London 2012 welcomes the Paralympics back home: Remarkable performers soar to new heights to set standard for golden Games

• Professor Stephen Hawking, who has motor neurone disease, takes centre stage as he launches spectacular show
• Renowned scientist, 70, took viewers on an 'exquisite journey of discovery' in his unique and distinctive voice
• Themes include 'empowerment' and 'challenging perceptions of human possibility'
• He led a host of deaf and disabled artists, local children and performers newly trained in circus skills
• Sir Ian McKellen acted scenes from Shakespeare's The Tempest in the role of Prospero
• The show, called Enlightenment, urged the crowd to take part in the world's largest 'apple crunch'

Just before 11pm last night and after a long, damp (and very cold) wait, Team GB's 300 paralympians finally marched (and rolled, in Union Jack wheelchairs) out into the Olympic Stadium to David Bowie's Heroes.
Almost every one of the 62,000-strong audience was on their feet. Boris Johnson was clapping like a maniac. Half the Royal Box was up clapping and beaming and jigging about.
Princess Anne may or may not have been weeping behind a pair of very strange sunglasses. Tickertape was raining down and eyes were brimming and hearts swelling painfully - even in the press seats.

Bringing the house down: A kaleidoscope of colour lights up the night sky at the climax of a stunning Paralympics Opening Ceremony at the Olympic stadium

Flames to mark the Games: As it did to such effect during the Olympics Opening Ceremony, the cauldron's petals rise up to form the Paralympic flame

Show-stopper: David Toole, who taught himself to dance on his hands after losing both his legs when he was 18 months old, performs a graceful display on a zip wire

Peter (the 'Quadfather') Norfolk is our flag bearer. Peter, 52, is a wheelchair tennis champion who was left a paraplegic after a motorbike accident aged 19 and, since his right shoulder gave up the ghost too, 20 years later, has been classed as a quadriplegic. He competes with a tennis racket taped to his hand and has world records coming out of his ears.
He can't stop smiling. Neither can any of the rest of Team GB.

Even before Peter and co finally strode out for their lap of honour, last night was already an evening overflowing with tears, emotions, smashed records - and apples.

Fantastic finale: Spotlights fill the stadium as a large scale reproduction of Marc Quinn's celebrated sculpture of pregnant disabled woman Alison Lapper takes centre stage (left) while the cauldron burns bright (right)

Extraordinary: The night of celebration and a journey through science ended with all 3,250 volunteer performers together for the grand finale where singers Beverley Knight, Lizzie Emeh and Caroline Parker belted out I Am What I Am

Incredible: Artistic director Bradley Hemmings said the ceremony was 'extremely spectacular and like nothing you have seen in previous ceremonies'

A billion people from all around the world had tuned in.
A record 4,200 paralympians from 166 nations were taking part. More than 2.4 million tickets had been already been sold.
A 430-strong deaf choir had sung God Save the Queen.
And it was surely the first time an Olympic audience had been coached not only in the basics of sign language so we could all join in with Beverley Knight's 'I am what I am' finale, but also how to take part in 'the world's biggest ever apple crunch' - 62,000 people biting into 62,000 Royal Gala apples simultaneously to tie in with an extraordinary sequence involving Sir Isaac Newton's law of gravity, dozens of wheelbarrows and a sea of giant inflatable apples that would naughtily defy gravity and float up through the stadium.
The Paralympics Opening Ceremony was never going to be run of the mill.
Last night, the Olympic stadium had been transformed for the third time in just over a month.
Gone was Danny Boyle's green and pleasant land, Glastonbury Tor, the dizzying smokestacks of the industrial revolution, the sheep, geese, Captain Hook, JK Rowling and the luminescent hospital beds.
In their place is a giant umbrella covering a pile of giant books, four smaller umbrellas hanging from the sky, a 'moon' stage with dominated by a huge, glowing ball of light, a web of cables and riggings overhead and row upon row of blue plastic chairs and an awful lot of apples.
But yet again, Shakespeare's The Tempest was woven though the narrative, this time with Sir Ian McKellan popping up as Prospero, a disabled actress called Nicola Miles-Wildin playing Miranda and Professor Stephen Hawking (billed as 'the most famous disabled person alive') encouraging Miranda to 'be curious'.
Once again, the Queen is here, in gold and silver brocade splendour. Sadly she didn't parachute in, skirts fluttering in the breeze, with James Bond at her side.
But she's here nonetheless (albeit with a face like thunder), ready to put Prince Philip's recent illness and Prince Harry's strip billiards nudity behind her to enjoy another late, damp and very chilly night in Stratford.

