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Beatles Christmas

Alexei Sayle explores the Beatles festive fan club recordings, Magical Mystery Tour film and Christmas concerts. From 2011.

Let It Be – Christmas! When it came to celebrating the season, the chart-topping Fab Four pulled out all the stops to get festive for their fans.

The Beatles - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – made special fun-packed recordings for fan club members, panto appearances and their Boxing Day TV film 'Magical Mystery Tour'.

Alexei Sayle explores how the Liverpool legends’ fan club messages were recorded with comments from the man who wrote the scripts, their publicist Tony Barrow. The featured recordings reflect the changing stages of the Beatles career and creativity.

Back stage capers are also revealed from their two seasons in panto. Christmas 1963 saw them undertake 16 shows in full costumes – with 21 shows the following year.

Alexei also hears how their 'Magical Mystery Tour' film was made and came to debut on BBC 1 on Boxing Day.

Featuring singer Elkie Brooks, Barron Knights guitarist Peter Langford and film editor Roy Benson.

Producer: John Sugar

A Sugar production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2011.

30 minutes

Last on

Boxing Day 202002:30
BBC Radio 4 Extra

Broadcasts

  • Tue 27 Dec 201111:30
    BBC Radio 4
  • Sat 31 Dec 201115:30
    BBC Radio 4
  • Boxing Day 201606:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Boxing Day 201613:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Boxing Day 201620:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Tue 27 Dec 201601:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Christmas Day 202014:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Boxing Day 202002:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra