The high drama of the result, and the reported finger-jabbing row between rebel star Jesse Norman and the prime minister was followed by low farce as a government whip, I'm told, dashed through the corridors like something out of the end credits of the Benny Hill show.

BBC: Reconciliation and rebuilding?

There seems to be a grave worry here that 2.5 seconds of downtime between beach volleyball points would put 15, 000 people to sleep, so there's been a never-ending blast of music Miami Sound Machine, Maroon 5, Usher, Yakety Sax (better known as the theme to "The Benny Hill Show").

WSJ: 2012 London Olympics: Jason Gay: A Farewell to Queens of the Beach, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor