The ceremony’s artistic director Danny Boyle said the £27 million (Rs 234 crore) ceremony would give Britons “a picture of ourselves as a nation.”u00a0“On entry to the Olympic Stadium in East London the audience will see a scene that represents a traditional and idyllic view of the British countryside,” Games organisers LOCOG said in a statement. “The set will be complete with meadows, fields and rivers, and featuring families taking picnics, sport being played on the village green and farmers tilling the soil whilst real farmyard animals graze.”

Idyllic: Danny Boyle is pictured with some of the volunteers. The Olympic Stadium is to be transformed into this ‘green and pleasant land’ for the opening ceremony. Pics/AFP