‘I think The Queen must have known, because I was involved, that they were going to make it a People’s Games. So there was a chance [for her] to take a risk with it.’
So said Danny Boyle to me in early 2013. The Oscar-winning filmmaker was reflecting on Isles of Wonder, the much-admired, kaleidoscopic, best-of-British Opening Ceremony he’d directed for the previous summer’s London 2012 Olympics. And my, how he’d delivered. Pistols (Sex), Poppins (Mary) and a parachuting monarch strapped to James Bond – all filled the purpose-built stadium in the city’s eastern boroughs for a magical night that managed to celebrate the NHS, Shakespeare, UK pop culture and the Games themselves.
