King and Queen arrive in Tardis as stripped-back Commonwealth Games open in Glasgow

A Doctor Who entrance

The 2026 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony at Glasgow's OVO Hydro arena began with a pre-show featuring unicorn mascot Finnie and wrestler Grado in a teacake costume. Then a clip showed the Tardis, piloted by cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy and actor Greg McHugh, sweeping over Loch Ness, Edinburgh Castle, and Balmoral Castle. The Tardis materialised on stage, and King Charles and Queen Camilla emerged to cheers from the 14,000-capacity crowd. Actor Sylvester McCoy, the Seventh Doctor, appeared confused by the journey. The moment echoed the late Queen Elizabeth's skydive with James Bond at London 2012.

The King and Queen made a dramatic entrance, as they strode out of the Tardis at the beginning of the ceremony.

A Games rescued from collapse

The Glasgow Games almost didn't happen. In 2023, the Australian state of Victoria withdrew as host, paying A$380m (£199m) to cancel, citing spiralling costs. Glasgow, which hosted in 2014, stepped in to stage a radically restructured event. Organisers compressed the Games into four existing venues along an eight-mile corridor, at a quarter of the cost of 12 years ago.

This definitely isn't the last hurrah for the Commonwealth Games. What we've seen is a wholesale shift of what the Commonwealth Games needs to do to sustain itself, not just to 2030, but to 2034, 2038 and beyond.

A stripped-back sporting programme

Only 10 sports feature in Glasgow, down from 19 at Birmingham 2022. Six include para-sport elements. More than 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories are competing. The opening ceremony was the first held indoors, reflecting the cost-cutting measures. Despite the smaller scale, tickets remain widely available for most sessions, including track and field at the 10,000-capacity Scotstoun Stadium, a fraction of the 46,000-seat Hampden Park used in 2014.

Early bowls and sibling rivalry

Competition began on Thursday morning, before the ceremony, with an extra bowls session added due to high entries. Guernsey's Rose Ogier and Alison Merrien beat the Isle of Man 2-0 in the women's pairs.

It's always nice to get one under your belt, it gives you confidence for the next one.

In the pool, teenage sisters Astrid and Ursula Carroll will face each other in the women's 100m freestyle S13 heats. Astrid, 17, swims for Scotland; Ursula, 14, represents England.

It'll be nice walking out and just seeing you.

Broadcast and future challenges

For the first time since 1954, the BBC is not showing the Games live. TNT Sports bought UK rights for a reported £5m, with only highlights on Channel 5. CEO Katie Sadleir of Commonwealth Sport told the BBC the new model could attract future hosts, but the Guardian likened the event to "terminal lucidity" before a possible demise. The next 11 days will test whether the stripped-back format can secure the Games' survival.