The Beatles TV Specials on British TV
Last update:- April 2008
It's The Beatles! (Recorded in Black & White,
7th December 1963)
TV Premiere:- BBC1 Saturday 7th
December 1963, 8:10-8:40pm
[A "Juke Box Jury" Beatles special
was recorded and tx'd by BBC Television the same day 6:05-6:35pm]
Around The Beatles (Recorded in Black & White,
28th April 1964)
TV Premiere:- ITV Wednesday 6th
May 1964, 9:45-10:45pm
2nd broadcast: - ITV (Not all regions)
Monday 8th June 1964, 6:08-7:00pm [An edited version]
British Home Video Released:- 29th
April 1985 by PMI as "The Beatles Live: Ready Steady Go Special Edition"[Spoof
Play & Guests edited out]
Follow The Beatles (Documentary recorded in Black
& White mostly on the set of AHDN, Spring 1964)
TV Premiere:- BBC1 Monday 3rd August
1964, 7:50-8:20pm
The Music of Lennon and McCartney (Recorded in
Black & White, 1st & 2nd November 1965)
TV Premiere:- Rediffusion (ITV
London only) Thursday 16th December 1965, 9:40-10:35pm
2nd broadcast: - (All other ITV
Regions) Friday 17th December 1965, 9:40-10:35pm
3rd broadcast:- Channel 4 Monday
30th December 1985, Evening
The Beatles at Shea Stadium (Filmed in colour
on 15th August 1965)
TV Premiere: - BBC1 Tuesday 1st
March 1966, 8:00-8:50pm [All UK TV was still black & white at this
time]
2nd broadcast:- BBC1 Saturday 27th
August 1966, 6:15-7:05pm [Another black & white screening]
3rd broadcast:- BBC2 Sunday 23rd
December 1979, 5:30-6:20pm [First Colour broadcast]
Reporting '66 "End of Beatlemania" (Produced in
Black & White, December 1966)
TV Premiere:- ITV (Some regions)
28th December 1966, Time varied by region
Further broadcasts: - ITV (All
other regions) 29th December 1966 , Time varied by region (London was at
6:08-6:35pm)
For Magical Mystery Tour See Beatles Films on British TV
All You Need Is Love (Tony Palmer's Pop Music
Documentary Series)
The Beatles Episode Premiered:-
ITV Saturday 14th May 1977, 10:32-11:28pm
Region 0 NTSC DVD Released:- 5th
May 2008 by Plastic Head [5 disc set]
The Rutles - All You Need Is Cash (Eric Idle's
Spoof Documentary)
UK TV Premiere:- BBC2 Easter Monday
27th March 1978, 8:45-9:49pm
2nd broadcast:- BBC1 Saturday 27th
May 1978, 10:17-11:24pm
British Home Video Released:- 12th
October 1983 by Palace Video as "The Compleat Rutles"
3rd broadcast:- BBC2 Sunday 3rd
March 1985, 11:46-12:52am
4th broadcast:- BBC1 Saturday 29th
January 1988, 12:06-1:12am
There have since been screenings
on UK Satellite/Cable channels (UK Gold on 28/Aug/1996 was one)
First Region 2 DVD Released:- 21st
January 2002 by Cinema Club
The Compleat Beatles (Documentary for Home Video)
British Home Video Released:- October
1982 by MGM/UA Home Video
UK TV Premiere:- BBC2 Monday 30th
December 1985, 7:03-9:01pm
There have been numerous screenings
since, many on cable/satellite.
Beatlemania (A 50 minute documentary about fans
in the 1980's)
TV Premiere:- BBC1 Tuesday 4th
January 1983, 8:11-9pm
2nd broadcast:- BBC2 Tuesday 9th
February 1988, 3:04-3:53pm
The Early Beatles (A 45 minute compilation of
Granada footage 1962-65)
TV Premiere:- ITV Sunday 1st January
1984, 5:40-6:30pm
???? broadcast:- Central (ITV Midlands)
Tuesday 15th July 1986, Late night
???? broadcast:- LWT (ITV London)
Saturday 23rd August 1986, 1:35-2:20am
It Was Twenty Years Ago Today (Documentary celebrating
1967 & Sgt.Pepper)
TV Premiere:- ITV Monday 1st June 1987, 8:01-9:58pm
The Making of Sgt.Pepper (Documentary including
interviews with Paul, George & Ringo)
UK TV Premiere:- ITV Sunday 14th
June 1992, Late night [As part of The South Bank Show series]
The Beatles Anthology (Paul, George & Ringo's
own documentary series)
UK TV Premiere of First Episode:-
ITV Sunday 26th November 1995, Evening
Final Episode:- ITV Sunday 31st
December 1995, Late Evening [The UK TV version was presented in 6 parts]
British Home Video's Released:-
7th October 1996 by Apple/PMI [With lots more footage & in 8 parts]
2nd broadcast:- [A repeat of the
6 part version] ITV Sunday 22nd December 1996 - Monday 30th December 1996
All You Need Is Cash (Documentary about the Beatles
finances) *Not to be confused with The Rutles film of the
same name
TV Premiere:- Channel 4:- Monday
27th November 1995, 10:00-11:00pm
I think this was repeated by Channel
4 around six or so years later.
The Making of The Beatles Yellow Submarine (23
minute Documentary)
UK TV Premiere:- VH-1 UK Friday
10th September 1999, Afternoon?
The Beatles Biggest Secrets (Documentary)
TV Premiere:- Five Wednesday 29th
December 2004, Evening
Imagine - The Beatles in "Love" (Documentary on
the "Love" project including Paul, Ringo & Yoko interviews)
TV Premiere:- BBC1 Wednesday 27th
December 2006, 10:30-11:25pm
Timewatch - "Beatlemania" (Documentary about the
touring years)
TV Premiere:- BBC2 Friday 12th
January 2007, 9:00-9:50pm
Region 0 DVD Released:- 22nd January
2007 by Liberation Entertainment [under the title "The Unseen Beatles"
with extra footage]
The Beatles in Help! (Documentary on the Beatles
2nd movie)
TV Premiere:- BBC2 Tuesday 23rd
October 2007, 11:20-11:50pm
2nd broadcast:- BBC2 Saturday 27th
October 2007, 00:05-00:35am
Included on the first British release
of "Help!" on DVD:- 5th November 2007 by EMI/Apple
References:- Mark Lewisohn "The Beatles Chronicle" & "25 Years in the Life", Keith Badman "After the Break-up", The Beatles Monthly Book (Beat Publications), Radio Times (BBC), TV Times Magazine (ITV), BBC Infax.
E:Mail: urthepob@hotmail.com
See also:-
The Beatles Films on British TV
John Lennon
on Television
John
Lennon on Home-Video & DVD
The Beatles
UK (Audio) Cassettes