A wide range of people carried the torch around the country, mostly sports men and women, military figures and other local heroes from towns and cities across the UK.

A number of celebrities also held the flame on its journey, including Matt Smith, Patrick Stewart, Jamie Oliver, Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders (jointly), Rupert Grint, James McAvoy, Melanie C from Spice Girls, boy band The Wanted, dance troupe and Britain's Got Talent winners Diversity and Sir Bruce Forsyth.

[8] On 16 May a British Airways Airbus A319, with custom gold livery and named "The Firefly", flew from Heathrow to Athens to collect the flame.

[13][14] After an overnight stay at RNAS Culdrose, members of 771 Naval Air Squadron took the Flame to Land's End by Sea King helicopter.

Their design of the 2012 Olympic Torches was made of two aluminium alloy skin, perforated by 8,000 holes to represent the 8,000 torchbearers who would carry the flame.

Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) was used to simulate various scenarios that the torch might encounter during the relay, from environmental conditions to physical damage.

Torch bearer safety was of prime importance at all times, so TECOSIM completed rigorous physical testing to validate the design.

It was tested to withstand all likely weather conditions, from high winds to rain and snow at altitude utilizing the BMW Climatic Windtunnel in Munich as well as in field-testing.

LOCOG, together with sustainability partner and sponsor EDF Energy, committed in 2009 to provide a "low-carbon fuel solution for the flames of the Olympic torch and the cauldron".

[17] When the torch was unveiled on 8 June 2011, London 2012's chairman Sebastian Coe admitted the failure of the initiative, as "In simple terms, we didn't quite get there ... We just ran [out] of time and we tried very hard to do it".

As the relay reached London, the numbers of people turning out were still more exceptional, with much of Oxford Street featuring crowds 13-deep on both sides (on Day 69).

These "runners" formed part of a wider torch security team which consisted of motorcyclists, pedal cyclists, senior officers and operational planners.

Near Land's End, one man broke past the pace car but was swiftly tackled to the ground by the Torch Security Team, as he was thought to be trying to reach the torchbearer.

[25] On 25 June UK Uncut staged protests against changes to the National Health Service as the torch travelled past the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield.

[49] The torch was transported on three wheels by a TT motorcycle sidecar on the Isle of Man,[47] by a Paralympic road cycle around Brands Hatch motor racing circuit[50] and by mountain bike at the Hadleigh Farm course in Essex.

[34] Journeys by air were taken when the torch travelled by zip wire from the top of the Tyne Bridge to the Gateshead riverside[needs update],[52] and when conveyed by cable car up the Heights of Abraham.

Steve Redgrave received the flame from young footballer Jade Bailey,[58][59] the torchbearer on the boat, and carried it into the Olympic Stadium.