Olympic Flame Special The One Show

This afternoon, her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, Lord Sebastian

Coe, Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and David Beckham, boarded a golden

plane in Athens. Very soon that plane will land here in Cornwall,

live on the One Show, with a very special cargo. Because tonight, we

welcome the flame that could start the biggest party Britain has ever

seen - the London 2012 Olympic From Royal Naval Air Station

Culdrose on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, hello and welcome to a

very special Friday One Show with Alex Jones and Chris Evans. And the

crowd of excited Cornish folk. was very good. Just as we rehearsed

it. Eight days ago the Olympic flame was lit at a ceremony on

Mount Olympus. From there, it went on a relay through Greece, and

later in the show it will be landing on this runway. Hello! All

around us, a specially invited audience from the local area, the

naval base and the local schools. Let's talk to some of them. What is

your name? Harriet. Where did you get your top? Next! Who are you

looking forward to seeing? David Beckham. David Beckham. Anybody

else? He will be here with the flame very soon it. Lucy Siegle is

alive at Culdrose air traffic control.

It is so exciting here in the Tower, as we wait for the plane which has

been renamed fireflies. We have Petty Officer Paul Hollioake, who

is trying to make radio contact with the plane, so hopefully we

should hear from the pilot very soon. I would like to introduce

Lieutenant Commander Simon Smith. Good evening. You are basically in

charge of landing Firefly tonight. That is correct. We are all

prepared and the aircraft is on time and we will get it on the

ground safely. You are confident. Yes. The phrase that I want to here

is, on time. Can we hear from Firefly? Are you on schedule?

afternoon. Great atmosphere up here on the aircraft. We are on time.

Yes, fantastic! Can we see where they are on the radar? This is the

south-west of England. Culdrose is here. There they are, on time.

will be updated you on the progress Short leaves. Here comes fireflies.

How exciting! For such an auspicious occasion, we had to

bring in a news heavyweight titles of Sophie Raworth is here. Hello.

How are you doing? I think this is going to be fantastic. The crowd

are behind it and we will have the Olympic flame here to set alight

this cauldron. When it arrives, what will happen? The flame will be

brought off. It has been strapped onto the trait -- the plane. The

Princess Royal will be carrying it. But then it will be given to one of

the torch security team who will get it ready. They will light the

torch, held by David Beckham. He will light the cauldron. It is very

much a ceremonial event, because it is not until tomorrow that the

relay starts, but you will hopefully see this car in flames.

And the plane is going to stop here. Right here. His is a commentary

thing for you? Are you on the hoof? I will tell you what happens, step-

by-step, and hopefully it will go smoothly. Hopefully, the flame

alight, the torch will light and the cauldron will light. It is

quite windy. Good luck. As we wait, Marty Jopson has been trying to

answer some relevant questions. Exactly what is a flame, and how do

you keep it alight? I have always been fascinated by

flames. They are elegant, beautiful, and when you think about it,

extremely weird. They do not appear to be made of anything, yet they

have an extraordinary power, both as a source of light and heat.

Flickering and ever changing. One minute they are here, the next they

are gone. They are wonderful, exciting and just a bit dangerous.

But what exactly is a flame? I have enlisted the help of Dr Melanie

Britain, a chemist at the University of Birmingham. This

fireball is burning a special fuel, which combusts at a lower

temperature than other flames, meaning I can hold it, just about.

What is a flame? What we see here is the result of a reaction, a

chemical reaction between fuel and oxygen, and a huge amount of heat

is given out. The chemical reaction produces heat. Why does it produce

light? The heat excites the electrons that are in the gaseous

molecules, and it is those excited electrons that release the light

that we can see indivisible flame. The yellow light that we see from

most claims is given off by cert, carbon that has not been burnt. It

is produced because the flame is not getting enough oxygen to burn

the fuel completely. But if you give it more oxygen, none of that

is produced and the yellow glow will disappear. This is a Brno that

mixes gas with oxygen. As I increase the amount of oxygen, I

can change the colour of the flame. And so now it is blue. So no more

One thing about yellow flames is that they are big and bright, ideal

when you want a flame that draws attention to itself. Chris Andrews

is the technical manager at bullfinch gas, the man who designed

the burner for the London 2012 Olympic torch. Look at that! That

is it. It is a very yellow flame, which means there is a lot of stuff

coming out. Is that on purpose? Certainly. We restrict the amount

of what we call primary air, which comes through these holes. Those

tiny holes. If that was larger, the flame would be much more blue.

