First question about this new documentary from Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards: is there anything new in it? It's a resounding yes: we discuss the framing device the film uses to evoke the chaos and political turmoil of Nixon-era early 1970s America. One big selling point for the film is also the archive of recorded phone calls between John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Allen Klein, May Pang, and other assistants, and we look at what this reveals about them. And it's interesting to note that this seems remarkably free of airbrushing: there are editorial decisions made here that don't flatter John or Yoko, and we talk about what this means for the creative direction of the Lennon estate. <ul><li>As of mid-April 2025, the film is out in UK cinemas. See where it's showing near you: <a href="https://shorturl.at/eFZyD" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://shorturl.at/eFZyD</a></li><li>Watch the trailer: <a href="https://youtu.be/oxagfYjeMV4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/oxagfYjeMV4</a></li><li>Details of the live box set to be released in 2025: <a href="https://www.noise11.com/news/john-lennon-reissue-for-2025-will-be-9-disc-live-box-set-20250407" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.noise11.com/news/john-lennon-reissue-for-2025-will-be-9-disc-live-box-set-20250407</a></li></ul> <h2>Meet the Beatles Films Podcast</h2> The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/mrmattlooker" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Matt Looker</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MrEdWilliamson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ed Williamson</a>. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for <a href="https://theshiznit.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TheShiznit.co.uk</a>, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media. But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:<ul><li>Instagram <a href="https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>Bluesky <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social</a></li><li>YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast</a></li><li>Threads <a href="https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>X <a href="https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod</a></li><li>Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622</a></li></ul>

One to One: John & Yoko

Sam Mendes has his cast, then: Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison. What do we think of the official cast announcement? Can fans get past the idea that not every actor looks exactly like the Beatle he's playing? What do these actors' other performances suggest they could do with the Beatles story? Plus we discuss the release strategy, now it's seemingly confirmed that all four films will be released in the same month. How will this work? <ul><li>Some of the other films we mention here if you want to check out the actors include Dickinson in Triangle of Sadness, currently on BBC iPlayer: <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002645p/triangle-of-sadness" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002645p/triangle-of-sadness</a></li><li>The Banshees of Inisherin, with Barry Keoghan, on Disney+: <a href="https://www.disneyplus.com/en-nz/movies/the-banshees-of-inisherin/7Cj38ALjonSC" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.disneyplus.com/en-nz/movies/the-banshees-of-inisherin/7Cj38ALjonSC</a></li><li>The wonderful All Of Us Strangers, with the double McCartney impact of Paul Mescal and Lennon Naked's Andrew Scott, on Disney+: <a href="https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/movies/all-of-us-strangers/3J3PiHRIdy65" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/movies/all-of-us-strangers/3J3PiHRIdy65</a></li><li>Mescal's Oscar-nominated turn in Aftersun, on BBC iPlayer: <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001w9pm/aftersun" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001w9pm/aftersun</a></li></ul> <h2>Meet the Beatles Films Podcast</h2> The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/mrmattlooker" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Matt Looker</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MrEdWilliamson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ed Williamson</a>. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for <a href="https://theshiznit.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TheShiznit.co.uk</a>, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media. But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:<ul><li>Instagram <a href="https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>Bluesky <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social</a></li><li>YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast</a></li><li>Threads <a href="https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>X <a href="https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod</a></li><li>Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622</a></li></ul>

Sam Mendes' four-film Beatles cinematic event: cast announcement

We finish off this season with a look at the film's use of footage that's been colourised from black and white. Was this done, as Iain Lee suggested to Ed on his Talk Radio show in 2016, because American audiences don't like black and white? We think there's a bit of mileage in that: more specifically that the brief here was to present this footage to a new audience with a bit of sheen. We also discuss talking heads in the film like Eddie Izzard, and look at what they contributed, as well as some who appear only in the Blu-ray extras, like Paul Greengrass. <ul><li>Here's the full audio of the eight-minute call Ed made to Iain Lee's radio show after they'd both seen Eight Days a Week in the same screening, August 2016: <a href="https://youtu.be/dOggLQlN8GU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/dOggLQlN8GU</a></li><li>The film we mention coming to IMAX briefly in April 2025 is One to One: John and Yoko: <a href="https://www.imax.com/en/gb/movie/one-to-one-john-and-yoko" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.imax.com/en/gb/movie/one-to-one-john-and-yoko</a></li></ul> <h2>Meet the Beatles Films Podcast</h2> The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/mrmattlooker" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Matt Looker</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MrEdWilliamson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ed Williamson</a>. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for <a href="https://theshiznit.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TheShiznit.co.uk</a>, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media. But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:<ul><li>Instagram <a href="https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>Bluesky <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social</a></li><li>YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast</a></li><li>Threads <a href="https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>X <a href="https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod</a></li><li>Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622</a></li></ul>

