A new exhibition showcasing photographic portraits of athletes, politicians and engineers has been unveiled by the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London.

It is the gallery's first exhibition to display video interviews and behind-the-scenes images from shoots and is part of the National Portrait Gallery/BT Road to 2012 Project. Road to 2012: Setting Out also forms part of the Cultural Olympiad and comprises 30 portraits; the first from 100 commissions that will be put on show each summer over the next three years.

Funded by BT, the exhibition boasts portraits of athletes such as Rebecca Adlington, Tom Daley and Katherine Grainger (by Bettina von Zwehl) and other figures including former mayor Ken Livingstone (by Brian Griffin). NPG director Sandy Nairne said: "This ambitious project not only shows extraordinary people connected to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it tells their amazing stories and shares their inspirations."