Stephen Hawking narrates a ‘journey of discovery’ at spectacular Paralympic Games launch

The spectacle at the Olympic Stadium, described by organisers as an “exquisite journey of discovery”, was expected to take place before a 62,000-strong crowd, including the Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Featuring a host of deaf and disabled artists, children from east London boroughs, and performers newly trained in circus skills, the show united the audience in the world’s largest “apple crunch”, with each spectator given an apple to bite simultaneously.

The ceremony, called Enlightenment, continued a theme from the opening of the London Olympics by referencing Shakespeare’s The Tempest, with Sir Ian McKellen playing the role of Prospero.

The show, which signalled the start of 11 days of competition by nearly 4,300 athletes from 166 countries, was to open with a flypast by Aerobility, a charity that trains disabled people to be pilots.

Speaking ahead of the event, Shona Robison, Scotland’s minister for Commonwealth Games and sport, said the Paralympics would be the “best and biggest” ever, and said she hoped the 27 Scottish members of the Paralympics GB team “will be rewarded for all their hard work and dedication”.

The cast at the ceremony included past Paralympians and injured soldiers. More than 3,000 adult volunteers participated, along with more than 100 children and a professional cast of 100.

Some of those taking part recently completed an eight-week circus school course, with 50 performers enthralling the audience in Stratford with a high-wire act atop a 115ft-tall rig. Organisers said an actor playing Miranda, another character from The Tempest, would fly up and break a glass ceiling.

Bradley Hemmings, the co-artistic director of the show, said the decision to use Prof Hawking as a “guide” for the ceremony followed months of discussions with the physicist.

He said: “Our talks with Stephen Hawking began towards the end of last year. We worked very closely with Professor Hawking to develop a series of messages which are very much integrated into the storytelling of the ceremony. We have spent time with him in Cambridge and have been so incredibly gratified with him giving his time.

“Everybody knows about Professor Hawking and his extraordinary theoretical work and writings about science which have made very complex ideas accessible to all of us, but what came through in our meetings with him was the humanity and the humour of him. He is a fun guy.”

His fellow artistic director Jenny Sealey said the ceremony was inspired by the realm of science: “It is about the wonder of science, and it is Stephen Hawking who guides us. Both Hawking and McKellen in their narrative talk about what we all need to remember: don’t just look down at your feet, look at the stars, be curious.”

Before the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and the Lord Mayor of London, David Wootton, hosted a reception attended by heads of state, international sports ministers, and representatives of disabled organisations.