London ( CNN ) -- Few shows can claim such an audience . As the dramatic spectacle of the Olympic Games opening ceremony in London unfolded Friday night , organizers estimated a billion people around the world would be glued to their television sets to see it , either live or delayed by a few hours . Tens of thousands more were lucky enough to have a seat inside the Olympic Stadium , the centerpiece of Olympic Park in east London . Dubbed `` Isles of Wonder , '' it was quite a show -- fast-paced and diverse , with everything from people dancing in period costumes to a pseudo house party . It featured tributes to the British countryside and the Industrial Revolution ( complete with smokestacks emerging from the ground ) , showcased the `` Chariots of Fire '' soundtrack as well as pop music staples from the Beatles to Amy Winehouse , and even comedy bits featuring Mr. Bean ( Rowan Atkinson ) , actor Daniel Craig and even Queen Elizabeth II herself . The queen was among the more than 80 heads of state attending the event , which sets the scene for the Games to come . London cheers Olympic torch as opening day nears . The organizers of the London Games were well aware they had a tough act to follow after the Beijing extravaganza four years ago , which featured thousands of drummers , acrobats , martial artists and dancers performing under a light display at the soaring `` Bird 's Nest '' Stadium . Some details of the Â£27 million show were released in advance , but many more remained closely guarded secrets . A Twitter hashtag , # savethesurprise , started by Olympic organizers to appeal to those in the know not to spoil the show for others , had been embraced by many , although not all . The 10 coolest tech stories of the 2012 London Olympics . Giant screens also displayed the message within the stadium during the two rehearsals . Those who opted not to play along incurred the social-media wrath of many who did want to `` save the surprise . '' The show , masterminded by artistic director Danny Boyle , best known for the Oscar-winning film `` Slumdog Millionaire , '' drew part of its inspiration from Shakespeare 's `` The Tempest . '' It began at 9 p.m. ( 4 p.m . ET ) with the tolling of the largest harmonically tuned bell in Europe , cast by the nearby Whitechapel Foundry , which also produced Big Ben and the Liberty Bell . The sound echoed the peals of bells that rang out across the country for three minutes Friday morning , Big Ben among them , to set the nation 's Olympic spirit racing . The show 's opening scene -- dubbed `` Green and Pleasant , '' after a line from a poem by William Blake -- then unfurled , presenting an idyllic view of the British countryside . The elaborate set comprised rolling hills , fields and rivers , complete with picnicking families , sport being played on a village green and real farmyard animals : ducks , geese , 12 horses , three cows and 70 sheep , plus three sheepdogs to keep them in line . Chasing the gold-dust of 'Brand Olympics ' The flower of each of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom also were represented -- the rose of England , the Scottish thistle , Welsh daffodil and flax from Northern Ireland . Boyle also lined up fake clouds to shade his pastoral scene . Other set pieces paid tribute to Britain 's National Health Service , children 's literature ( showcasing characters from the evil Lord Voldemort of Harry Pottery infamy to magical nanny Mary Poppins ) and popular music . It was all a mammoth production involving not just Boyle and his technical crew , but also a cast of 10,000 adult volunteers and 900 local schoolchildren . Then there was a heavy-duty flying system , nearly 13,000 props and an array of technological wizardry . After these performances , the athletes -- who , after all , are the real stars of the Olympic show -- entered the stadium , team by team in alphabetical order , apart from Greece , which enters first in recognition of its status as the birthplace of the Games , and Great Britain , entering last , the position reserved for the host nation . Why gritty East End is London 's gold standard . After speeches from Olympic officials -- including Sebastian Coe , head of the London organizing committee and himself a former gold medalist -- the queen officially declared the Games open and the Olympic flag was later hoisted above the stadium , where it will fly throughout the competition . The grand finale saw five-time gold medalist rower Steve Redgrave carry the torch into the stadium , where he handed the flame off to seven promising young athletes . They then lit parts of the large cauldron , triggering a chain of events that culminated in small flames converging in the sky above the stadium . This capped the torch 's 70-day , 8,000-mile relay around the United Kingdom -- weeks that had been marked with anticipation . Is the Olympics worth more than Google ? Spain suffers shock defeat to Japan . CNN 's Chris Murphy contributed to this report .
NEW : Young athletes light the Olympic cauldron after the queen opens the games . Performances pay tribute to British history , literature and music . The Greek delegation leads the parade of athletes into the stadium . Organizers had sought beforehand to keep the event 's details secret .