The countdown is over - now the ceremony begins with a show produced by Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle. The chime of the largest harmonically tuned bell in Europe is the cue for the cast of 10,000 volunteers to take the stage in a pageant about a land recovering from its industrial legacy. It promises country scenes, with families taking picnics, farmers tilling the soil and people playing sports on the village green, on a set featuring real farmyard animals and landmarks like Glastonbury Tor. But further details are being kept strictly under wraps. The panorama also includes two mosh-pits, representing the Glastonbury festival and the Last Night of the Proms, while the music - if recent reports are to be believed - is an eclectic selection ranging from the Beatles to the Monty Python theme tune. The performance is followed by the athletes' parade, in which more than 200 countries are represented. Then the Queen will carry out the official opening, before the arrival of the Olympic flame, when the identity of the final torchbearer - who has the honour of lighting the cauldron that will burn for the next 16 days of competition - will be revealed.