BBC to air new Beatles doc

Beatles

Keeping with Beatles news (as they obviously need the press), BBC Two and Four is about to have their “Beatles Week,” which will air multiple documentaries on the the legendary band. The most anticipated on the bunch is The Beatles on Record, which will include narration by the Fab Four and their producer George Martin, unreleased outtakes, and conversations from the band in the studio. The series will kick off on September 5th. Other pieces include The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit, which chronicled the band’s 1964 visit to the States, as well as How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin, an interesting look at the Beatle’s impact on communist Russia.

The Beatles On Record, directed by Bob Smeaton, charts The Beatles’ extraordinary journey from Please Please Me to Abbey Road and reflects on how they developed as musicians, matured as songwriters and created a body of work that sounds as fresh in 2009 as the time it was recorded.

Narrated entirely by John, Paul, George, Ringo and their producer Sir George Martin, the documentary features more than 60 classic songs, rare footage and photos from The Beatles’ archives and never-heard-before out-takes of studio chat from the Abbey Road recording sessions.

This is followed on the same evening on BBC Two by The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit.

BBC Two will also be reshowing Timewatch: Beatlemania, the inside story of the rise and fall of Beatlemania. By 1966 the Beatles had played more than 1,400 gigs, toured the world four times and sold the equivalent of 200 million records. At the height of their popularity, and without warning, they pulled the plug and never toured again.

There’s also another chance to see the action adventure spoof Help!, directed by Richard Lester.

Unfortunately, BBC hasn’t confirmed whether on not they will air the series on BBC America. I don’t see why they wouldn’t, as nobody watches that station anyway. Inform Americans that the channel will air a slew of never-before-seen Beatles footage and you’ll have millions tuning in.

The tribute week will coincide with EMI’s release of the band’s entire digitally remastered catalogue, as well as the previously reported The Beatles:Rock Band. Both will be released on September 9th. Hopefully BBC will wise up and air “Beatles Week” in the States, where there’s a larger market and just as rabid a fan base.