Olympic Stadium

The performers had been sworn to secrecy, rehearsals had taken place behind steel fencing and only a handful of people were privy to the full details.

But as preparations for the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony got underway, organisers forgot one crucial detail – there is no roof on the Olympic stadium and the entire process was being filmed from above.

Yesterday, aerial images emerged of a ‘secret’ set design based on Britain’s longest running soap EastEnders.

Here we go: Construction has begun to transform the Olympic Stadium into a microcosm of Britain for director Danny Boyle's Olympic opening ceremony

Show: The £27m ceremony will open with a rural idyll, complete with real cows, sheep and a horse-drawn plough

The set appeared to be an exact replica of the opening credits from the BBC programme, including the bend on the River Thames and the web of city streets.
It comes just two days after organisers revealed that the £27m ceremony will open with a rural idyll, complete with real cows, sheep and a horse-drawn plough.
But despite announcing details of the opening scenes, artistic director Danny Boyle had hoped that the rest of the ceremony could be kept under wraps.

Little Britain: The opening sequence will include a cricket match, real horses pulling a plough and ducks paddling in a lake

Hillock: The set will include a recreation of the Glastonbury Thor and an enormous fake tree, which will appear in the first scene, entitled 'green and pleasant land'

Mr Boyle, best known for directing hit film Slumdog Millionaire, said: ‘We want people to discover it for themselves on the night.
'We want it to be a puzzle until the unveiling, so that people can experience it as it goes on.’

Also visible in the photographs is a recreation of the Glastonbury Thor and an enormous fake tree, which will appear in the first scene, entitled ‘green and pleasant land’.
The opener will include a cricket match, real horses pulling a plough and ducks paddling in a lake.
There will even be an artificial cloud to produce rain, to reflect typical British weather.

Ceremonies executive producer Stephen Daldry, who directed film Billy Elliott, has already hinted that the rural scenes will ‘look unrecognisable’ by the end of the ceremony, and will be replaced by a more urban reflection of Britain.

The soap will strengthen its links with the Olympics in the coming weeks.
The Olympic Torch relay route will travel through the set of Albert Square as it makes its way through London to the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony on 27 July.

The set partly resembles the opening credits from the BBC programme EastEnders, including the bend on the River Thames and the web of city streets

Event: Director Danny Boyle, best known for directing hit film Slumdog Millionaire, said: 'We want people to discover it for themselves on the night. We want it to be a puzzle until the unveiling, so that people can experience it as it goes on'

On July 23, EastEnders will feature live footage of character Billy Mitchell, played by Perry Fenwick, carrying the Olympic Flame while being cheered on by the famous residents of Albert Square.

Several minutes of the Olympic procession will be shown on the programme, while the rest of the episode will be filmed in advance.

Last night, a spokeswoman for organisers Locog said: ‘We have outlined details about the opening scene and we have nothing more to add.’


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