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years (part 2)

Has Ron Howard's 2016 documentary effectively been superseded by other films since? Probably the first official Apple film to be released as part of the Beatles legacy project, it's very polished and pays a lot of respect to fan culture, in particular teenage girls. But nine years on, does it cover too much of the same ground as other films, like Beatles '64, to be significant? <ul><li>You can rent the film online in a few places: <a href="https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/the-beatles-eight-days-a-week-the-touring-years" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/the-beatles-eight-days-a-week-the-touring-years</a> or pick up the two-disc Blu-ray for the special features, which really complement the film as we discuss.</li><li>The detail about Matt White's role in originating the idea for the film comes from this article by his friend David Royle, written after White passed away: <a href="https://documentarytelevision.com/case-study/in-memory-of-matt-white-david-royles-tribute-to-the-late-archivist-and-producer/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://documentarytelevision.com/case-study/in-memory-of-matt-white-david-royles-tribute-to-the-late-archivist-and-producer/</a></li><li>Read Ed's review from 2016: <a href="https://www.theshiznit.co.uk/review/the-beatles-eight-days-a-week--the-touring-years.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.theshiznit.co.uk/review/the-beatles-eight-days-a-week--the-touring-years.php</a></li><li>Watch the trailer: <a href="https://youtu.be/0fFyZzqPDws" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/0fFyZzqPDws</a></li><li>The clip of teenage fans at Shea Stadium in 1965, one of whom may or may not be Meryl Streep: <a href="https://youtu.be/x6aNSHLg18Y" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/x6aNSHLg18Y</a></li></ul> <h2>Meet the Beatles Films Podcast</h2> The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/mrmattlooker" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Matt Looker</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MrEdWilliamson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ed Williamson</a>. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for <a href="https://theshiznit.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TheShiznit.co.uk</a>, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media. But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:<ul><li>Instagram <a href="https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>Bluesky <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social</a></li><li>YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast</a></li><li>Threads <a href="https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>X <a href="https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod</a></li><li>Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622</a></li></ul>

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years (part 1)

The coming together of two great British cultural institutions feels fated, but how well did Russell T. Davies pull it off? We look, of course, at how accurate they've been when it comes to Beatle detail, and in particular at the characterisations of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Matt, a Whovian, explains how this episode fits into the canon and how this season of Doctor Who compared tonally to others, while Ed, who thinks he might have seen a couple of the Christopher Eccleston ones 20 years ago, mainly just listens. <ul><li>Watch the episode on BBC iPlayer if you're in the UK and have a licence: <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001z8c7/doctor-who-season-1-2-the-devils-chord" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001z8c7/doctor-who-season-1-2-the-devils-chord</a></li><li>Or on Disney Plus if not: <a href="https://www.disneyplus.com/series/doctor-who/1ml73V6phgyZ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.disneyplus.com/series/doctor-who/1ml73V6phgyZ</a></li><li>Some clips of the a non-Eccleston Doctor playing a Beatle (identities revealed in the episode): <a href="https://youtu.be/cOzmhlgwM4E" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/cOzmhlgwM4E</a></li><li>Hear the Beatles-related Doctor Who audio story, Fanfare for the Common Men, on the "Into the TARDIS" podcast: <a href="https://shows.acast.com/into-the-tardis/episodes/doctor-who-1963-fanfare-for-the-common-men-part-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://shows.acast.com/into-the-tardis/episodes/doctor-who-1963-fanfare-for-the-common-men-part-1</a></li></ul> <h2>Meet the Beatles Films Podcast</h2> The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/mrmattlooker" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Matt Looker</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MrEdWilliamson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ed Williamson</a>. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for <a href="https://theshiznit.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TheShiznit.co.uk</a>, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media. But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:<ul><li>Instagram <a href="https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>Bluesky <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social</a></li><li>YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast</a></li><li>Threads <a href="https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>X <a href="https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod</a></li><li>Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622</a></li></ul>