Hot stuff: Ziya Azazi dances among flames during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics

Hotting up: With huge demand for tickets, the Paralympics are, like the Olympics, expected to be one of the most successful Games ever

World's greatest scientist: Stephen Hawking takes centre stage at the launch of the Olympics Opening Ceremony in the Olympic stadium in front of a billion viewers

Stunning: Hundreds of performers holding umbrellas form a ring around the middle of the Olympic Stadium as the ceremony gets into full swing

Crunch time: A wheelchair-bound artist rides atop a giant apple, which became a central theme of the show in reference to the moment Sir Isaac Newton formulated the theory of gravity after an apple fell on his head

Fitting props: Performers fly in with umbrellas at the start of the opening ceremony on what turned out to be a rather damp day in London

This time it's all a bit more dignified. She simply walked in, accompanied by the President of the International Paralympic Committee, Sir Philip Craven and a wonderfully gentle Benjamin Britten arrangement of the national anthem sung by the deaf choir.
Festivities kick off with a flyby by Dave Rawling, a disabled pilot taught by Aerobility (a British charity that trains disabled people to become pilots) whose plane is a Health & Safety officer's nightmare of spitting fireworks and bright blue LED lights.
Suddenly everything goes quiet and there's Professor Stephen Hawking, sitting in his wheelchair on the Moon Stage saying something we can't quite hear followed by a 'big bang' as a glowing celestial sphere descends into the huge umbrella and ignites thousands of fireworks and jump-starts 600 umbrella-toting dancers (including some in wheelchairs) and a brilliant aerial dance by dancers suspended from giant umbrellas. Umbrellas are a recurring theme tonight - no bad thing given how damp it is.
But the biggest difference is the theme. While the opening ceremony for the Olympics was all about Britain and what makes us so great - the Industrial Revolution, the NHS, but nothing pre-Victorian - this is quite the opposite.
Last night it was all about the Age of Enlightenment - the extraordinary period of intellectual revolution that took place between 1550 and 1720.

Tremendous pride: The Queen praised the 'uplifting spirit' of the Paralympic Games tonight as she officially declared the Games open

Royal approval: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge look on as they take their positions for the start of the opening ceremony

Majestic audience: The Queen is greeted with a round of applause as she arrives in the stadium, flanked by Prince Edward, for the event

A right royal knees-up: Members of the Royal family are joined by Prime Minister David Cameron (centre), London Mayor Boris Johnson (second right) and London 2012 chief Lord Coe (fourth left)

Enjoying the atmosphere: This picture of David Cameron and wife Samantha was posted on Number 10's Twitter feed during the ceremony

So in comes Newton's apple, a pulsating ball of energy supposed to represent the Higgs particle and a giant revolving book containing The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all seemingly powered by wheelchairs. They are welcomed by an army in black carrying what looks like huge feathery discs over their right shoulders and men waving about on the top of four-metre bendy poles.
As executive producer Stephen Daldrey insisted earlier, this show is 'Not about England. This is not about Britain. This about challenging perceptions. There is no nationalistic brief to this show.' There is though plenty of thumping music. And flashing lights. And an awful lot of bright blue LED headbands bobbing about on dancing volunteers.
The budget for tonight's ceremony is a fraction of the £27 million Danny Boyle had for the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
In yesterday's final pre-show press conference, nobody was keen to say exactly quite how little. Though co-artistic director Jenny Sealey (who is deaf herself) referred to it as a 'very prudent budget - you always want more, but we've don't a good job with what we've got'.
There may be more than 3,000 adult volunteers, 100 child volunteers, and 100 professionals, (including 73 deaf and disabled professional artists and 68 volunteers) who have spent about 85 hours each rehearsing at 106 rehearsals, but it's not a patch on Boyle's epic Isles of Wonder when it comes to epic entertainment. How could it be? It is though fun and jolly (if very cold) and then just as things are revving up, it's time for the Parade of the Athletes.

