After years of planning and anticipation, it all came down to two weeks. And what an incredible two weeks they were.
Records were set, life ambitions were fulfilled and the world was entertained - but tonight the Olympic flame must be extinguished, signalling the end of the London 2012 Games.
Join Sports Mole over the next few hours for this final part of the Olympic journey.
12.09amAnd that brings Sports Mole's coverage of the Olympics to an end. Thank you so much for joining us the last fortnight. Thanks also to my wonderful team for working so tirelessly the last fortnight. Next up for us, the start of the new season this weekend ahead of the Paralympics and the US Open a week later. Thanks again for joining us and good night!
12.08amWith that, the Olympics come to an end as the athletes begin to file out.
12.07am'My Generation' prompts more fireworks.
12.03amMeanwhile, Rory McIlroy has just won the PGA!
12.01amRoger Daltrey comes out and shows Paul McCartney how it's done.
12.00amThe flame is doused.
11.59pm"la flame olympique"
11.56pmDarcey Bussell is on fire and flying into the stadium to assist in this atrocious act.
11.55pmNow, the saddest part, the extinguishing of the cauldron.
11.54pmOnce again the fireworks in Stratford are rattling my flat in Waterloo.
11.52pmTom Daley is singing along.
11.50pmTake That sing 'Patience' as the cauldron makes its descent.
11.49pmSpeeches over. The cauldron's copper petals descend back to original formation.
11.47pmJacques: "We will never forget the smile and the kindness of the wonderful volunteers of these games. You, the public, provided the soundtrack of these Games. You brought a festive spirit to every venue. You have shown the world the best of British hospitality. I know that generosity of spirit will continue as we marvel at the Paralympic athletes."
11.46pmHe's thanking various non-existent highnesses.
11.45pmOh, it's DOCTOR jacques now. He grabs the microphone hungrily.
11.44pmSeb: "When our time came, Britain, we did it right. Thank you."
11.41pmJacques is about to steal the microphone, Bridesmaids-style.
11.38pmOh, here we go. Sebby chops. He's thanking various people.
11.37pmPele appears, greeting the binman like a long-lost friend as multi-coloured fireworks light the sky.
11.32pmBinman and bouncer are starting to get intimate.
11.30pmRio get their moment in the spotlight now. It's a binman flirting with a bouncer.
11.29pmPepe is loving it.
11.28pmThe national anthem of Brazil - much more frantic than its predecessors.
11.27pmBoris waves his flag majestically through the air and hands it over to Jacques, who reluctantly hands it on to Pepe.
11.26pmOh here we go. Jacques 'me me me' Rogge, big Boris and Pepe.
11.22pmThe Olympic Anthem. This is like Esperanto.
11.21pmThe national anthem of Greece, which sounds like a Ryvita commercial, is played.
11.19pmTom Daley: "Oh, Jessie J is covering Five."
11.18pmJessie J is clearly frightened to step in the shoes of Freddie.
11.16pmBrian May and Roger Taylor have a good old strum.
11.14pmGenuinely touching. Freddie Mercury appears on screen to gee up the crowd. Tom Daley isn't appreciating this.
11.10pmMuse sing their Olympic anthem. The angst is seeping from the piano.
11.08pmDanny Boyle's message of unity and acceptance is being urinated upon before our very eyes.
11.07pmEric Idle is now taking the piss out of Bollywood dancers.
11.05pmEric Idle, apples and pears.
11.00pmIt's all gone a bit Britain's Got Talent.
10.59pmLiam Gallagher is now channeling his best Gordon Brittas as he sings 'Wonderwall'.
10.58pmRumours that the cabs are being driven by Girls Aloud are unconfirmed.
10.56pmNo Union Jack dress for Geri. They've now mounted their cabs and are being driven around as they sing 'Spice Up Your Life'. In the crowd, Boris dances.
10.55pmI can hear the roar from Soho from here. 'Wannabe' starts playing as the Spices emerge from their cabs.
10.54pmSome black cabs enter... uh-oh...