this gives a bright flame. Yes, a nice, bright flame. 8000 gurners

are needed for the Olympic torch relay, each one is tested to ensure

it will produce the right flame. -- burners. On top of this, it will

have to contend with the British summer weather. So the Olympic

organisers had specified that it must be able to survive rain, snow

and wind speeds of up to 35 mph. high wind, the lower part of the

flame will drop down inside the in a cage, and it will burn in there,

with an electric blue collar. will not go out. Hopefully, it will

not go out. Let's put it to the test. OK. Are you ready? Yes, I am

ready. This should give us a wind of 35 mph. Are you sure about this?

Carry on. Now, you can see the electric blue of the flame. It's

still there. I think this is a brilliant piece of British blame

Engineering, one that could -- should keep the Olympic spirit and

an hour fascination with flames alight.

That was amazing. I would love to be wind tested. I think my wife

would love me to the wind tested. There are not enough tests in the

world for that! The Royal Navy have made us feel at home. We have

brought our sofa. This is amazing. Brilliant. After the flame arrives,

it will overnight here before being airlifted to Land's End to begin

the first leg of its 8000 miles torch relay around the country.

are joined by some of the people who will be carrying the torch.

Welcome to you all. Henry, you are one of the youngest. Your friends

must be incredibly jealous. No, not that I have heard. They have been

very supportive. I cannot wait to go to the event tomorrow. He has

the right man for the job! Have you held the torch? Yes, twice. It is

fairly heavy, but it should be OK for tomorrow. Where are you

running? From the police station in Penzance to the hospital. You are

not running from the police station because you have done something

wrong? No. Sean, tell us your story about your marriage. We got married

today and had a great day with the family and planned it around the

relay tomorrow. Did you get married this weekend because of the torch?

Yes, once we realised I was going to carry the torch, we decided to

make a weekend of it. All of the family are down and support in.

Let's have a look at you getting married. She is gorgeous. Where is

she? She is there. Are you doing OK? We are doing well. Looking

promising? Perfect. Lionel, you are a torchbearer. X a Olympian, from

the basketball in 1948. Yes. At 85, this will be a big deal, but I will

try. I am sure you will take it in your stride. It is a great honour

and I am very pleased to be doing it. Basketball in 1948. How did you

do? Not particularly well, but it was not a basketball nation. Last

time Britain had a basketball team in the Olympics was in 1948 in

London. The second time is now in 2012. OK, let's see how far your

flame is from here right now. Lucy in the control tower.

Since we last spoke, the lights on the runway have come on and we can

zoom into the radar. Where is it? Getting close? It is about 20 miles

away, four-month. He is descending and preparing for his final

approach. Really getting close. We were check-in again in a few

minutes. She has the best view. As well as being an active military

base, Culdrose is home to the largest search and rescue unit in

the UK. These guys are absolute heroes. In the past, they trained

Prince Andrew and Prince William. But how did they cope getting our

Wanchope Princess's ready for his search-and-rescue head-to-head

challenge? -- our One Show princesses.

Culdrose training includes water survival, fire training and landing

helicopters. My competitor is only an Olympic gold medallist, Sally

Gunnell. I am up against a girl from the valleys who spends most of

her time on the sofa. It is not the hurdles, and there is more than

just pride to play for! This is what we are playing for. You have

already got one. I will have that one. The first challenge, the rat

run. This is confined space training. It is a timed challenge,

to get through here as quick as possible. It is small, but we just

need to climb through. I am worried about getting stuck. Wearing

blindfolds. You're joking. blindfolds simulate the limited

visibility firefighters face. hope I do not panic. That is what I

am worried about. I cannot see. There is no where to come out.

have seen how it is done. Now, catch her up. Too late to mention I

am claustrophobic. I am just banging my head. Stopped the clock.

Five minutes 57. I am so glad to be out. Really hot. Well done, Sally.

