The Olympic Stadium will be transformed into the "British countryside" for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Games on 27 July. A cast of 10000 volunteers will help recreate country scenes, against a backdrop featuring farmyard animals and landmarks like Glastonbury Tor. The opening scene of the £27m ceremony will be called "Green and Pleasant", artistic director Danny Boyle revealed. He added the show would create "a picture of ourselves as a nation." "The best way to tell that story is through working with real people," said Boyle, who has reserved a role for NHS nurses in proceedings. There have already been 157 cast rehearsals and Boyle added: "Ive been astounded by the selfless dedication of the volunteers, they are the pure embodiment of the Olympic spirit and represent the best of who we are as a nation." The set will feature meadows, fields and rivers, with families taking picnics, people playing sports on the village green and farmers tilling the soil. Real farmyard animals will be grazing in the "countryside", with a menagerie of 30 sheep, 12 horses, three cows, two goats, 10 chickens, 10 ducks, nine geese and three sheepdogs. One billion people worldwide are expected to watch the opening ceremony. Boyle, best known for directing Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting, said the show was inspired by The Tempest and would be about a land recovering from its industrial legacy. Europes largest bell will ring inside the stadium to start the <b>...<b>