10.50pmJessie J, Moonhead and P - wait, Jessie J, Taio and Tinie are now singing 'You Should Be Dancing'. Starting to question if I'm still awake, to be honest.
10.49pmTaio Cruz arrives in an even more bling car and starts doing laps of the stadium too. Usain Bolt is unimpressed.
10.48pmJ-J-Jessie J is still doing laps of the stadium. Fatboy Slim is still titting around on the decks.
10.47pmA very camp performance from Tinie. For some reason he has topless boys gyrating all around his ride.
10.46pmShe begins singing the Sky Sports Theme as Tinie Tempah arrives in a rival car.
10.44pmJessie J, a modern-day Marilyn Monroe, is driven around in a car singing 'Price Tag'. Her humility puts us all to shame.
10.43pmBoris is going to appear oddly normal after all of this.
10.42pmZoe Ball's husband emerges from a giant bubble.
10.41pmGary Neville on Twitter: "What is going on here!!"
10.39pmRussell Brand arrives singing 'Pure Imagination' from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This closing ceremony just jumped the shark.
10.35pmThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
10.34pmEd Sheeran time. No nonsense about faces crumbling like pastries, please.
10.30pmSome real class here. Annie Lennox is wheeled out on a giant metal bird bellowing 'Little Bird'.
10.28pmDown in his pen, Mo Farah is frothing at the mouth.
10.24pmBowie's 'Fashion' plays as billboards of various fashion brands are wheeled around the stadium. Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and various other pretty ladies stand and pout.
10.21pmAn orgasmic grunt is followed by an atypically understated "thank you" from George, and before you know it, Kaiser Chiefs are out on motorbikes.
10.16pm"Remember right now, you are at the centre of the universe," George tells the crowd. Well that's me and a billion other people alienated then. Nice one George.
10.12pmThe music proper begins now, and to kick us off it's George Michael with 'Freedom'. He's dressed all in leather and having a right laugh.
10.10pmJohn Lennon upstages them.
10.09pmOh wait, I was premature. Bunch of kids sitting on a white block doing sign language to Imagine.
10.08pmTHE SHOW BEGINS! Freddie Mercury's distinctive opening to Bohemian Rhapsody begins to play...
10.07pmRandom Olympic volunteers are being singled out for praise.
10.05pmNaked boys hide behind flowers.
10.03pmOur gold medal winner has his own accompanying dance moves.
10.02pmBound to shoot up the iTunes chart tomorrow, it's the national anthem of Uganda!
10.00pmThe race, run this morning, saw two Kenyas take silver and bronze, while Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda had the top honour.
9.59pmJacques is probably going to award himself the gold.
9.58pmThe final medal ceremony now, the men's marathon. Jacques Rogge, who seemingly has his finger in every pie, will present the medals.
9.54pmIn the background, Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' plays. Sadly, no Bush in sight however.
9.53pmHere come the 303 white boxes, each representing an event from the Games.
9.52pmA bunch of Ukranians hold up the line doing a synchronised One Direction routine. Behind them, anxious Slovakians are fuming.
9.51pmHazel Irvine is struggling to fill the airtime now: "Usain Bolt is going to live in everyone's memory."
9.48pmCome back flags, all is forgiven
9.47pmNow they're replaying Park Life. It feels like there should be closing credits over the top of this.
9.45pmThe organisers only paid Elbow for two songs, so we get a replay of Madness as the stragglers file in.
9.40pmJust so you know, after this, we've got 303 white boxes to fill.
9.33pmAlex Trimble wannabes Elbow perform as athletes flood into the stadium through every crevice of the stadium. Literally.
9.32pmThe flag-bearers' assistants are all dressed as Britney Spears.
9.31pmOh good, much quicker this time. Streamlined flag-bearing.
9.30pmFLAG TIME
9.26pmEmeli Sande has done a lap of Stratford on the back of her eight-wheeler and now she's found her way back into the stadium, still singing 'Read All About It'.
9.22pmRay Davies of the Kinks stumbles out of a cardboard box and starts singing 'Waterloo Sunset'.
