London: The biggest talking point of the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games is the high level of secrecy surrounding the actual programme.
And, though organisers have managed to keep a major part of the opening a secret, British media have managed to uncover details of certain parts of the ceremony, but not the full programme.
As per other details surrounding the show, it has been declared that at exactly 8.12am Big Ben will sound more than 40 strikes for three minutes, exactly 12 hours before Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle’s spectacular opening ceremony gets under way at the Olympic Stadium on Friday.
This will be the first time Big Ben will have rung outside its regular schedule since February 15, 1952, when it tolled for 56 strokes for the funeral of George VI. The aim is a dramatic heralding of the opening day, with all the bells in the country being rung as loudly and quickly as possible.
This project, by artist Martin Creed, is called All The Bells and will last for three minutes, which is expected to set a world record for mass bell-ringing.
A few thousand Londoners also got a chance to witness the free technical rehearsal for the opening ceremony on Monday night. And many of the residents took to Twitter — using the hashtag #savethesurprise — to praise the amazing show.
Boyle has asked participants not to reveal details of the ceremony, and those who gave too much away were even rebuked by other tweeters.
While aspects of the ceremony remain unknown, it has been reported that there will be a dramatic telling of the Industrial Revolution, a performance of the legendary Queen song Bohemian Rhapsody and video clips of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The show, called Isles of Wonder, is inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
The list of VIPs for Friday sounds like a global “who’s who”, with International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge hosting the Queen, Prime Minister David Cameron, London Mayor Boris Johnson and the Olympic top brass.
They will be joined by an elite crowd including more than 100 heads of state. Among them will be US First Lady Michelle Obama and Brazil’s first Prime Minister Dilma Rousseff.
Expectations are high that people will join together as one on Friday night as they witness the greatest sporting spectacle being heralded by a spectacular opening ceremony.
