Stephen Daldry commenting on the ceremonies of London 2012 , noted that " if Danny Boyle 's was very much about two revolutions and popular culture and Kim Gavin 's was very much about a symphony of British music , then what you will get from Jenny and Bradley is something very different . " Daldry inaddtion stated that " there will be an extraordinary number of disabled performers in the cast . " Sealey introduced Stephen Hawking as the " most famous disabled person alive " who will narrate " the most exquisite journey , " focusing on science and culture of the 18th century . As with the Olympics opening ceremony '' The Tempest '' features heavily and the character Miranda from the story will star in the ceremony , being the eyes for the audience . Sealey notes that the character " sees everybody but she does n't judge . That is fundamental to our personal and political ethos . " Adding that it is " fundamental , you look without judging . It 's about removing those attitudinal barriers . " Sealey states that it was pure coincidence that she and Hemmings had chosen a line from the same play that was used by Boyle in the opening ceremony of the Olympics . " When we found out Danny Boyle was going to reference Shakespeare 's '' The Tempest '' we burst out laughing . " Hemming when comparing the Games to the Large Hadron Collider , notes that it " transforms our perception of our place in the universe in the same way that the Paralympics transforms our perception of what 's possible . " While Sebastien Coe said that the Ceremony would be a " great showcase of the skills and excellence of disabled artists . " Sealey and Hemming were determined to " pay tribute to the contributions that science has made to the able bodied and impaired alike . " The pair approached Hawking in late 2011 , who was adamant that he would write his own part . Hawking commented on his role that " to use this stage to show the world that regardless of differences between individuals , there is something that everyone is good at , is very important . " Sealey and Hemming worked closely with Professor Hawking to develop a series of messages for the ceremony and spent time with him in Cambridge ; which Hemming notes he had been " incredibly gratified with him giving his time . " Sealey notes that although the ceremony has Hawking and Ian McKellen narrating , " what we all need to remember : do n't just look down at your feet , look at the stars , be curious . " The programme was attended by the Queen 's grandson Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge , David Cameron , the Prime Minister , with his wife Samantha Cameron and by London Mayor Boris Johnson
Olympics opening ceremony
2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
2012 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony