HOW DID THE OPENING CEREMONY COST £27MILLION THEN?

OLYMPICS SPECIAL 1

I THOUGHT the Olympics Opening Ceremony was sensational and that producer Danny Boyle definitely deserves the New Year knighthood that is coming his way for masterminding it.
It was arguably the best opener of all-time and certainly better than the military efficiency and glum predictability of Beijing four years ago.
The journey through the various landmark eras of life in Britain - the agricultural then industrial revolutions - and the tips of the hat to our landmark achievements - the NHS, the music and the entertainment industry - were thrilling and highly watchable.
The comic moments - Rowan Atkinson with the LSO and the Queen with Daniel Craig - were also fantastic. And David Beckham looked like he was auditioning for the Bond role as he glided down the river smiling mysteriously on a speedboat.
I also loved the drumming and the musical accompaniments by the likes of Mike Oldfield (who most people had thought had long passed away!)
But there were, inevitably, certain questions and minuses about the whole affair.
Like why did the stadium announcements come in French first and then English?
And why did no one on the set explain who the mean-looking businessman played by Ken Branagh was meant to be? In fact, he was not a mean businessman but Brunel, the man who played a foremost role in the aforementioned industrial revolution with his work on the railways and transport infrastructures.
And then there is the most important question: Just why did the ceremony cost £27million to stage?
Sure, I understand that a lot of people were involved and that there were lots of different scenes and sets.
But the majority of those taking part were volunteers - which means they weren't paid - and even the likes of Paul McCartney and the Arctic Monkeys only received a perfunctory £1 each.
So where did the money go? We need a transparent breakdown of the figures.
Why?
Well, while the event was magnificent and quirky triumph for Britain, that money could have been used elsewhere, couldn't it? Like helping get kids into jobs, people off the dole or improving lifesaving facilities in the NHS?
Surely the ceremony should have cost next to nothing? If everybody involved took no money (as is claimed) and everything was donated (from the sets to the costumes to the electric et al), I could understand a figure of say £1million - and even that is being generous - being set aside for sundry expenses and unexpected late charges. But £27million?
So come on Danny Boyle, let us know how that massive figure breaks down...

FRANK WORRALL