Sir Lenny Henry made fun of the brilliantly wacky opening ceremony for the Birmingham commonwealth games on Thursday night, joking that he had the ‘wrong mushrooms’ this morning.
The Game will be the country’s biggest sports festival since the London 2012 Olympic Games kicked off with a breathtaking performance celebrating the heritage and culture of the UK’s second largest city.
RuPaul’s Drag Race shines during the spectacle Ginny Lemon arrived at Alexander Stadium in a lemon-shaped hot air balloonwhile viewers were also treated to a 10-foot-tall mechanical bull, a nod to the city’s historic Bullring Market.
After the madness, Sir Lenny appeared in the arena to address the crowd.
‘Hello Birmingham, are you okay? My name is Lenny Hendrik. I’m exhausted, I’ve been training for this all week. Are you having a good time so far?’
He then joked, ‘What an opening ceremony. I had the wrong mushrooms on my toast this morning.’
Sir Lenny’s remark was received with laughter by the crowd, but he quickly went on with his speech.
Viewers loved the evening’s fanfare and rushed to applaud the scenes on social media.
“I love that each opening ceremony is more mental than the next,” one wrote. “The creative encounters to plan them must be absolutely insane. I want in.’
“If you look at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, no, I don’t understand it either,” said another. “I think they took the 2012 Olympic ceremony as a starting point and tried to make it a little crazier. It’s insane. I approve of course.’
Elsewhere at tonight’s opening ceremony, Malala Yousafzai said the young athletes taking part in the Games are a reminder that “every child deserves the opportunity to reach her full potential and pursue her wildest dreams.”
Delivering a strong message, the activist told the crowd: “Tonight, teams from 72 countries and territories join the people of Birmingham to celebrate friendship across borders.
“The young athletes who will compete in the coming weeks represent millions of girls and boys across the Commonwealth – our shared hope for the future. A future where every child can go to school, where women can participate freely in society, where families can live in peace and dignity.
“As we look at the incredible athletes of the Commonwealth Games over the next two weeks, remember that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential and pursue their wildest dreams.”
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