9.20pmA child is in bed near the London Eye. He rips off his night gown to reveal Lycra. Hang on, this is getting too weird... come back Danny Boyle.
9.17pmThat's quite enough of that. Stomp are back out as we segue into the next segment tonight, 'Waterloo Sunset'.
9.16pm*SCREAM*
9.15pmOne Direction sing 'What Makes You Beautiful'. We don't only get the chorus, but a VERSE too!
9.14pmSorry, wrong colour. Neil Tennant is not a white supremacist.
9.13pmSome proper class as Pet Shop Boys come out on Origami rickshaws and KKK hats to 'West End Girls'.
9.12pmAn out-of-breath Suggs is wheeled off as Blur's 'Parklife' is played (minus Blur).
9.09pmDelboy and Rodney impersonators gesture at each other before Madness (the real Madness) come out to sing 'Our House'.
9.08pmCheer up Henry, they're playing your favourite song.
9.08pmOut come Prince Harry and he of the long speeches, IOC president Jacques Rogge. Harry looks oddly nervous.
9.07pmWinston Churchill is pissed off.
9.05pmThis is inaccurate. We need a traffic jam and foul-mouthed cabbies.
9.04pmWe're into the second segment, 'God Save The Queen'. Timothy Spall appears as Winston Churchill, quoting from 'The Tempest'. There are vehicles driving around below him.
9.03pmThe truck drives off with Emeli on it as the cast of Stomp bang on some pots and pans attached to the London Eye.
9.02pmThere's a miniature representation of London inside the stadium and almost everything - not Emeli - is covered in newspaper prints bearing classical lines from literature.
9.01pmEmeli Sande is sitting on the back of a truck singing Read All About It.
9.00pmA miniature Big Ben chimes out in the middle of the stadium and the crowd chant the number of chimes.
8.59pmThe opening segment is called 'Rush Hour' and depicts a day in the life of Londoners.
8.58pmThe ceremony is about to begin so for BBC viewers, it's over to the sexually-charged trio - Huw, Hazel Irvine and Trevor Nelson.
8.55pmBREAKING: Mo Farah is excited to see the Spice Girls.
8.54pmThe sea of Team GB red chinos continues to flow into the Stadium.
8.46pmOh no, Reggie Yates. I don't mind Reggie Yates but whenever he's near, Fearne Cotton can't be too far behind.
8.44pmLouis Smith taking his performance the most seriously there. Watch and learn, Pendleton.
8.41pmThe Team GB athletes have already begun letting their hair down, filming this video for Queen classic 'Don't Stop Me Now' (no, seriously):
8.39pmTom's fellow divers Jack Laugher and Chris Mears backstage:
8.38pmJust in from Tom Daley on Twitter: "Closing ceremony tonight!!!!!"
8.36pmThe athletes' entrance is fifth out of ten on the running order, by the way. Number six though is that hour-and-a-bit long Symphony of British Music.
8.35pmTeam GB athletes, all kitted out in red chinos - presumably they got a group discount at Topman - are now heading into the backstage area of the Stadium.
8.34pmThe warm-up guy is now making everyone whistle to Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life, presumably because of Eric Idle. Next up: Crowd rendition of Mr. Blobby
8.33pmKath Grainger: "We've been getting ready in the village. I think everybody has had an incredible reaction from the crowd, so when you put all that together in one moment, it's going to be special."
8.32pmIan Thorpe, who has just come from his life art class, is praising Phelps.
8.31pmIt's amazing how more emotional things become when you see them in slow-motion, isn't it?
8.28pmThe montage is ongoing. China are angry because America is winning.
8.20pmCourtesy of Twitter, here's what it looks like inside the Stadium right now:
8.16pmWe indulged GB for a bit, so now it's time for a montage of the Games's "global stars". It begins on Mars. If you're not watching, don't ask.
8.13pmClare Balding, arguably the real star of the BBC's coverage, is standing at the Royal Observatory chatting to random old people. Nothing to report here.
8.12pmHoy confirms that he would ideally like the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to be his swansong.
8.11pmAn extended, HOUR-LONG version of that BBC montage just now will air tomorrow night at 10.35pm on BBC One.