Three minutes and 10 seconds. feel completely lost. Your task is

to land a helicopter. It is a two man operation, you and the pilot.

All about accuracy. It is precision that is the biggest challenge.

need to get the nose wheel of the aircraft in that square. The winner

is the person who gets the nearest? I am one-0 up, pretty confident,

but no one told me about the 22 inches away. I need to win this.

We need to make it 1-1. That Olympian needs a bit of competition.

I hope the pilot can see this, I'm flapping my arms and it should

Fortified inches. -- 45. Sally, 2-0. Double or quits. It is a clean

slate. What you will be doing is getting into the pool, inflating

your lifejacket, inflating the life raft and then paddled to the big

one at the end. The first to get a One Show and Weddle -- medal is the

winner. I have really got to win It is like winning the Barcelona

gold 1992 all over again! Kind of. I was defeated! Good sport. You

will get over it. I let her win. You won in the edit, almost.

early was lovely, we had a nice day. Alex in a jumpsuit, it is a good

look! I'm not sure about the life jacket. But the wind from the

helicopter, not such a good look. Thank you to everyone for putting

up with us. One person knows how important the training and

dedication is Carina Luscombe. tell us what happened to you eight

weeks ago. Eight weeks ago I was 32 weeks pregnant. I live on St Mary's

in the Isles of Scilly and my waters broke in the middle of the

night. It was necessary to get me to the mainland because we don't

have facilities for premature babies on the islands, and also

because I needed steroids to develop the baby's lungs enough so

he could breathe when he was born. It was necessary to call the boys

from Culdrose and they airlifted need to hospital. Where did the

helicopter land? At the heliport on some Nares. Her what happened

during the flight? The winchman stayed with me the whole time, my

husband was not allowed to stay with me in case I went into labour,

they had to have me in an area where I could be let down. My

husband was at the other end. For winchman was really reassuring, a

lovely man. They stayed with me all the way up to the award, they did

not leave my side. They talked to me all the way through. Were they

prepared to help you deliver the baby? There was a midwife, but yes.

They would have marked in. Navy to the rescue! Have you been reunited

with the crew since then? No, I have said thank you to them and

they do training on the island, so hopefully at some point they can

come and visit and I will say hello. Where is your baby now? Outside

with my husband. It is being held by the winchman! Justine is there.

-- Justin. The crew who came to the rescue. This is little wryly.

choked! What a lovely moment. getting bigger. You have a little

boy? Do yes, Austin. To of weeks old. He is getting pretty big now

so it is nice to hold a little one. You are now looking after another

child on the telly! Do you get a lot of these premature baby calls

from Ireland's? The Scilly Isles doesn't have the facilities we have

on the mainland. Getting caught in the middle of the night to

premature babies is reasonably common. Reilly is smiling! We do.

We could have a corporate situation going on. Out of the freer view,

who would make the most reliable godparent? Burtie Cross is the

joker of the pack. What do you think? All of them! You're married.

Yes. Thank you. Time to go back to lose seat to see how far away

Firefly and the Olympic flame are. We are getting very close. Let's

have a quick look on the radar. miles away, just starting the final

approach, spot on time. Is this the most important plane you've ever

landed? Without doubt. Is it the goddess? The coldest I've ever seen.

Not the only thing that has had a Gordon's brave. We've also had our

petty officer who has had a spray can specially! And that is how

important Firefly is. It is so exciting.

He is never going to live that down. Poor man! He looks good, though.

That is not the point. He wishes he had never heard of spray town. The

Olympics and Paralympics are not the only shows in town this summer.

It is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and Her Majesty requested a special

song for the occasion. This morning on his radio show, Chris premiered

that song. Tonight on the One Show, we have the world exclusive of the

bid for it -- of the video. Written by Gary Barlow and Lord Lloyd-

Webber and featuring a cast of hundreds, including those very

special military ladies we love so much, here is the magical Thing. --

# Some words they can't be spoken. # So here a 1,000 voices shouting

loud. # There's a place, there's a time

in this life when you sing what you are feeling.

# Find your feet, stand your ground, don't you see right now of the

world is listening. # Singh it loud, sing it clear,

everyone will hear you. # Makes a noise, find your voice

tonight. # Sing together, make this moment

last forever. # Shouting loud tonight.

