The newly rebuilt Alexander Stadium in the Perry Barr district of the city, proved to be a superb setting for a performance by a volunteer cast which had many facets and did not shirk "difficult" subjects.

Directed by Iqbal Khan, this was a superbly paced journey through the history of Birmingham, in which the look of some of the historical segments echoed London 2012.

The whole thing began with a "Call to Gather".

A traditional rhyme runs "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue."

Birmingham has a long tradition as one of the centres of the British motor industry so we saw cars old and new in red, white and blue, driven into the centre of the arena to depict the Union Jack, which is the national flag of the United Kingdom.

There were two verses of the national anthem, performed by Samantha Oxborough, accompanied by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Opening Ceremony Mass Choir.

As the last bars died away, the Red Arrows swooped over the stadium, trailing plumes of red, white and blue, precise to the second.

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall arrived, not in the usual royal limousine but in an Aston Martin powered by fuel from cheese and wine and driven by the Prince himself.

This was to reflect the environmental concerns of the Games which have been championed throughout the journey of the Queen's Baton.

Diver Tom Daley was chosen as one of the English champions to take it into the stadium.

Daley has decided to opt out of competing in Birmingham as he plans his campaign towards Paris 2024, yet his contribution to Birmingham 2022 may well prove to have a greater significance than even his virtuosity on the diving board.

As he ran around the stadium, a spoken narration relayed to the spectators highlighted 35 Commonwealth countries where homosexuality is illegal and often subject to punishment.

It was a very specific reference, which, transmitted in the worldwide broadcast was intended to have international resonance.

As significant was the speech by Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, who has made her home in Birmingham after being shot by the Taliban. 

"Every child deserves the chance to reach her full potential and pursue her wildest dreams," was her poignant and heartfelt message.

There were so many elements in a remarkable Ceremony.

Everything to Everybody was a sequence in which cyclists portrayed personalities from history - Samuel Johnson, Sir Edward Elgar and the bard himself, William Shakespeare.  

The faces of giant puppets were made "so as to amplify and elevate their gestures, and bring their interaction to life in the most realistic way," producers said.

The Carnival of Firsts brought a circus feel to proceedings as a golden balloon soared above the performers.

The infield of the stadium was converted into a bullring, with the entry of a giant mechanical bull to reflect a symbol most closely associated with the city of Birmingham.

The Raging Bull entered snorting angrily.

It was soon placated by aerialist performers.

It remained as the centrepiece for the march of the teams.

At many Opening Ceremonies, the Parade of Nations sometimes loses the momentum of the show but that was not the case here.

As each group came in, the music soundtrack encouraged them to keep moving and dancing.

The Fijians were exuberant, the Tongans bare-chested.

Pita Taufatofua was the first to do so at the Rio 2016 and Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics.

He clearly has a lot to answer for. 

The Indian contingent came in wearing traditional Kurtas; a long, dark blue coat which looked superb.

Bermuda of course wore the shorts for which they are known, albeit in a lighter pink shade than normal, while the Ghanaians in traditional dress also stood out.

There have been some impressive spectacles staged under theatrical lighting since 1990.

The Auckland Games that year were the first held predominantly in the evening for television. 

Melbourne 2006, the distinctive Delhi offering from 2010 and 2014 in Glasgow, were all thoughtfully conceived but the Birmingham 2022 Ceremony stood comparison with any of them.

The official flag bore the new Commonwealth Sport logo, introduced as part of the Transformation 2022 strategic plan by the Commonwealth Games Federation.

Even more impressive were the fireworks which followed the set by Duran Duran which brought the curtain down on the evening’s entertainment.

These actually burst in to reproduce the Commonwealth Sport logo.

It set the seal on an extravaganza which, if you’ll pardon the pun, has raised the Perry Barr.

As is often said after Opening Ceremonies of this kind, the first "gold medal" has been won by the Ceremony crew.

On this occasion it was richly deserved.