8.09pmChris Hoy, who increasingly resembles a young Jack Bauer, speaks to Sue from the athletes' village.
8.08pmIn the Stadium, the warm-up man is encouraging the crowd to sing along to the Banana Boat Song from Beetlejuice. This isn't Butlins, mate!
8.06pmThe BBC montage is finally over. Denise Lewis names Mo Farah as her standout from the Olympics. "He had to race tactically smart, but at the end of the day, he had the psychological edge over his competitors."
8.02pmA few more performers now confirmed: Madness, Kaiser Chiefs, Ed Sheeran, Russell Brand, Fatboy Slim, Muse, Elbow and Emeli Sande.
8.00pmJust had it confirmed that after the last of the music performers, we'll have the handover to Pepe, followed by speeches, the extinguishing of the flame and then a final performance from The Who.
7.56pmOther confirmed performers at tonight's closing ceremony: One Direction, The Who, Annie Lennox, Jessie J (get your tomatoes ready), Taio Cruz, Take That, Brian May & Roger Taylor, Pet Shop Boys, Tinie Tempah and Eric Idle.
7.54pmFarah makes it three. BAZINGA!
7.53pmRutherford fires it home. Bam!
7.52pmEnnis wins gold. Boom!
7.50pmThe BBC recap is as far as Super Saturday. "Two golds in two races - greedy almost," notes our creepy narrator.
7.43pmIn fact, trick missed there, Auntie. Brian Blessed should have been brought on board to do actual commentary. Can you imagine him voicing the equestrian?
7.41pmA very good, poetic recollection of Team GB's Olympic journey that could only be improved by Brian Blessed on the voiceover.
7.36pmSir Steve Redgrave - an absolute legend, but once again he's underdressed for the occasion. Invest in a suit, man! If Pinsent can manage it..
7.35pm"The greatest aftershow party ever", "the playlist to end all playlists"... tonight is an evening of the very best superlatives on planet earth.
7.33pmOur BBC hosts are Gary Lineker and Sue Barker, with Huw Edwards prowling around down on the floor.
7.31pmThe BBC's pre-show - the foreplay, if you will - has got underway with a montage overlayed with Seb Coe's speech from the Opening Ceremony. It was actually a really good speech, in retrospect; at the time I was thinking "I've just watched two hours of flags, jog on Sebby chops".
7.29pmI'm sure you'll all have seen pap photos of the Spice Girls rehearsing for their performance tonight. They'll be singing from atop five black cabs, hopefully with more enthusiasm than they could muster on their reunion tour a few years ago.
7.26pmVictoria Beckham has just tweeted a (very poorly-lit) photo of herself inside the Stadium, declaring that she is "excited". Sort your lighting out, love.
7.22pmEarlier, the Sports Mole team assembled their favourite moments from the last fortnight. You can read what they had to say here.
7.19pmThe final standing of the medals table can be found here. USA came first with 46 golds to China's 38. Meanwhile GB have had their best showing in more than a hundred years, with 65 medals, including 29 golds.
7.15pmThe last of the Olympic medals was handed out around an hour ago - and it was one final spot of good news for Team GB. Samantha Murray picked up silver in the women's modern pentathlon, with Lithuania taking gold and Brazil clinching a final bronze.
7.13pmThe ceremony will close with the flame being doused and Boris handing over the Games to his Brazilian counterpart. I'm not sure of his name, so for the sake of argument let's just call him Pepe.
7.12pmThe many athletes who have participated in this incredible fortnight will parade themselves around the Olympic Stadium and - brace yourselves - there will be flags.
7.09pmTonight's closing ceremony gets underway at 9pm. The main segment will be "A Symphony Of British Music", which artistic director Kim Gavin wants us to view as "one piece of music". It will last one hour eight minutes and feature performances from a number of British acts, including George Michael and the Spice Girls. But more on that later.
7.08pmSo here we go. Just like being dumped by a lover, I'm in staunch denial. IT CAN'T BE OVER. IT CAN'T.
Written by
Neil Wilkes
Neil Wilkes
