One of the most bizarre moments of the opening ceremony saw a giant mechanical bull trucked out at Alexander Stadium.
Amid a backdrop of gloomy music, a 10-metre-tall bull — created to symbolise the persistent drive of industry and the havoc it can wreak — was dragged into the venue by poverty-stricken female Industrial Revolution-era chain-makers.
In an opening ceremony enlivened by legendary English band Duran Duran and British actor Sir Lenny Henry joking about magic mushrooms, the appearance of the bull added a stranger and darker tone.