Doctor Who: The Devil's Chord

We look at Radoslaw Piwowarski's Beatles-themed film, which won the Golden Shell at the 1985 San Sebastián International Film Festival. It's the story of teenagers in 1964 communist Poland trying to forge an identity through their love of the Beatles. We talk about cinema behind the Iron Curtain (the Polish People's Republic was under communist rule both in the story and when the film was released) and what that means for freedom of expression, both for the filmmakers and the characters. Is the Beatles' music, which we hear in the film, treated with a special reverence given how it was contraband to the characters? And as the boys are forced to have haircuts we talk about the cultural significance of the Beatles' hair and what that meant in a regime where signifiers of rebellion were more dangerous than in the West. <ul><li>Watch the film on YouTube with English subtitles: <a href="https://youtu.be/ymPnya34a4g" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/ymPnya34a4g</a></li><li>The poster with the four shaved heads we mention is the one we've used for this episode's image (albeit with our logo photoshopped in)</li><li>Bruce Channel's Hey Baby from 1959, which briefly popularised the harmonica, a craze which helped with the Beatles' early popularity: <a href="https://youtu.be/ik9dxkKriV0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/ik9dxkKriV0</a></li><li>Some more information on El Cóndor Pasa, the folk song popularised by Simon &amp; Garfunkel but which has versions in lots of countries: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_C%C3%B3ndor_Pasa_(song)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_C%C3%B3ndor_Pasa_(song)</a></li></ul> <h2>Meet the Beatles Films Podcast</h2> The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/mrmattlooker" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Matt Looker</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MrEdWilliamson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ed Williamson</a>. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for <a href="https://theshiznit.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TheShiznit.co.uk</a>, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media. But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:<ul><li>Instagram <a href="https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>Bluesky <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social</a></li><li>YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast</a></li><li>Threads <a href="https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>X <a href="https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod</a></li><li>Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622</a></li></ul>

Yesterday (1985 Polish film)

We weren't big fans of this 2023 Apple TV+ documentary series: it's prurient and invasive, and in the parts where it suggests conspiracy theories but then does nothing to back them up, it's pretty irresponsible. We discuss the techniques it uses in the context of the contemporary true crime boom, and ask whether we'd have liked it more if we had no personal investment in John Lennon's murder. Could it have achieved more by doing what it briefly threatens to, and framed itself around how thinking around criminality and mental illness, and gun control in the United States, has moved on since 1980? <ul><li>Watch it on Apple TV+: <a href="https://tv.apple.com/gb/show/john-lennon-murder-without-a-trial" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://tv.apple.com/gb/show/john-lennon-murder-without-a-trial</a></li><li>RFK Must Die: The Assassination of Bobby Kennedy: <a href="https://youtu.be/7H8ZV7QrVZY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/7H8ZV7QrVZY</a></li><li>Netflix film Amanda Knox: <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80081155" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.netflix.com/title/80081155</a></li><li>News of the World journalist Paul McMullan defending phone hacking on BBC Newsnight in 2011: <a href="https://youtu.be/ZV9Sh_R3wB4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/ZV9Sh_R3wB4</a></li><li>The documentary Ed mentions is Active Shooter: America Under Fire: <a href="https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/active-shooter-america-under-fire" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/active-shooter-america-under-fire</a></li><li>Kenneth Womack's John Lennon 1980: The Last Days in the Life: <a href="https://kennethwomack.com/books/beatlesbooks/john-lennon-1980-the-last-days-in-the-life/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://kennethwomack.com/books/beatlesbooks/john-lennon-1980-the-last-days-in-the-life/</a></li><li>John's surgeon Dr David Halloran in the BBC radio series "I Was": <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08tfsqb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08tfsqb</a></li><li>Paul McCartney was interviewed on the March for Our Lives on 24 March 2018: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_for_Our_Lives" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_for_Our_Lives</a></li></ul> <h2>Meet the Beatles Films Podcast</h2> The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/mrmattlooker" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Matt Looker</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MrEdWilliamson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ed Williamson</a>. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for <a href="https://theshiznit.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TheShiznit.co.uk</a>, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media. But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:<ul><li>Instagram <a href="https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>Bluesky <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social</a></li><li>YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast</a></li><li>Threads <a href="https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>X <a href="https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod</a></li><li>Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622</a></li></ul>

