It will be "party, party, party" time at tonight's closing ceremony for the 2012 Olympics as the UK's leading artists pay a fun tribute to British pop music.
Artistic director Kim Gavin said the event would be the "best after-show party there has ever been", featuring a "hell of a lot" of talent.Film and theatre director Stephen Daldry, who is directing the ceremony, promised it would be surreal, camp and moving.
Organisers wanted to keep the final line-up under wraps, but George Michael, Muse and Ed Shearan have confirmed they will perform and Brian May, Annie Lennox, the Pet Shop Boys, Tinie Tempah, Jessie J, the Spice Girls and Kate Bush have all been seen at rehearsals. The Who, Take That, Elton John, The Kinks, Adele, the Kaiser Chiefs and Madness are also rumoured to be lined up to take part.
There was a limited amount of time, starting late last night, to turn the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London into an arena fit for a showbiz spectacular.
The handover from London 2012 to the Rio 2016 team will take place, along with the extinguishing of the Olympic Flame to signal the end of the Games.
Tonight's ceremony – called A Symphony of British Music – will celebrate music as one of the UK's strongest cultural exports over the past 50 years. It is expected to have a different tone to the Danny Boyle-masterminded opening ceremony, which was packed with references to British history, culture and public services.
Mr Gavin said: "I wanted to make a very exciting after-show party. I wanted to make it a celebration. We have got 15 minutes of the athletes walking in down through the audience. We do have a lot of music in there.
"We start with the big opening scene saying, 'We are in London'. There is more than just music. It is not just the songs – it is visually creative. It flows really well and I am really proud of it."
David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst will reprise their roles as Del Boy and Rodney Trotter, with their Reliant Robin van reportedly being blown up. Eric Idle, who has also been seen rehearsing, will sing the Monty Python classic Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.
Daldry said: "It's got all the bizarre, surreal, funny, camp and moving elements you could want from a really good piece of Sunday night entertainment.
"There are dancing girls and sets from different eras and brass bands and Coldstream Guards and all this amazing headline talent. Get the beers in and celebrate."
More than 4,100 performers, including 3,500 adult volunteers and 380 schoolchildren from the six east London host boroughs, are involved in the ceremony.
London 2012 chairman, Lord Coe, who promised to "party, party, party" said: "It's basically a tribute to British music over the last few decades. It's fun."
The closing ceremony will follow the final day of sport which includes men's marathon, cross-country mountain biking and boxing finals, plus the rhythmic gymnastics all-around finals and the women's modern pentathlon.
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