# We've had a lifetime to wait. # And see a 1,000 faces celebrate.

# You brought hope, you brought love, conquer fear, though it

wasn't always easy. # Stood your ground, found your

feet, don't you see right now the world is listening.

# Cygnet lout, saying it clear, everyone will he you.

# Makes a noise, find your voice tonight.

# Singh its strong and sing together, make this moment last

forever. # Shouted loud tonight.

# Some words they can't be spoken. # To hear 1,000 voices shouting

loud and clear. # Let's sing.

# Singh it loud, sing it clear, everyone will hear.

# Make some noise, find your voice tonight.

# Singh its strong and sing together, make this moment last

Wow. Gorgeous. It is a wonderful video, a beautiful story, and the

night before 3rd June, the big concert, hosted by Gary Barlow,

there's a one-hour documentary on how the whole story of that song

came about. It is just brilliant and I'm so glad we played that.

we are lucky tonight. It is all happening! Olympic torch, premier

of the video. The plane is literally minutes away so we will

send you outside to greet the VIPs. Quite breezy. We have done the

first half-hour and we are going to have a cup of tea. Would you like

me to go now? You might watch. course we will watch. Where will

you be? Standing on the podium, greeting the plane. The Princess

Royal, David Beckham, they will come onto the podium with me. My

one fear is that that torch doesn't like because it has got a bit

breezy. Keep our fingers crossed. Here's an idea, why don't you go

and meet the Princess Royal, Seb Coe, Boris Johnson and David

Beckham? I'll do it. And the prime minister. And him. Earlier we met

eight of the 8,000 torch bearers who will be carrying the flame over

the next 17 days as it makes its way from Land's End to the Olympic

Stadium. Right now they are warming up with every torch from the modern

Olympics. Almost every torch. These are from the Priory Collection,

which features in a brand-new book called A Sporting History.

traditional Olympic torch was invented in 1936. The only one

missing from the whole collection is Helsinki 1952, which is the

hardest to come by because the money made 22 of those. For Beijing,

they had over 21,000. But that is the past. What about our 2012

torches? This year is the brand new torch. But who will run with its

first? Someone who knows a thing or two about Olympic success. He gold

in Sydney, gold in Athens and today, gold in China. Ben Ainslie! How are

you? Welcome to the programme. Sailing and winning again today.

Before we go any further, we may have to rudely interrupted because

we want to see the plane touched down. -- rudely interrupt you.

Absolutely. In approximately 30 seconds! Shall we have a look?

has been sailing and winning this afternoon. This is the plane coming

into Culdrose. This is live. This is happening as we speak. A nice

approach into the wind. The nerves approach into the wind. The nerves

not affecting the pilot! A bit of sideways drift. I think we have a

sideways drift. I think we have a touchdown. Yes! The golden plain as

the flame. That has got your flame on it. While the plane taxes into

position and we wait for our first glimpse of the flame and the VIPs,

let's have a look at what lies ahead. The Olympic torch will be

blazing a trail across the UK, kick-starting events that have been

months in the planning. Along the northern Irish coast, the torch

will be escorted by ocean rowing teams before local mortised dear -

John Aston carries it into Larne. It is Grey Command itself, it has

such a strong sense of community. I was amazed and really quite excited

about finding out I was going to be a torch-bearer. All torch bearers

are nominated and it was M arose from dawn's Godden workshop that

put her forward and will stop I nominated her because we did work

with her at school and it was really fun. For children from the

nearby school have been making their own torches and will be

In Wales, they will be saluting and 80-year-old as he takes the torch

through Conway. A children's hospital director explains why he

was nominated. He is a very special man. He goes that extra mile,

further than everybody else does. have raised in the region of

350,000 altogether for charity. I think of me being 80, and little

children who are terminally ill, at least I can help them. From the

Falkirk wheel, people like cancer survivor Robert will carry the

torch. I felt more proud than anything when I was told. It is a

big thing for my family, especially after everything I have been

through. The support I have had has been amazing. I have had messages

from people I do not know congratulating me. An aspiring

nurse, he was nominated by his cousin. He has been through a lot

in the past two years and he is one of the most inspiring, happy people

I have ever met. Despite more treatment to come, he will hit the

streets. This is the home of Olympic inspired local school

events and a whopping 10,000 students will be lining the route.