Torch of class: Paralympian Margaret Maughan lights The Paralympic Cauldron, which is made up of more than 200 petals, 166 of which bear the names of the competing nations

Legend: Margaret Maughan, who won an archery gold at the first Paralympics in 1960, lights the cauldron

Head for heights: Former Royal Marine Joe Townsend, whose legs were blown off by an IED in Afghanistan, carried the Paralympic Flame into the stadium on a zip wire from the top of the neighbouring 377ft (115m) high ArcelorMittal Orbit tower

We salute you: Mr Townsend is lowered through the air carrying the Olympic flame before passing it on to five-a-side footballer David Clarke, who helped teach David Beckham how to play blind football

'Icon of an inclusive city': A 43ft-tall remake of Marc Quinn's famous marble portrait of disabled artist Alison Lapper while she was heavily pregnant was also unveiled. The sculpture graced Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth in London in 2005

Tribute to Newton: More than 40 inflatable apples float around the stadium as the audience were asked to bite down on 62,046 apples which had been handed out to them as they entered the stadium

Not at the end of the celebrations, as is traditional for Olympic opening ceremonies so that TV audiences around the world can nip off to bed and not miss much other than the lighting of the flame, but right near the beginning - so the athletes can pull up a blue plastic chair pew on the running track and watch in awe.
Which on paper sounded frustrating and daft - why on earth carve up the show like this? But as we chunter on about timings and deadlines and how everyone will lose interest during the 90 minutes plus it takes to get all the athletes on stage, it starts.
And everything changes. Because what a parade it is - the wheelchairs, the prosthetic legs, the walking sticks, the grimacing in pain, the missing limbs, the party hats, the dancing, the burning pride, the grinning ear to ear and the amazing dresses worn by each team's very glamorous umbrella carrier.

Poignant: Blind soprano Denise Leigh sings the tribute song 'Spirit in Motion' as several Paralympians took flight in an elegant aerial display

World in union: A giant umbrella featuring a map of the globe opens at as performers take to the stage for a literary-themed segment of the show

Lighting up the world: Fireworks explode into the night sky above the Olympic Stadium at the mid-point of the ceremony

Hope for so many: The Paralympics was born at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire thanks to the work of neurosurgeon Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who started the first competitions between disabled patients

It's a far jollier and happier parade than at the Olympic ceremony - though funnily enough everyone around me suddenly seems to be in tears.
And no one's remotely bothered that we'll have to wait an hour and a half until Lord Coe can make his millionth triumphant speech of the 2012 Games, and the show proper can (finally) continue with the arrival of the golden wheelchairs, a giant whale whose skin is created by LED lights and the biggest apple crunch in the world.
Mexico wins my prize for most colourful outfit - a vision of staggering bright ponchos and huge floppy sombreros. Germany comes last - with men and women in nasty nylon-looking outfits of baby blue and sicky pink respectively.
On and on (and on) it goes until we're all completely drained.

