The “Isles of Wonder” opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics (directed by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle) made a nod to British literature.
Actor Kenneth Branagh (who plays Professor Gilderoy Lockhart in the Harry Potter films) recited a passage from William Shakespeare‘s The Tempest. A parade of nurses, doctors and child patients with books followed in rolling beds.
Author J.K. Rowling read a selection from J.M. Barrie‘s Peter Pan. After Rowling’s reading, a giant-sized Lord Voldemort popped up. A crew of women dressed as Mary Poppins wielded umbrellas and banished the Harry Potter villain.