Handover: minute by minute

Heather Small finishes up the day with a lovely rendition of Proud and people make their way out of The Mall. After her performance she says: 'I was proud that I managed to get on stage without falling over! It was amazing to see the people out there celebrating as a nation. After the Olympics in Beijing everyone's in a certain mindset. The performances from Team GB have inspired the nation.'

4.50pm Will Young delights with his new song 'Changes' (highly appropriate as we're hoping the Games will inspire everyone to change). He tells us after his performance: 'It went really well - it was fantastic to see such big crowds down The Mall. There are very exciting prospects for the Games coming to London. It's great to see that there's money coming in for sport and regeneration and there are people benefitting because of the Olympics.'


4.45pm A spectacular fly past from the Red Arrows:


4.43pm Michael Phelps gets a huge welcome from the crowd - well-deserved after his record eight gold medals in Beijing.

4:40pm - James Morrison on London: 'We are open minded and generous people here, from so many different countries.'

4.10pm - Word from Bradley Wiggins: 'Being here today really bought home the fact the Games are coming to London - its a great shop window for four years time. I was in the Olympic Park earlier this week. I started cycling in the Lea Valley Circuit, which is making way for the Velodrome, what a great legacy for cycling.' His gold shines brightly...

4pm Katherine Jenkins wows with a rendition of Nessun Dorma and tells us after: 'It was a bit of a moment today. The crowd were crazy - we were all very proud to be here. I am so glad the Games are coming to London, it is an amazing city. I want to know what I can learn to do to be an Olympic champion in 2012!'


3.30pm crowds in Hackney enjoy the show:


3.30pm Scouting for Girls sing 'She's so lovely' and their own rendition of 'London calling'. What do they think about the London 2012? 'Kids growing up want to be athletes or musicians - both are cool. That's the cool thing about the Games - inspiring a new generation. London 2012 will just be a reallly wicked party.'

3.10pm Coverage on the BBC starts live from London. The cast of 'We Will Rock You' and then Sophie Ellis Bextor kick off the show. There's also a warm welcome back for Beijing medallists Bradley Wiggins and Phillips Odowu.

We Will Rock You cast member:




2:40pm crowds at Upton-upon-Severn celebrate the moment.


2:35pm 'Dr Penny Brookes' - the man that inspired the Olympic Movement - addresses the crowd at Much Wenlock.


2:30pm around the UK, flags are raised at almost 780 places to mark the moment Including

2:29pm - From our Liverpool correspondant...  a show of admiration could be seen across the faces of the crowd at the Liverpool big screen when Beckham signalled the the London kick off!

2:15pm Leona Lewis, Jimmy Page and David Beckham appear in Beijing on a London Red Bus.


2:05pm The Mall outside Buckingham Palace erupts in cheers!

2pm here is the show... Boris has the Flag - come on London.

1:40pm McFly on stage at The Mall - crowd is going crazy!

1:25pm Here come the flags with Chris Hoy doing the honours for GB

1.20pm Roadshow competition winners We Were Heroes take the stage.


1:05pm Mark Foster, Team GB swimmer, is at the London 2012 Roadshow. Quote from Mark, 'If I can inspire one person to take up swimming, to get fit … then there is nothing greater than that as an athlete.'


1pm Fireworks are lighting up the sky in Beijing

12:55pm In Beijing, the warm up is underway in a rather hot and sticky stadium.

12:48pm: In Middlesbrough, people are beginning to gather round the live site - some with picnics

12:47pm: In Belfatst, the Botanic Gardens has started with Chinese Dragon dance. The weather is OK, one or two showers but some sunshine. 

12:40pm: In Portsmouth a Chinese dragon makes its way to the live site screening.



12:12pm: The stewards at Middlesborough's live sites are getting ready for the show.


Noon: GATES OPEN in The Mall

Spectators for the Closing Ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games start taking their seats in the Olympic Stadium. More than 90,000 will watch the ceremony live, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown and London Mayor Boris Johnson.

11:20am: Special guest star Michael Phelps has just finished his press conference in central London. He talked about how much he was looking forward to competing in London in 2012. 'I am excited about experiencing more about London as a city and it culture. Every city has its own twist on the Games its about bringing the world together. What makes a great Games is a great city, great people, a great event. The people in the Host City being incredible.'

And finally an inspiring message to all: 'Everything is possible if you set your imagination to it.'




11:05am: In Yarmouth, a sailing crew is gathering with a very special package .. more on that later.

11am: In Greenwich, our correspondent Neil has sent through this pic of the best seat in their live screen - a bicycle seat!


10:40am: Here in The Mall the final preperations are in place for the big show starting at 1pm. Queues are already gathering at the gates. 40,000 lucky ticket holders won a ballot to attend the show. Gates open at 12pm.


Congrats to Chris Hoy who will be carrying the flag tonight for Team GB - well deserved for his three gold medals

7am: Some very keen Il Divo fans are already queuing for the show in the early dawn.

In Beijing: the Olympic Park in Beijing is 'locked down' to prepare spectators for the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games. Strict security measures are put in place, to protect the crowd and VIP guests who will be arriving in the next few hours.