queen, she is still only the joint-third favourite (with David Beckham) to light the cauldron tonight.
Sir Roger Bannister remains the favourite at 6/4, with Sir Steve Redgrave a 13/8 shot.
Odds from SkyBet

2:31pm

Robson gets singles chance

Robson's choice: Laura Robson has been promoted from Olympic alternate to fully-fledged Olympian in the women's singles tennis competition

Clive Brunskill

 

Great Britain will have a full complement of four players in the women's singles at the Olympics after Laura Robson was today given a place in the draw following the withdrawal of Croatia's Petra Martic.

The 18-year-old has spent the last three days as first alternate since doubles partner Heather Watson replaced Alona Bondarenko on Tuesday, but Martic was known to be struggling and hopes were high Robson would get in.

The world number 96 slots into the draw in the bottom half and will play Czech Lucie Safarova in the first round on Sunday, with the carrot of a probable second-round meeting with third seed Maria Sharapova, who she troubled at Wimbledon last year.

Robson plays her first Olympic match tomorrow evening in the women's doubles with Watson, the pair taking on fifth seeds Angelique Kerber and Sabine Lisicki from Germany on Court 12.

2:44pm

Anyone for tennis?

Getty

Michelle Obama gets into the Olympic spirit by enjoying a spot of tennis at the "Let's Move-London" event at the Winfield House in London today.

2:31pm

Hoy's the boy to bring home the gold: Sir Steve backs Sir Chris to deliver in the velodrome

Flying the flag: Chris Hoy will lead Team GB into the Olympic Stadium tonight

Michael Steele

 Olympic legend and fellow knight of the realm Sir Steve Redgrave offers his backing to Sir Chris Hoy ahead of London 2012

2:27pm

"I'm ready to go": Usain Bolt issues a warning to his rivals, saying he's fit and ready to win in London

Get ready: Usain Bolt promised the London 2012 100m final will be "the best ever"

Reuters

 Here's more from the double Olympic sprint champ, who says he's fit, firing and ready to blitz the opposition and take gold once again at London 2012.

2:20pm

"It's a great honour": Bolt to take centre stage while Brit stars are forced to stay at home

Honoured to be a part of the opening ceremony: Double Olympic champion Usain Bolt

PA

 While Team GB's stars are barred from the opening ceremony sprint king Usain Bolt will proudly carry the Jamaican flag at the Olympic Stadium

1:13pm

No standing on ceremony

Fireworks explode above the Olympic Stadium during an Opening Ceremony rehearsal

Getty

While the world tunes in to watch the Olympic opening ceremony tonight, only around half of Team GB will actually be in the stadium on the night as they get their rest ahead of their early events at London 2012.

1:10pm

"It's different... It's not just global pap. It is specifically about Britain"

Mayor of London Boris Johnson called in to Christian O'Connell's breakfast show on Absolute Radio this morning to share his excitement ahead of tonight's epic opening ceremony.

 

12:45pm

If you're not excited yet... you will be!

By  Dean Wilson
Just heard games guru Sebastian Coe and opening ceremony tsar Danny Boyle describe their excitement ahead of one of the biggest days in both their lives.
They are both desperate for everyone to #savethesurprise ahead of what is set to be a spectacular opening ceremony so still cannot give away too much, save to say that Boyle came across as an extraordinarily creative mind who will dazzle us all this evening.
Above all the opening ceremony is about the athletes and the 15,000 volunteers. If you're not excited about these games yet, you soon will be.

12:41pm

Two world records at Lord's

By John Cross
The London Olympics has seen its first world records broken in  today's archery ranking round. South Korean Im Dong-hyun, who is blind in one eye, beat his own best by shooting 699 points.
In the team event, Dong-hyun, Kim Bubmin and Oh Jin-hyek set a new landmark. Britain's Larry Godfrey finished fourth in the ranking round but was ten points behind third place.

12:35pm

Looking ahead to the opening ceremony

With the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony  just a matter of hours away, thousands of people are making their way to the Olympic Stadium for the event, which will be watched by millions on television around the world.
BBC Sport Journalist Joel Taggart is in London and recorded the following link on BBC Northern Ireland's "The Nolan Show", previewing tonight's long-awaited event.

 

12:25pm

Here's a quick word from BBC commentator Barry Davies...

 

12:00pm

Godfrey ranked fourth after archery prelims

By John Cross at Lord's

British hope: Larry Godfrey was in action for Team GB this morning

AFP

Dozens of people were left locked out at Lord's cricket ground as archery kicked off today's Olympic action.
The ranking round began at 9am to seed the archers - Britain's Larry Godfrey was ranked fourth - and Olympic fever gripped spectators who turned up in the hope of watching the event.
But security kept them locked out for the private event which still attracted hundreds of journalists as archery has not been so popular since the days of Robin Hood.

11:58am

Team GB judoka is ready for action

British hopeful Karina Bryant believes she has what it takes to earn a judo medal in the +78kg category at London 2012.
The medals are decided on the final day's competition in the judo, next Friday, August 3, at the ExCeL arena.

11:50am

Going to the Olympics? Make sure you've planned your journey

"Going to the Opening Ceremony? There is no public parking at or near the Olympic Park. Plan your journey at getaheadofthegames.com"
If you're going to an Olympic event this summer we recommend you follow London 2012's Get Ahead Of The Games Twitter account to keep you right up to date with travel news and advice,

11:45am

Spoof ad hits the net

Stay safe this summer...