Edinburgh will be one of 66 relay locations where there will be free

public evening celebrations. It will host a huge concert at the

castle, with the big project choir, a samba group, and top UK acts. In

the Lakes, the torch will hit the water, crossing Windermere on the

steamship. Paddlers for life, a breast cancer support group, will

provide a dragon boat escort all the way. This torchbearer was

nominated by her team-mate, June. She is a guiding light and she

flies the flag and the torch for breast cancer survivors everywhere.

It is fantastic. It is bringing ordinary people that would never be

involved in the Olympics, representing the country in a

spectacular manner. It is not just the Olympians doing this, it is

ordinary people, representing their communities.

This is exciting. You will be the first person to run with the flame.

What time and where? 7am, Lands End. Thank you. As the moment draws

closer, the last time we welcomed the flame for the beginning of the

Olympics was. We are almost ready to welcome it again. Sophie Raworth

The 2012 Olympic flame arrives on British soil. It has been brought

here from Greece on this gold livery at British Airways plane,

BA2012, its flight number. It took engineers nine days to paint the

plain gold, white and four shades of yellow, and it is quite a sight

on the tarmac in Cornwall. Firefly, a fitting name, given its cargo,

and one that has been chosen after a competition entered by more than

1000 schools across Britain. And across the sides, our moment to

shine, painted. This is the theme of the torch relay, as 8000 members

of the public, celebrities and athletes will get the chance to

carry the torch around the UK for its 70 day you relay. And on board,

of course, the star of the show, the Olympic flame. It was lit eight

days ago, using the rays of the Sun during a ceremony in ancient

Olympia. Since then, it has been on a relay through Greece, before

being handed over yesterday to the British delegation, during a rain-

It was pouring with rain when the plane took off, but thankfully it

is very dry here tonight. Somebody is capturing the moment from inside

the plane. They are 80 passengers. David Beckham, the Princess Royal,

but also some of the sponsors. There is a security team and a

handful of press. What a moment for everybody on board that plane. The

flame is going to be carried in a special ceremonial lantern. As you

can imagine, a Live Flame on board a plane has all kinds of houses,

but the lantern has been fixed into its seat. It is allowed on the

plane because it is a symbolic flame. British Airways have never

flown with a live flame before. It was the first time today. As they

get ready, the engines are switched off and the official welcoming

party take their place at the foot of the stairs. The commanding

officer here at Culdrose, the captain of the Royal Naval Air

Station, he will be the first to greet the delegation. The Deputy

Prime Minister is there, Nick Clegg, representing David Cameron, who is

on his way to America for the G8 summit. The chief executive of the

London Olympic organising Committee, the man in charge of organising the

Games, and what a huge task that has been. The Royal Navy's fleet

commander and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, and also the Vice Lord-

Lieutenant, here representing the Queen. They will shortly take their

place at the bottom of the stairs. They will be the party that

welcomes the Olympic flame as it touches British soil for the first

time. And also here, a huge crowd of people, 500 people, watching the

moment that the flame arrives in Most of these people are from the

base, friends, family, but among them, 100 children from schools all

over Cornwall. The doors are opening. Two of the cabin crew, the

first to come out. The pinnacle of his career, that is how he told me

the moment would be for him. And what a moment it is for everybody

involved. And in a moment, the first out of the plane will in fact

the five young people, teenagers, who have been chosen to accompany

the flame on its trip to Britain. They are all teenagers who were

chosen because they represent, they have personal achievement, their

contribution to sport as hockey players, a rugby player, athletes

among them. And here they come. Four of them representing the home

nations and one of them represents the borough in east London where

the Olympic Stadium has been built. And just a glimpse through the door,

the Princess Royal and that very small ceremonial lantern she is

holding. And you can see the flame And behind her, Lord Coe, Lord

Sebastian Coe, the man has been so pivotal in bringing these Games to

Britain. And a huge cheer of course for David Beckham, who has also

been with the beard right since the beginning. He was in Singapore in

2005. -- with the bid. And at the top of the stairs, a photograph you

will no doubt see all over the newspapers tomorrow. And so the

delegation greeted at the foot of the stairs, Princess Anne the first

to be greeted. She competed in the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Lord