What we've all been waiting for: Paralympic GB, led by wheelchair tennis player Peter Norfolk, whip the crowds into a frenzy as they are the last team to join the parade

Can they do it? Great Britain have high hopes for a record medal haul this year just as Team GB accomplished two weeks earlier

The eyes of the world watch on: Spectators catch the action on a giant screen in London's Trafalgar Square

Up for it: Wheelchair Rugby player Garrett Hickling carries the flag for Canada as the teams parade into the stadium

Taking it all in: Members of the Chinese team, who will hoping for another strong showing in this year's Games, savour the moment as they enter the stadium

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It's a long wait until Team GB, but nothing can prepare you for the raw emotion of seeing so many extraordinary heroes and heroines looking so very happy.
But finally they're in and seated, blind soprano Denise Leigh calms us all down with the athlete tribute song, 'Spirit in Motion', Lord Coe gives his speech (translated on the big screens with a sign language expert) and the Queen officially opens the games.
Next, after an amazing aerial dance of paralymics in golden wheelchairs, a 'navigation' segment with the giant whale, a beautiful ballad sung by a 16-year-old singer song writer called Birdy, a breathtaking aerial ballet led by double amputee dancer David Toole.

Star of show: After an amazing aerial dance of paralymics in golden wheelchairs, a 'navigation' segment with the giant whale, a beautiful ballad sung by a 16-year-old singer song writer called Birdy, a breathtaking aerial ballet was led by double amputee dancer David Toole

High-flyer: Six paralympians and former competitors, including the legendary Tanni Grey-Thompson (pictured) were flown into the stadium in gold wheelchairs

Vibrant colours: A pile of giant books, umbrellas hanging from the sky, a 'moon' stage, a web of cables and row upon row of blue plastic chairs featured in the show

Great expectations: The rising interest in the Games has been reflected in ticket sales, a record 2.4 million of the available 2.5 million have been sold so far

Biggest ever: The Games will host the highest number of athletes since their official birth in 1960 at the Rome Games, with 4,280 athletes representing over 160 nations compared to 400 participants from 23 countries in the Italian capital

Reaching for the stars: Disabled actress Nicola Miles-Wildin swapped village hall audiences for the world last night when the 34-year-old made a spectacular appearance at the opening ceremony, performing to millions as Miranda from The Tempest

A very British institution: Umbrellas made a regular appearance in the show and, fittingly, it had rained for most of the day in London

Fun and games: Performers donned an array of colourful outfits to help light up the stadium

Global event: A sphere descends into the stadium past the floodlights as the celebrations get into full flow

Moneywise: The budget for the ceremony was a fraction of the £27million Danny Boyle had for the Olympics opening ceremony, but it was not revealed how much

Celebrating brilliance: A host of deaf and disabled artists, local children and performers, all newly trained in circus skills, featured in the show

No rain on this parade: A giant umbrella hovers over a giant dome as hundreds of performers are lit up below

Followed by a visit to Sir Isaac Newton's garden, which is awash with wheelbarrows, big apples, little apples, giant inflatable apples, and finally, the world's biggest simulataneous apple crunch.
'Ladies and gentlemen, please get your apples ready - three, two, one and ... bite!'
There's a massive crunch and very tasty they are, even at 11.40pm. Royal Galas and British too, we were assured earlier today, though no one on the organising committee could remember quite where they came from, other than Sainsbury's.
Suddenly the apples have gone and we're off to the 21st century to visit the Large Hadron Collider and the Higgs particle.

Lighting up the Games: Professor Hawking leads the spectators on a voyage through the universe as he proves the star turn at the opening ceremony

Voyage of discovery: The exploits of man's adventures to the moon featured in the opening ceremony as the audience were guided through the wonders of the cosmos by Stephen Hawking

Blaze of glory: An aircraft trails fireworks to herald the start the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics

Neither of which seem immediately relevant from where I'm sitting, but I'm assured it's all about 'colliding ideas and transforming perceptions'.
By far the best bits are the sections featuring disabled performers. The aerial ballet on a 35-metre-high rig is brilliant. Some performers have one leg, some none - many are soldiers retrained in high-wire skills. A double amputee in an ornate headdress is balancing on the top of a four-metre bendy pole.
An Empowerment segment sees lots of people jumping about in 'celebratory anarchy' to Ian Dury's Spasticus Autisticus around a huge version of Marc Quinn's Alison Lapper pregnant.