Twitter

 This brilliant picture was spotted on Twitter by our commercial editor @rolyhamroll.  It's (surely) a spoof advert for condom manufacturers Durex - but what a cracking billboard ad it is!
If you've seen any other funny Olympic-related pictures, tweet them to us @MirrorSport  and we'll feature the best ones on our liveblog.

11:26am

"Huge sense of excitement tangible here at Olympic Park. If Games go as well as hope & expect, positive spin-offs will benefit GB for years"
@JamesNursey  is lapping up the atmosphere at the Olympic Park ahead of tonight's opening ceremony

11:20am

Blind man breaks archery world record!

Record breaker: Im Dong-Hyun broke the first world record of London 2012 in the prelims of the men's archery at Lord's

Getty

 A South Korean archer became the first athlete to break a world record at the London 2012 Olympics after a stunning display in this morning's ranking rounds of the men's archery competition.
Im Dong-Hyun, who is legally blind, broke his own 72-arrow mark of 696 by three points and was also part of a record in the team shoot.
Alongside Kim Bubmin and Oh Jin-Hyek he helped register a 216-arrow total of 2,087 - smashing the world record by 18 points.

11:15am

Should have gone to Specsavers...

Daily Mirror / Specsavers

Huge thumbs-up to the fun-loving folk at Specsavers, whose advert (which appears on page 70 of today's Daily Mirror) features a fantastic advert making fun of the flag mix-up at Hampden Park on Wednesday.

11:06am

The Olympic flame heads down the Thames

A barge transports the Olympic torch down the River Thames on the final leg of its relay tour

Twitter (@London2012)

 "The Flame travels down the Thames aboard the Royal barge Gloriana en route to the #London2012 #OlympicCeremony"
Tweeted by @London2012

10:34am

You're not coming in: Disappointment at Lord's as Olympic archery fans turned away at the gate

Take a bow: Olympic archers take aim during today's ranking round at Lord's cricket ground

Getty

 Dozens of spectators headed home disappointed this morning after being turned away from the first day's competition at the Olympic archery competition at Lord's cricket ground.

10:24am

Let the Games begin!

@johncrossmirror

 Larry Godfrey takes aim in archery's qualifying round at Lord's
Pic taken by @johncrossmirror

10:21am

Boxing correspondent  @mirroranderson  will be covering one-on-one combat of a different nature during his Olympic campaign...
"Ah well, here we go. Next stop the ExCeL for the next 16 days. Does anyone know anything about fencing?"

10:18am

"My Olympics begins today at Lord's with archery. Hoping for 2 long days ahead this weekend as that will mean Team GB in hunt for medals."
@JohnCrossMirror  looks ahead to a (hopefully) successful weekend at Lord's

10:13am

Meeting "The Blade Runner"

Oscar Pistorius looks on during day 3 of the 2012 Nedbank National Championships for the Physically Disabled at the Athletics Stadium on March 27, 2012 in Durban

Getty

 "Real privilege meeting Oscar Pistorius for interview in today's Mirror. Fascinating bloke who refuses to be pigeon-holed."
@OllieHoltMirror interviewed the man known as "The Blade Runner" for today's Daily Mirror.
Read the feature right here on Mirror Online.

9:43am

"It's finally here, the day that kicks off the last 12 years of my life!Can't wait for the Games to start! #London2012 Good luck @TeamGB!!"
Team GB open water swimmer Keri-Anne Payne (@KeriAnnePayne)

9:38am

Millions of extra late nights...

Fireworks explode over the Olympic Stadium during a rehearsal for the opening ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 25, 2012, in London

AP

 Tonight’s glittering London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony will be seen by estimated global audience of four billion people.
And millions of children were today looking forward to the “longest night of their lives” as they vowed to stay up past midnight to watch the historic moment when the Olympic cauldron is lit.

9:29am

The Olympic opening ceremony: The inside track

All set for the big show: The Olympic Stadium is primed and ready for tonight's opening ceremony

Getty

 Rumour and speculation abound ahead of the start of the "greatest show on earth".
But what can we expect from theLondon 2012 opening ceremonytonight?
With £27million spent, the opening ceremony certainly promises to be a spectacle on an epic scale.

9:15am

Meet Team GB... all 541 of them!

Bursting with national pride and brimming with determination, these are the men and women who are carrying the Olympic hopes of 60 million people on their shoulders.
Meet them all here.

8:55am

A sneak peek of the opening ceremony (no spoilers though!)

Olympic organisers LOCOG released some teaser footage from this week's opening ceremony rehearsal to help whet the appetite ahead of tonight's show.
Tonight's ceremony is expected to be watched by billions worldwide - and on this evidence they are in for quite a show.

8:45am

"It's going to be truly amazing!"

The Sun rises over the Olympic Stadium in East London this morning

Phil Harris

 Tonight'sopening ceremonyhas been shrouded in secrecy, with organisers keen to "save the surprise" for the world to enjoy live on the night.
What we do know, however, is it's going to be a huge show and a real celebration of Great Britain and promises to be a colourful, spectacular occasion.
Our Olympics correspondent Laurie Hanna looks ahead to tonight's big show.

8:40am

What's on today: Friday July 27

Today's all about the opening ceremony, which takes place later this evening, but there's competitive action too, with the start of the Olympic archery tournament.
Find out what's on, when, in today's Olympic schedule.

8:30am

Good morning! Welcome to London 2012!

Yes, that's right, the waiting is finally over.  The Olympic Games officially begin today with the opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium taking place later this evening.
But it's not just about the pomp and ceremony today, as the Olympic archery competition also gets underway at London's home of cricket, Lord's.
Check back with us throughout the day and we'll keep you up to date with everything that's happening, as it happens...