Sebastian Coe, he has four Olympic medals to his name, two Gold, two

Silva, all of them one at the Games in Moscow and then in Los Angeles

Princess Anne is guarding that flame very carefully. It is a very

precious cargo she has in her hands tonight. And David Beckham, finally,

making his way down the welcoming party. Not yet an Olympian, but who

knows, maybe by the end of the summer he will be. And a few words

with the teenagers as well. What a And so the flame is brought towards

the podium, where the cauldron is waiting. This, tonight, is very

much a ceremonial event, because the actual relay does not start

Good evening, your Royal Highness. It is wonderful to see you all here.

Well,. A very good evening to you all and welcome, of course, to the

Olympic flame. I know this is a precious cargo, but I must ask you

to release it and give it to one of the very special torch security

team. They are in charge of it and they will prepare it. The torch

security team have to look after the flame until it gets to the

Olympic Stadium. They even have to sleep with it at night, to make

sure it is safe. Your Royal Highness, you are an Olympian and

we hope your daughter will compete at the Olympics. It is a proud

moment for you, but also for the country, to arrive here. Certainly

that. It comes home to you just how important people regard the torch

as the lead-up to the Games. We have been concentrating on the

stadiums, the facilities and the things that go on around about it.

It is only really when the torch comes into your possession and

actually gets here that you really realise, this is it. Deputy Prime

Minister, do you think this could be the moment that people really

get behind the Games? Absolutely. This is the moment for people to

line the streets and see the torch passed by, get behind the Olympic

spirit. It is also the chance for us as a country to tell the world

what an exciting, dynamic, open- hearted country we are. A Lord Coe,

this must be quite a moment for you, the man behind the bid. I am part

of a fantastic team but it is none the less an extraordinary moment

when you think that this has been 10 years in the making, and the

start of the 70 day countdown. the flame is here. The flame is

here. David Beckham, you have been knighted while you are away,

haven't you? Apparently so. Quite a week. President Obama, newly

knighted, and bringing the flame to Britain. It has been an incredible

week, to be with the team in Athens and to bring the flame home. It is

a very proud moment for everybody. I remember you saying that you

dreamt of the Olympics being in the East End where you grew up. What is

it like that it is almost there? is amazing. Said and the team have

done an incredible job and to be part of the team bringing the flame

not just to England but to the East End of London, and twin part of

London where I grew up, I am very proud of that. -- to a part of

London. As a nation, we will have an amazing couple of months. Do you

hope to be an Olympian by the end of the summer? I hope so. At the

end of the day, I am proud to be part of this, proud to be at the

Games, whether I am playing, whether I am there is a fan, it is

a proud moment for us. I am excited. If you have a big moment right now

because you are the man tasked with setting the cauldron alight. Low-

pressure. Off you go. -- No And it is alight. A huge sigh of

relief hearing Culdrose. Thackeray The Olympic flame burns on British

soil at last. The 70 day UK torch relay around Britain, the United

It is all happening, this is good. In a moment, David Beckham, Boris

Johnson and Seb Coe will be on the sofa. In the meantime, Ade Adepitan

looks at how the Olympics have changed since the last time they

were here. And another chance to As a Paralympians medallist,

basketball is the event I'm looking forward to the most this summer. In

1948, Lionel Price played basketball for the Great Britain

team in the austerity Games. In 2012, Drew Sullivan will lead the

British basketball squad in London. But the experience for these two

athletes could hardly be more different. Basketball has a

surprisingly long history in this country. Introduced before World

War One, it was the arrival of American troops here in World War

II Fat lead to a big jump in popularity for shooting hoops. What

was London like in 1948? Bleak. The living standards were poor. Having

said that, there was a degree of optimism because we had survived

the war. Today it is a very different world and although it

does not get a lot of TV coverage, basketball in the UK it is a

professional sport with its own league and a passionate following.

