The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes

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 1 October – 31 December 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 with additional recordings published in 2013 under the name On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2.

The tapes were found in Park Mount Drive, Macclesfield in the late 1970s.^[1] 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 Britain's 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.

In May 2012, Unicorn Records released an eight-CD box set of the entire fourteen-part series, presented in a high-gloss box containing eight CD mini jackets; although only available through the grey market, this marked the first release of its kind since its original broadcast in 1988.

Episodes

Episode 1: A Tendency To Play Music - 1 October 1988

1. From Us To You
2. Soldier Of Love (16 July 1963)
3. She Loves You (20 October 1963)
4. I Wanna Be Your Man (30 March 1964)
5. I Got A Woman (10 September 1963)
6. Long Tall Sally (10 September 1963)
7. Tie Me Kangaroo Down (26 December 1963)
8. I Feel Fine (26 November 1964)
9. Peter Pilbeam Interview
10. Dream Baby (8 March 1962)
11. Peter Pilbeam Interview
12. Please Mr Postman (30 July 1963)
13. Side by Side (24 June 1963)
14. Too Much Monkey Business (24 June 1963)
15. Thank You Girl (13 May 1963)
16. From Me To You (24 June 1963)
17. Ill be On My Way (24 June 1963)
18. Pop Goes The Beatles

Episode 2: Bill Toppers - 8 October 1988

1. I Saw Her Standing There (25 May 1963)
2. Brian Matthew Interview
3. Long Tall Sally (25 May 1963)
4. Bernie Andrews Interview
5. Some Other Guy (23 June 1963)
6. A Taste Of Honey (23 June 1963)
7. Boys (25 May 1963)
8. Bernie Andrews Interview
9. Memphis (29 June 1963)
10. Happy Birthday (5 October 1963)
11. Ill Get You (5 October 1963)
12. She Loves You (5 October 1963)
13. Lucille (5 October 1963)

Episode 3: The Something-Something Show - 15 October 1988

1. Pop Goes The Beatles
2. I Got To Find My Baby (11 June 1963)
3. Terry Henebery Interview
4. Pop Goes The Beatles (25 June 1963)
5. A Shot Of Rhythm and Blues (25 June 1963)
6. Terry Henebery Interview
7. Money (18 June 1963)
8. Youngblood (11 June 1963)
9. Baby Its You (11 June 1963)
10. Happy Birthday (18 June 1963)
11. Sure To Fall (18 June 1963)
12. Anna (25 June 1963)
13. Twist And Shout (25 June 1963)
14. Lorne Gibson Interview
15. Pop Goes The Beatles

Episode 4: With These Haircuts? - 22 October 1988

1. Pop Goes The Beatles
2. Sweet Little Sixteen (23 July 1963)
3. Kieth Bateson Interview
4. That's Alright Mama (16 July 1963)
5. Carol (16 July 1963)
6. Soldier Of Love (16 July 1963)
7. Lend Me Your Comb (16 July 1963)
8. Clarabella (16 July 1963)
9. Terry Henebery Interview
10. Lonesome Tears (23 July 1963)
11. Nothin Shakin (23 July 1963)
12. So How Come (23 July 1963)
13. Pop Goes The Beatles

Episode 5: We’re Ready to Pop! - 29 October 1988

1. Pop Goes The Beatles
2. Im Gonna Sit Right Down (6 August 1963)
3. Hippy Hippy Shake (30 July 1963)
4. To Know Her Is To Love Her (6 August 1963)
5. John Andrews Interview
6. Matchbox (30 July 1963)
7. Please Mr Postman (30 July 1963)
8. Do you Want To Know A Secret (30 July 1963)
9. Crying Waiting Hoping(6 August 1963)
10. The Honeymoon Song (6 August 1963)
11. Please Please Me (13 August 1963)
12. I Got A Woman (13 August 1963)
13. Pop Goes The Beatles

Episode 6: Brackets! - 5 November 1988

1. Pop Goes The Beatles
2. Chains (17 September 1963)
3. Glad All Over (20 August 1963)
4. I Just Don't Understand (20 August 1963)
5. Don't Ever Change (27 August 1963)
6. Pop Chat Interview (30 August 1963)
7. Honey Don't (3 September 1963)
8. You Really Got A Hold On Me (17 September 1963)
9. Lucille (17 September 1963)
10. Twist And Shout (24 September 1963)
11. Pop Goes The Beatles

