By Anna Edwards When it comes to bells, nothing's been going right for Olympics organisers today. There was confusion - even for over-excited Boris Johnson - this morning when Big Ben chimed at the bizarre time of 8.12am. And as puzzled onlookers struggled to fathom the timing, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt almost took out spectators at another event when a bell he was ringing flew off its handle. The farcical scenes unfolded as the capital prepared to begin the 'greatest show on earth' tonight by welcoming in the 2012 Olympics. Ding-dong! Scroll down to watch the video Careful! Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt rings his bell a little too enthusiastically this morning, sending the entire brass body of the instrument flying into the crowds
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Culture Secretary's bell breaks while welcoming in the start of the Games
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Admits he was ringing bell in a 'very excited way' before it flew off
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Thousands of people ring bells to herald the beginning of London 2012
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Big Ben chimes for three minutes from 8.12am... 12 hours before 20:12
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Boris Johnson among those 'mystified' by the bells performance
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Says excitement has passed form person to person 'like a benign virus'
To which Mr @placeholder said: 'Yes, I was a bit mystified about that.'