14 Things From The 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony That I Can't Stop Thinking About

We need to talk about the part where the Child Catcher showed up on rollerskates.

Can you believe it’s been an entire DECADE since the London Olympics?!

Ian Macnicol / Getty Images

Ah 2012, a simpler time.

27 million people watched the Opening Ceremony, and it was pretty damn spectacular. It celebrated the best of British; from the Suffragette movement; to the Windrush Generation; to the NHS.

But here are some moments that may have slipped your mind.

1. Things kicked off with a tour over the river Thames, complete with Eastenders doof doofs.

BBC / OBS

Probably the first time a soap got a shout-out in an Olympic ceremony, and as an East ender, I'm proud.

2. Isambard Kingdom Brunel – played by Kenneth Brannagh – gave a speech to a bunch of men in top hats.

BBC / OBS

Kenneth Brannagh – period drama king.

3. James Bond showed up at Buckingham Place in a black cab and waltzed right in.

BBC / OBS

Slick, yes. A good demonstration of security measures, not so much. 

4. He took the Queen on a helicopter trip over the city...

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5. ...And then she jumped out of the helicopter and parachuted into the stadium.

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Do you reckon Queen Victoria would've been up for this for when they held the Olympics during her reign?!

6. Thousands of NHS staff, volunteers, and children celebrated Great Ormond Street Hospital and the National Health Service with a jive routine, and then JK. Rowling read the kids a scary passage from Peter Pan.

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This sequence would've probably been one of the most wholesome parts of the entire ceremony if it cut off before the dark creatures turned up next to the children's beds.

7. And then for some reason, the CHILD CATCHER showed up on rollerskates.

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They had 300 beds and Bedknobs and Broomsticks was right there, but they went with the guy who nicks kids for the children's hospital homage. He's got moves, though.

8. He was closely flanked by a whole bunch of puppets of villains from children's stories.

Thomas Coex / Clive Rose / Gallo Images / Getty

I guess the Alice, Harry, and Peter puppets were busy that day. Hats off to the artists though, they captured the essence of evil flawlessly.

9. Then a coven of Mary Poppins' descended into the stadium and saved the day.

Anthony Devlin - Pa Images / PA Images via Getty Images

I personally don't think having 32 Marys balances out the scariness of Voldemort, Cruella, and Hook et al, but that's just me.

10. And the nurses tucked the kids into bed, right next to this giant baby head.

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The perfect end to the Scare The Children section of the ceremony.

11. The London Symphony Orchestra paid tribute to the British film industry with a performance of "Chariots of Fire", featuring Mr. Bean on the synth.

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I say Mr. Bean, but Olympic Ceremony/Rowan Atkinson stans will be aware that it was later revealed that the character Rowan was playing wasn't actually Mr. Bean, but a guy named Derek. The more you know, eh.

12. The London Underground was celebrated, complete with a blink and you'll miss it cameo from Ken Livingstone as a tube driver.

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Naturally, The Jam's "Going Underground" was the soundtrack to this part, but I'm sure most people at home were singing along to this version instead.

13. Jade Bailey carried the Olympic torch on a speedboat named Max Power, driven by the one and only David Beckham.

Matthew Lloyd / Getty Images

Shoutout to Jade for keeping the torch dry with all that splashing. David was willing to get soaked for the ceremony though – one of many examples of why he's a national treasure. 

14. And of course, there was The Parade of Nations, which they tried to keep brief by only playing fast songs like "Stayin’ Alive."

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It didn’t work. The parade lasted an hour and 40 minutes.

What was your favourite part of the opening ceremony? And if you fancy reliving the memories (and have four hours on your hands), you can watch the whole thing here.