Sneak preview: A glimpse inside the Olympic Stadium as preparations are made for the opening ceremony in front of more than a billion viewers across the globe

Buzz of anticipation: Spectators fill the Olympic Stadium in readiness for the spectacular opening ceremony to the London Paralympic Games

Ready to party: Spectators make their way into the Olympic Stadium for the Opening Ceremony of the London Paralympic Games 2012

Spectacular: The opening ceremony, signalling the start of 11 days of competition by nearly 4,300 athletes from 166 countries, will be opened with a flypast by Aerobility, a charity that trains disabled people to become pilots

Expectation: Spectators, including physiotherapists from the National Spinal Injuries Centre prepare to enter the Olympic Stadium for the Opening Ceremony

Finally, the the cauldron is lit by Margaret Maughan (winner of a gold medal in Rome 1960 and Beverley Knight belts out 'I am what I am' accompanied by a firework extravaganza, a wildly dancing Sir Ian McKellan and 62,000 people spelling out 'I am somebody, I am what I am' (or something vaguely similar) in sign language.
But funnily enough, none of that seems to matter so much.
Because while the show is enthusiastic and original and full of joy, particularly on a teeny budget, let's face it, tonight is all about the athletes and volunteers - not special effects, fancy costumes and celebrities.
The paralympics is all about seeing the ability, not the disability. Just five minutes watching the parade of athletes will get you started on that.
Suddenly I'm desperate to get on with the next 11 days, so that 'murder ball', 'sitting volleyball' and 'boccia' (a bit like boules) will become part of our day-to-day vocabulary, and athletes such as Jon-Allan Butterworth, Ellie Simmonds, Tom Aggar, Jonnie Peacock and Peter 'the Quadfather' Norfolk will become household names.

STAR OF THE SHOW: DOUBLE AMPUTEE DANCER ENTERTAINS STADIUM

It is hard to imagine a more unlikely dancer. Born without working legs, David Toole spent his early twenties working as a postman.
But in his late 20s, the double amputee - who stands 3ft 2 inches tall - taught himself to dance on his hands.
And yesterday he took centre stage at the Paralympics opening ceremony.
Renowned for his remarkable power and grace, the once said: ‘How would I describe my body? Interesting.
‘I like my arms, I like my hands, and after that I start running out of options really.’ He was born with legs that were crossed underneath him.
At 18 months old, a decision was made to amputate Mr Toole’s legs in order to give him easier mobility.Since then, he has walked on his hands or used his wheelchair.
Mr Toole performed his dance alongside the singing performance of Jasmine van den Bogaerde a 16-year-old schoolgirl from Hampshire.
Having collected her GCSE results just a few days ago, the youngster  - whose stage name is Birdy - received one of the biggest cheers of the night as she performed in front of 80,000 people at the Olympic stadium.
The singer- whose great uncle was the actor Sir Dirk Bogarde -performed the appropriately named ‘Bird Girl’ written by the trans gender singer Antony  Hegarty of the award winning Antony and the Johnsons.
Birdy, whose ancestry is a mixture of Scottish, English, Belgian and Dutch -is the daughter of a concert pianist, from Lymington, Hants and began playing the piano when she was five.
‘Birdy’ is a nickname her parents gave her when she was a baby because when they fed her as an infant, she opened her mouth like a little bird.
David Toole had his legs amputated when he was just 18 months old to give him greater mobility after he was born with them crossed underneath him.
Despite this, he has been dancing professionally for 20 years.
After leaving school, the the 3ft 2in Toole worked as postman in Leeds for a decade, before plucking up the courage to follow his dreams and do a dance workshop in his late twenties.
The experience helped him overcome his intense shyness and his new career blossomed.
He was spotted during the first CandoCo dance workshop and invited to join the company.
After a year's dance training at the Laban Centre Laban in London he spent five years touring the world in a wide range of shows.
Since leaving CandoCo in 1996, he has worked with the highly acclaimed DV8 Dance Company and pursued his talent for acting through the Graeae Theatre Company, which led to his starring role in the Paralympics opening ceremony.