In 1989 Tim invented the World Wide Web while at CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics. A graduate of Oxford University, he is a Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Director of the World Wide Web Consortium and the Web Foundation. In 2004 he was knighted and in 2007 he was awarded the Order of Merit.
During a career spanning almost a decade, Dizzee has released four hit albums including Boy In Da Corner and the platinum Tongue n’ Cheek, which produced five UK number one singles. Accolades and awards include the coveted Mercury Music Prize, an Ivor Novello Award and a BRIT Award.
I’m forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air,
They fly so high,
Nearly reach the sky,
Then like my dreams,
They fade and die.
Fortune’s always hiding,
I’ve searched everywhere,
I’m forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air.
‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’
The house is a full size replica of a modern British house. It’s made of extremely light-weight material so that it can be flown into place in two pieces.
The London 2012 Olympic Games are by far the largest set-piece broadcasting event in the BBC’s history. But our Olympic links go back more than 100 years, before the BBC even existed.
Our White City complex in West London stands on the site of the finishing line for the 1908 Marathon – the very first Marathon of the modern Games. These are the 15th Summer Olympic Games broadcast by the BBC. It’s a sequence that began with the 1948 Games in London, when the BBC pioneered the televising of the Olympics with pictures viewed in homes for the first time, and one that has run unbroken since the 1960 Games in Rome.
But 2012 is on a different scale from anything we’ve seen before. For the first time, in partnership with the host broadcaster OBS, we will cover every venue live around the clock – more than 2,500 hours of sport crammed into little more than a fortnight. BBC One and BBC Three will be supplemented by an additional 24 television channels for the duration of the Games. The same content, and much more, will be available on both web and mobile.
But for us, London 2012 means much more than sport. As you sit here tonight, you’re watching the culmination coverage of a Torch Relay that’s covered the length and breadth of our land. The BBC has followed it every inch of the way, shining a light on the amazing stories of the Torchbearers and their communities. We’ve even seen the Torch make its way through Albert Square, the home of our beloved EastEnders drama, passing iconic on-screen landmarks such as the The Queen Vic pub. We have also enthusiastically supported the London 2012 Festival with its music, arts and entertainment; and the BBC has made two of the films you’ll see tonight within the Opening Ceremony. We’re proud to have worked with LOCOG to deliver the best of British creativity to the world.
The London 2012 Olympic Games are the biggest sporting event in the UK in our lifetimes. We will offer services to our audiences that mean they’ll never miss a moment – as well as the opportunity to join together to celebrate this unique summer.
Mark Thompson, BBC Director General
If you don’t run, you can’t win.
Sybil Gordon, Abrahams’ girlfriend