True Sullivan is expected to captain the basketball team at

London 2012. Like all Olympic athletes, it will be the picket --

pinnacle of his career and he is training hard. Do you fancy working

out in the Jim? I would be a dumbbell if I did it. I don't fancy

doing it at all, I have never trained in my life. By an 85!

was that? At bit rough on the arms, but I will live. Do feel the

training you do makes a better athlete of you and a better player?

Do definitely. You have everything from personal trainers,

nutritionists, psychologists, everything to get us to our full

potential. People view that as the difference between winning and

losing. The more you try to get the edge. When I was playing basketball,

I went to work at 9am, I came home at 5:30pm, I had a bit of supper

and then went down to the gymnasium and we played. We did not train. We

always played to be fit. And we were completely amateur. We bought

our own kit. You bought your own kit? You didn't have your own

personal trainer? Personal trainer! Personal girlfriend! No personal

trainer. One big change has been the height of the players. Lionel

is five foot eight and Drew his tall, but not as tall as some.

have guys who are seven feet. 6 ft 9. A you are a shortie!

improbably about average. Seeing these guys play, it is frightening.

The ladies are more aggressive than we were. A another big change was

the ball. The bouncier type you are familiar with was only introduced

in the 1950s. In 1948, the ball was more like an old leather football

and did not bounce as well. What difference did the ball make to

your game? There wasn't so much dribbling with the ball, it was

more of a passing game than a dribbling game. Would you like to

have played with that less bouncy ball? Maybe not the ball, but the

concept of the passing game. If you put together how they played in

1948 with now, it would be the perfect basketball team. Lionel

Price Andrew Sullivan would be the perfect play. Perfect. I agree.

1948 matches were played at Haringey Arena, but this year they

will be played at the players' kit -- a purpose-built basketball arena,

a magnificent building in the heart of the Olympic Park. In the 64

years between 1948 and 2012, it is not just the venues, training and

equipment that has changed, it is also the clothing. Nowadays it is

more like a fashion statement. Baggy shorts and vest. What did you

have? One singlet. No. 3. And the label says made in England. If we

played more than one game, you had to wash it. These are my shorts.

Shorts! They look more like hot pants! Would you wear these? Say no

more. 2012 is going to be a great year for British basketball because

it will be the first time we will have a men's and women's team in

the Olympics. Trust me, you won't want to miss it.

We always trust you. We are joined by three extraordinary sportsman.

One of the greatest football players in the world. One of the

greatest middle-distance runners in the world. And Boris Johnson.

bracing myself. For that? I told them not to do it and they said he

was expecting it. Let's go back to that outfit. You are a style guru,

what do you think of that? It looks great expert what was your

inspiration? It was the only pair of shorts I could find. I had Dora

-- I have already said they were never be seen again. You could burn

them with the Olympic flame. could. They should go back to the

Olympic Museum. What is going on with the odd socks? What is it all

about? It was very early in the morning. Did you get dressed in the

dark? I had very little time. Such is my devotion to sport, I wanted

to go out for a run. I don't look my best. But you don't care! That

is the great thing about you. lot. But you have had your hair cut,

you look very nice. Thank you very much. How much more can you

embarrass me? You look great! have to cut your hair from time to

time. Where did it take place? took place shortly before... This

is a sacred moment. We are bringing the flame home to this country,

which is the inspiration of global sport, it was only right to be

respectful. Were you relieved when he turned up at the airport?

always looks sensational. It has been quite a 24 hours for you three.

What have been your personal highlights? This moment, arriving

at RAF Culdrose. Are Rene S. Sorry! They won't let you back to America.

I think arriving here because it is the perfect place to arrive with

the flame, with the families that go through so much and put so much

on the line. To arrive with the flame here, that is special. This

moment right now. Said? It is this moment. This is the first time for

64 years that we have been in the countdown to an Olympic Games. I

think probably the five ambassadors that travelled with us, just

watching them and the excitement of being in the old stadium last night

and visiting the schools with them. They have had the time of their

life. Andy had a bit of rain in Greece! Such as our attention to

detail, we had to acclimatise. was a test event. There have been

so many Test events. Has everything been tested? Or 42 test events,

every sport we have tested. We had 40,000 people in the stadium for

the British universities track-and- field championship. 40,000 tickets

went in 20 minutes. All of the sports have been tested. The great

thing is, we are now sitting down with the athletes and talking about

their experiences and we still have 70 days to make sure we really

refined them. The difference between a good and great games will

be the work we do in the next 70 days. A massive amount of work to

do. It is when the horses will change. It is the final furlong.

