On spoiler alert: Attendees of Olympic opening ceremony rehearsals sworn to secrecy

By RAY PHILP
Published on 24/07/2012 14:33

SIXTY-two thousand people were invited to a dress rehearsal for the Olympic opening ceremony last night - then told not to spoil it for those who haven’t seen it yet.

Rehearsals for the ceremony, which will take place on Friday, were overseen by Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting director Danny Boyle, who will direct the real ceremony on Friday.

The director, who also helmed 28 Days Later and Shallow Grave, urged those watching the rehearsal to “save the surprise” - or, more accurately, #savethesurprise, the hashtag that has been trending on Twitter.

However, pictures from the run-up to the rehearsal show that the ceremony will be themed on Britain’s countryside. It is known that the Olympic Park will be transformed into a green idyll, with cottages, mining wheels and scores of live farm animals forming part of the £27 million spectacle.

In a cheeky reference to the British summer, fake rain will also be poured onto the stadium during the ceremony.

An assortment of competition winners, volunteers and others connected to the Games attended the rehearsal, pledging their support for Boyle’s request by refraining from tweeting details of the ceremony.

One Twitter user, Jill Lawless, said of the rehearsal: “I will #savethesurprise, but will just say that Danny Boyle’s #london2012 opening ceremony is splendidly British and magnificently bonkers.”

Meanwhile, Labour MP David Miliband announced he was among those in attendance. In a tweet published after the rehearsal, he said: “Danny Boyle is a genius with a wicked sense of humour.”