CAST your mind back to the heady summer of 2012, when it seemed the British public forgot they were supposed to be moaning about the cost of the London Games, and instead came down with a serious case of Olympic fever. And then get ready to enter into the spirit again as the Winter Games officially begin.

Even though this time the event is being held in Russia, rather than the UK, the BBC is still dedicated to bringing us all the action via six HD streams.

But while you can watch the sporting action on your smartphone or laptop, the best place to see the opening ceremony is on good old BBC2, as Clare Balding introduces coverage of the opening ceremony from the Fisht Olympic Stadium, in Sochi, Russia.

Perhaps surprisingly, this is Russia’s first Winter Games, and only the second time the country has hosted an Olympic event (the other was the Moscow Games of 1980).

So we should probably expect something fairly spectacular from this choreographed show, which will culminate in the lighting of the Olympic flame.

But will there be anything to match the Queen skydiving into the arena with James Bond, Mary Poppins defending the NHS from Voldemort, or any of the more eccentric touches from Danny Boyle’s Olympic ceremony?

The ceremony is also a chance to check out the athletes, including Team GB, who are hoping for a record year.

Among the names to look out for are Elsie Christie, who holds a World Cup title in the 1,000m short-track speed skating, as well as being European champion over 1,000m and 1,500m, and John Jackson who in December led the first British men’s bobsleigh team to secure a World Cup medal since 1997. The athletes will be in action over the next 16 days, but if the opening ceremony leaves you ready for more, BBC2 continues the Olympic theme with two more shows.