Before Americans enjoyed NBC's tape-delayed spectacle and pageantry of Danny Boyle's opening ceremonies, Britons were treated to the BBC's live (imagine!), Bob Costas-free coverage.

Even better, their program launched with Cumberbatch narrating a short featurette celebrating London, "the beating heart of the nation."

Interspersed with majestic footage documenting the city's glorious and tragic history, Cumberbatch is shown hailing a cab to the Olympics stadium, where he salutes the city with a glorious exhortation:

"London is about to cry out with heart and soul."

The thespian concludes with a cheeky wink to Sherlock Holmes' -- one of London's most iconic figures -- memorable line: "The game's afoot."

"Let the games commence," Cumberbatch says, turning to the camera with grin.

滬江娛樂：熱門英劇《神探夏洛克》主演Benedict Cumberbatch為倫敦拍攝的3分鐘倒計時短片：“羅馬人稱她為Londinium， Saxons人稱她為Ludenwic，Alfred大帝稱她為Lundenburh，然而對于世世代代的人來說，她是倫敦London！詩歌、散文、人民和地域，倫敦正在向世人打開全新的夢想舞臺。”

短片通過穿插倫敦的歷史軌跡，展示了一個城市的跌宕起伏。卷福乘坐著一輛駛向倫敦體育場的出租車，到達目的地后發(fā)出了充滿榮耀感的歡呼吶喊。在短片末尾，卷福展示了夏洛克標志性的眨眼動作：“讓比賽開始吧！”