Episode 7: The Show Business Jackpot - 12 November 1988

1. I Saw Her Standing There (20 October 1963)
2. Love Me Do (20 October 1963)
3. Interview (November 1963)
4. She Loves You (20 October 1963)
5. Public Ear Interview (3 November 1963)
6. Saturday Club Interview (8 February 1964)
7. Johnny B Goode (15 February 1964)
8. I Want To Hold Your Hand (15 February 1964)
9. From Us To You

Episode 8: From Fluff to You - 19 November 1988

1. From Us To You
2. All My Loving (30 March 1964)
3. Alan Freeman Interview
4. Till There Was You (30 March 1964)
5. Roll Over Beethoven (30 March 1964)
6. I Wanna Be Your Man (30 March 1964)
7. Cant Buy Me Love (30 March 1964)
8. From Us To You
9. Alan Freeman Interview
10. Happy Birthday (18 May 1964)
11. Honey Don't (18 May 1964)
12. I Forgot To Remember (18 May 1964)
13. Alan Freeman Interview
14. You Cant Do That (18 May 1964)
15. Alan Freeman Interview
16. From Us To You

Episode 9: Fab Gear, Top Gear - 26 November 1988

1. Top Gear Promo (16 July 1964)
2. I Got A Woman (4 April 1964)
3. Sure To Fall (4 April 1964)
4. Top Gear Promo (16 July 1964)
5. Long Tall Sally (16 July 1964)
6. Things We Said Today (16 July 1964)
7. Brian Matthew Interview
8. A Hard Days Night (16 July 1964)
9. And I Love Her (16 July 1964)
10. I Feel Fine (17 November 1964)

Episode 10: Automatic Pier - 3 December 1988

1. Barbara Garnet Interview
2. Im A Loser (26 November 1964)
3. Public Ear Interview (22 March 1964)
4. Tony Hall Interview
5. Public Ear Interview (22 March 1964)
6. Public Ear Interview (24 March 1964)
7. Honey Don't (26 November 1964)
8. The World Of Books Interview (3 July 1965)
9. Ill Follow The Sun (26 November 1964)
10. Pop Profile Interview (December 1965)
11. Shes A Woman (26 November 1964)

Episode 11: Green with Black Shutters - December 10, 1988

1. Rock And Roll Music (26 December 1964)
2. Every bodys Trying to Be My Baby (26 December 1964)
3. Kansas City (26 December 1964)
4. Ticket to Ride (7 June 1965)
5. Keith Bateson Interview
6. MBE Interview (June 1965)
7. Dizzy Miss Lizzie (7 June 1965)
8. Pop Profile Interview (May 1966)

Episode 12: They Could Almost Hear Us - 17 December 1988

1. The Beatles Abroad Interview (30 August 1965)
2. Help (30 August 1965- Hollywood Bowl)
3. The Beatles Abroad Interview (30 August 1965)
4. Pop Profile Interview (May 1966)
5. A Hard Days Night (Peggy Lee-Excerpt)
6. All My Loving (Matt Monro-Excerpt)
7. And I Love Her (Lena Horne-Excerpt)
8. Wait (Frankie Vaughn-Excerpt)

Episode 13: A Chrimble Mudley - 24 December, 1988

1. This Boy (21 December 1963)
2. All I Want For Christmas (21 December 1963)
3. Roll Over Beethoven (21 December 1963)
4. From Us To You (26 December 1963)
5. She Loves You (26 December 1963)
6. Tie Me Kangaroo Down (26 December 1963)
7. I Want To Hold Your Hand (26 December 1963)
8. From Us To You (26 December 1963)
9. We Can Work It Out (cv)
10. Drive My Car (cv)
11. Saturday Club Interview (25 December 1965)

Episode 14: No More She Loves Yous - 31 December 1988

1. The Kenny Everett Show Interview (9 June 1968)
2. Top Of The Pops Interview (20 March 1967)
3. Scene And Heard Interview (30 September/7 October 1967)
4. Flying (cv)
5. Where Its At Interview (24 November 1967)
6. Pop Profile Interview (November 1965)
7. If I Needed Someone (cv)
8. The Kenny Everett Show Interview (9 June 1968)
9. George Harrison Interview
10. Crying Waiting Hoping (6 August 1963)
11. George Harrison Interview
12. Pop Goes The Beatles

References