John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial

Ringo Starr's film career includes the odd misstep, of course, but this 1978 vehicle for Mae West is often cited among the worst films ever made. And fair enough, it's not great. But Ringo is the best thing in it: we talk about how he brings his whole self to the role, further evidence of how committed he was to making acting his primary career at this point in his life. And there are other Beatles connections: Dom DeLuise sings the Lennon/McCartney song Honey Pie in the film, and of course there's the small matter of the cover of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. <ul><li>Watch the film: <a href="https://youtu.be/_d7y_ai5oy8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/_d7y_ai5oy8</a></li><li>The YouTube supercut of Mae West's best lines we mention: <a href="https://youtu.be/FJS670okmZc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/FJS670okmZc</a></li><li>If you like one-star reviews, here are the two of Ed's we mention in the episode: What To Expect When You're Expecting: <a href="https://www.theshiznit.co.uk/review/what-to-expect-when-youre-expecting.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.theshiznit.co.uk/review/what-to-expect-when-youre-expecting.php</a></li><li>And Maniac: <a href="https://www.theshiznit.co.uk/review/maniac.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.theshiznit.co.uk/review/maniac.php</a> </li><li>The bottle episode of Friends we mention is season 3, episode 2, The One Where No One's Ready, which you can watch on Netflix or just close your eyes and recite the entire thing in your head because it's all in there somewhere.</li></ul> <h2>Meet the Beatles Films Podcast</h2> The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/mrmattlooker" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Matt Looker</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MrEdWilliamson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ed Williamson</a>. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for <a href="https://theshiznit.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TheShiznit.co.uk</a>, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media. But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:<ul><li>Instagram <a href="https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>Bluesky <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social</a></li><li>YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast</a></li><li>Threads <a href="https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>X <a href="https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod</a></li><li>Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622</a></li></ul>

Sextette

Paul McCartney's 1984 short animated film was a project he'd been planning for years: buying the film rights to the Rupert the Bear character was the first thing he did after leaving The Beatles. The more you get into it, the more you realise the extent of his passion for it. Released alongside Give My Regards to Broad Street in cinemas, the film also serves as a music video for We All Stand Together, also known as The Frog Song. We start by discussing the song: why was it for so long the watchword for "embarrassing Uncle Paul", and how does it measure up today now that image is largely shed? Paul's voiceover work is also worth getting into: it serves the story rather than acting as a showcase for him, and we contrast this with the approach to Broad Street. And with Ringo Starr doing the Thomas the Tank Engine voiceover, and George Harrison writing the foreword to the 1990 book The Secret Life of Sooty, we look at the relationship between psychedelia and the childlike. <ul><li>Watch the 13-minute film: <a href="https://youtu.be/WfEyEp62-l4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/WfEyEp62-l4</a></li><li>You can also get it on the DVD Paul McCartney: The Animation Collection, which also includes Tuesday and Tropic Island Hum</li><li>Here's George's foreword to the Sooty book: <a href="https://harrisonstories.tumblr.com/post/176977529878/the-secret-life-of-sooty-1990-foreword-by-george" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://harrisonstories.tumblr.com/post/176977529878/the-secret-life-of-sooty-1990-foreword-by-george</a></li><li>An episode of The Magic Roundabout, which ran on the BBC from 1965 to 1977: <a href="https://youtu.be/J2ihhAVLSIk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/J2ihhAVLSIk</a></li><li>The similar scenes Ed mentions in which the main character watches a secret ritual from an elevated vantage point, both from films released around the same time as this, are from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984): <a href="https://youtu.be/ftHyM_KSgE0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/ftHyM_KSgE0</a></li><li>And Young Sherlock Holmes (1985): <a href="https://youtu.be/QzahXAGAL9I" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/QzahXAGAL9I</a></li><li>You can also listen to our episode on Give My Regards to Broad Street in this feed</li></ul> <h2>Meet the Beatles Films Podcast</h2> The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/mrmattlooker" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Matt Looker</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MrEdWilliamson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ed Williamson</a>. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for <a href="https://theshiznit.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TheShiznit.co.uk</a>, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media. But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:<ul><li>Instagram <a href="https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>Bluesky <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/beatlesfilmspod.bsky.social</a></li><li>YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast</a></li><li>Threads <a href="https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.threads.net/@beatlesfilmspod</a></li><li>X <a href="https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/beatlesfilmpod</a></li><li>Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622</a></li></ul>

Rupert and the Frog Song

We saw a film today, oh boy

Two film writers and Fab Four fans discuss movies and TV about, starring, and inspired by The Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

The Beatles Films Podcast

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