You weren't sure whether you would be here for this. The that is true.

Was this the big incentive behind becoming Mayor for second term?

was one of the incentives. You have been very nice about Ken

Livingstone. Not for the first time! What have you said about him

recently. Well, said corrected me on this. I thought it was peculiar

that he didn't seem to have an invitation to come to the opening

ceremony. We sorted that out. I rang him up and had a nice

conversation. But then you pointed out that would have happened anyway.

My magnanimous act it turns up was... He supported us through the

process. I remember when it was announced. On the topic of tickets,

can you clear this up? Tickets for the football have been released,

are there any other tickets that will be released? Yes, there are

some more on May 23rd. They will be pretty much the final tickets. In

the last few days, we have had the tickets, sport by sport, being

released. It is probably a certainty that you have tickets,

David. Are there any events the boys want to see? It would be nice

to get a couple. Are you making a family day of it? Of course.

Victoria and the kids will come back for it. The kids are so

excited. Seeing how proud of their dad is about being from England,

they are excited. You have come on the plane today and you have had a

lot of transatlantic travel. You are playing football tomorrow night

in America. Anybody has got a game of football tomorrow night in

America? What was the atmosphere like on that plane? Who sat next to

who? Her Royal Highness was at the front. And then Boris and said and

done myself. A few other people. The flame was in seat 1 D. I was in

seat to be. All four of the flames... We have got the flame and

also the standby. Three stand by flames. We leave nothing to chance.

Planes are non-smoking environment. The first naked flame on a British

Airways flight since they banned smoking. They are in old-fashioned

mining lamps so they are fully protected with the security team.

The football team. Have you made any calls? Would you play in goal?

I have played a few positions, I'm not sure about that one! Of course.

Everybody knows how proud I am to have represented my country for so

many years. I would love to be part of the GB team in the Olympics.

What are your chances, realistically? Would you pick

yourself? Of course! If I was manager. But I'm not. I'm hoping I

will be in the team. All I can do is keep playing hard, playing well,

and stay fit. Would you like to captain the team? I would love to

just be in the team. Playing any part would be incredible. Can you

please tell us how the flame will be lit in the opening ceremony? It

is not a big secret. Now? OK. No. Shall we look at some past claims

being lit? -- flames. An Archer will fire that Perot. A shot of 90

metres. And the Olympic flame... Muhammad Ali. The Follain is on the

way. -- For flame. A spectacular conclusion sees the Olympic flame

of the games of the 27th Olympiad burning over the city of Sydney.

The Olympic flame burns again in Athens. The moment has come, a

spectacular jet of flames. The gains of the 29th Olympiad are open.

Watching that, it is hairs on the back of the next time. You do know

how the flame will be lit? Pretty much. Have you seen it happen?

Diagrams? Might have done. Storyboard? My it have done.

July animation? No. Are you confident of the world will be

surprised and compelled? Yes. It will be a very British ceremony. We

have got Danny Boyle, our creative director, extraordinary man. Boris,

have you been given your orders? You have to watch out that you

don't do what they did in Seoul. They released the dance at the same

time as they lit the flame. Is that true? As I am assured. That could

be very risky. You three have effectively been on holiday

together, will it happen again? going with him to watch the game

tomorrow night. You speak fluent ancient Greek. Did he do the

ordering in the restaurant last night? He ordered the wine. Was he

any good? Tonight has gone extremely well. What is the next

thing that will cause you sleepless nights? It is a challenge, the

whole thing is a challenge. We are trying to deliver 26 simultaneous

World Championships at the same time. We then take 10 days and we

do pretty much the same with the Paralympics. That defines the

project. When you see people tonight, and I know they will be

three off four or five deep or wait around the country as the torch

makes its way, it is the countdown. On the radio this morning, I said

it had started. It is the clarion call to the athletes of the world

to come here. Thank you for coming in. Who are you playing tomorrow

night? Cheevers. Thank you for being on the show. Thank you for

being here. We are incredibly excited. Tomorrow the BBC will have