On 27 July 2012 at the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony Mike Oldfield performed during a segment about the NHS and children ’s literature . The show 's director Danny Boyle stated that he had wanted to make '' Tubular Bells '' a " cornerstone " of a 20-minute sequence of the ceremony . A studio version of Oldfield 's performance appears on the soundtrack album '' Isles of Wonder '' . Although listed as " Tubular Bells " / " In Dulci Jubilo " , the track consists of a number of parts , the first being the introduction piece to his '' Tubular Bells '' in its normal arrangement , then this is followed by a rearranged version of that same theme that during interviews Oldfield has called " swingular bells " . The piece that is used when children 's literature villains appear features two arrangements of " Far Above the Clouds " ( from '' Tubular Bells III '' ) , and finally as the '' Mary Poppins '' characters appear to drive off the villains , there is a rendition of " In Dulci Jubilo " followed by a short coda
2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
Tubular Bells