Lost Beatles ‘Top of the Pops’ Footage Discovered After 62 Years
11 reported2 unconfirmed
Complete footage of the Beatles' first-ever appearance on the BBC program "Top of the Pops," recorded in 1964, has been found. The performance was recorded on March 19, 1964, at the BBC's Television Theatre in London, where the band pantomimed through "Can't Buy Me Love" and "You Can't Do That" the day before those songs were released as a single. After airing, the recording was placed in the BBC archives and subsequently erased, as the BBC commonly wiped and reused tapes at the time. On Thursday, British conservation non-profit Film Is Fabulous! announced they had obtained a 35mm film of the entire performance, including banter, according to NME. The footage was given to them by the family of a deceased former industry professional. The film features four takes of "Can't Buy Me Love" and two attempts at "You Can't Do That," with some takes aborted due to technical errors. It is unclear when the public will be able to see the footage, but the group said discussions will be held with the BBC to ensure wide availability.
What’s reported
Complete footage of the Beatles' first-ever "Top of the Pops" appearance from 1964 has been found.
The performance was recorded March 19, 1964, at the BBC's Television Theatre in London.
The Beatles pantomimed through "Can't Buy Me Love" and "You Can't Do That" the day before those songs were released as a single.
The original recording was erased by the BBC, which commonly wiped and reused tapes at the time.
British conservation non-profit Film Is Fabulous! announced the discovery on Thursday.
The footage was obtained on 35mm film and given to them by the family of a deceased former industry professional.
The film includes four takes of "Can't Buy Me Love" (two aborted due to technical errors) and two takes of "You Can't Do That."
During breaks, the Beatles joked and danced to amuse themselves; John Lennon pulled a funny face during a close-up in the second take of "You Can't Do That."
The footage will be restored and returned to the BBC archives.
It is unclear when the public will see the footage; discussions with the BBC are planned for wide availability.
The discovery comes less than a week before "Global Beatles Day" on June 25; Apple Corps will share a colorized version of "All You Need Is Love" online for the first time.
Open questions
When the public will be able to view the restored footage.
The identity of the deceased former industry professional whose family provided the film.
Key figures
The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr)
Film Is Fabulous! (British conservation non-profit)
NME (news outlet reporting the announcement)
Apple Corps (the Beatles' company)
Sources: Rolling Stone
