The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes
Encyclopedia
The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes was a music documentary series presented by Richard Skinner
, comprising 14 half-hour episodes, broadcast on BBC Radio 1
between October 1 and December 31, 1988. Each episode was broadcast on Saturday evening with a repeat on the following Monday.
The series presented rarely broadcast and unreleased BBC
recordings of The Beatles
made between 1963 and 1968. This included sessions from Saturday Club
, Easy Beat
and Pop Go the Beatles. As well as the songs the programme included much of the Beatles' chat and interview material from the various programmes, much of it involving Brian Matthew
and Kenny Everett
. There are also contemporary interviews with people who were involved in the original programmes.
The programme title is something of a misnomer
, since the tapes were not lost but simply shelved for many years.
Much of the session material featured on the programme, including some of the Beatles' chat, was finally given an official release on Live at the BBC
in 1994.
The tapes were found in Park Mount Drive, Macclesfield in the late 1970s. John Beeling, a director for the BBC, met a collector called Mike Adams by accident who had recorded nearly every broadcast of the Beatles since 1961. Kevin Howlett, one of Britains top producers, produced a new series using these tapes along with additional material. Howlett later wrote a book called Beatles at the Beeb which credits Adams and others. It was later edited and improved when the Beatles at the Beeb Album was released.
Richard Skinner (broadcaster)
Richard Skinner is a British radio and television broadcaster.He is the only presenter to have fronted the three BBC 'flagship' pop music programmes Whistle Test, Top of the Pops and Top 40 show. -Early career:...
, comprising 14 half-hour episodes, broadcast on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
between October 1 and December 31, 1988. Each episode was broadcast on Saturday evening with a repeat on the following Monday.
The series presented rarely broadcast and unreleased BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
recordings of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
made between 1963 and 1968. This included sessions from Saturday Club
Saturday Club (BBC radio)
Saturday Club was an influential BBC radio programme in Britain, broadcast on the Light Programme and later Radio 1 between 1957 and 1969. It was one of the earliest - and for several years almost the only - radio programme in the country to broadcast pop music...
, Easy Beat
Easy Beat (BBC radio)
Easy Beat was a BBC radio programme broadcast nationally in the UK on the Light Programme on Sunday mornings, between 1960 and 1967. It was one of the earliest BBC programmes to broadcast pop music...
and Pop Go the Beatles. As well as the songs the programme included much of the Beatles' chat and interview material from the various programmes, much of it involving Brian Matthew
Brian Matthew
Brian Matthew is a veteran English broadcaster, who became well known in the 1960s. He is still broadcasting on radio for the BBC, having presented Sounds of the 60s since 1990, often employing the same vocabulary and the same measured delivery he used in previous decades.-Early life and...
and Kenny Everett
Kenny Everett
Kenny Everett was an English comedian, radio DJ and television entertainer. Born Maurice James Christopher Cole, Everett is best known for his career as a radio DJ and for the Kenny Everett television shows.-Early life:...
. There are also contemporary interviews with people who were involved in the original programmes.
The programme title is something of a misnomer
Misnomer
A misnomer is a term which suggests an interpretation that is known to be untrue. Such incorrect terms sometimes derive their names because of the form, action, or origin of the subject becoming named popularly or widely referenced—long before their true natures were known.- Sources of misnomers...
, since the tapes were not lost but simply shelved for many years.
Much of the session material featured on the programme, including some of the Beatles' chat, was finally given an official release on Live at the BBC
Live at the BBC (The Beatles album)
Live at the BBC is a 1994 compilation album featuring performances by The Beatles that were originally broadcast on various BBC Light Programme radio shows from 1963 through 1965. The monaural album, available in multiple formats but most commonly as a two-CD set, consists of 56 songs and 13 tracks...
in 1994.
The tapes were found in Park Mount Drive, Macclesfield in the late 1970s. John Beeling, a director for the BBC, met a collector called Mike Adams by accident who had recorded nearly every broadcast of the Beatles since 1961. Kevin Howlett, one of Britains top producers, produced a new series using these tapes along with additional material. Howlett later wrote a book called Beatles at the Beeb which credits Adams and others. It was later edited and improved when the Beatles at the Beeb Album was released.