HUU NDO UFUNGUZI WA OLIMPIKI ULIVYOKUWA

Watanzania wakipita

Overwhelmed - what a great opening ceremony.'

Here he comes! Beckham drives a speed boat carrying the torch

What a sight: Tower Bridge lit up the London skyline as fireworks w

British invasion: Team GB made their way round the stage

Emotional: Hoy looked delighted to be lifting the flag for GB

Happy? Sir Chris Hoy lifted the flag with tears in his eyes

23:58: They are milking this, and who can blamU.S team and their team of beret-wearing athletes are just around the corner.

The USA team make their way out

Ready Tom? Team GB diver Tom Daley looks upbeat before the team go out

Proud: Maria Sharapova bore the Russian flag

Here he comes: A closer look at Beckham driving the torch to Stratford

Proud: Lauren Jackson bore the flag for the Australian teams

Here he is: Usain Bolt carried the flag for Jamaica

Bolt leads his compatriots out into Olympic Park

23:06: Here he is, the fastest .'

Maybe he doesn't speak French.

Big cheer: The Ireland team got the biggest cheer of the night so far

Nice outfit: The Fijians came out semi-clad in traditional dress

22:48:

Expecting showers? The Czech Republic team all donned wellies

Good night out? Queen Elizabeth II (right) appears to be enjoying Danny Boyle's ceremony

22:35: British.

Here they come: The athletes were unveiled to the fans

Kila nchi naona hapa inapita na watu mia,wengine

Abide With Me: Emeli Sande's rendition quieted the audience

Here he is: David Beckham dribves a speedboat carrying the Olympic torch

A sight we all must see! The Queen parachuting from a helicopter

A journey: Boyle took the audience on a tour through Britain's musical history

Winner: Rowan Atkinson wins in the parody race from Chariots of Fire!

Wonderful: The view from above is awe inspiring

Brilliant: The Queen appeared to jump from a helicopter with Daniel Craig

Safe and Sound: Her Royal Highness managed to get down in time for a national anthem

Glowing: The rings forged above the stadium

Magnificent: Chimneys were erected in just seconds

Magnificent: Chimneys were erected in just seconds

21:03: WE'RE OFF! Bradley Wiggins rings the Olympic dong.

Star spotting: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge look on

Marvellous: Musicians played Edward Elgar's Nimrod

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Frank Turner played on the Glastonbury area of the countryside-like scene

Old-fashioned striker: While Turner played, this strange football match broke out

!

What is going on? As the rain begins to trickle down, cows and goats graze in Boyle's mock countryside

The view from below: As the Red Arrows flew overhead, the stadium resembled some sort of carnival.

The Tory boys: Boris Johnson and David Cameron (left) chat before the show

20:17: A little more star-spotting now. The Tory boys are in the stands. Prime minister David Cameron and Mayor of London Boris Johnson are seen chatting in the stands. Johnson yesterday gave an excitable speech on stage at Hyde Park's celebratory music festival for the torch's arrival. He said London were hoping to host the greatest Games ever. Couldn't agree more, Boris.

20:11: The Red Arrows are currently flying overhead from east to west. Fantastic sight as the GB colours trail behind the perfectly choreographed planes. The sound of the engines are dwarfed by the cheers of the baying crowd below. Fantastic scenes. Many more to come, no doubt.

20:10: The stars are being spotted all over the grounds of the stadium. Bradley Wiggins was earlier ferried across in a golf buggy.

GB colours: The Red Arrows flew over the crowd with red, white and blue trailing behind them

Glorious! The Red Arrows fly over the stadium

Hello Bradley! Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins arrives at the stadium.

20:06: There really is a party atmosphere building around the stadium now. We've got fans from all over the globe representing their nations admirably with an array of flags and colours. There are even some who have turned up without tickets... not sure how successful they will be, and hopefully they've got £2,012 spare just in case.

19:59: It's all getting a little bit weird in Stratford. There are cows, goats and sheep being herded around on the grounds of the Olympic Park. What part will they play? God knows.

19:57: So what's being said on Twitter? Well @NaomiWestland said: 'So it looks like Londoners have shaken off their cynicism. Real buzz all over, from Hackney to Richmond, Regents Park to Tooting #london2012'

Looks like the naysayers have wound their numerous necks in... for now at least.

Susanna Butter seems pretty excited. She just emailed alex.horlock@dailymail.co.uk simply saying: 'Who on earth will be lighting the flame?!'