Long-lost footage of The Beatles performing on the BBC’s Top Of The Pops has reportedly been rediscovered and is set to be restored.
The group originally appeared on the landmark programme on 19 March 1964, where they recorded performances of ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ and ‘You Can’t Do That’, the A-side and B-side of a single that was released the following day and went on to become their fourth UK Number One.
As with many early editions of Top Of The Pops, the BBC did not preserve the original recording, and the material has remained unseen for decades.
Now, the film preservation organisation Film Is Fabulous has confirmed that a 35mm BBC negative of the performance was presented to them at the recent British Film Collectors’ Convention in Surrey.
They say the footage was handed over by the family of a late industry worker, and that they will now begin restoring it before returning it to the BBC Archives. “Discussions will also be held with other parts of the corporation to ensure the content is made available to a wide audience,” Film Is Fabulous wrote on Facebook.
They described the material as follows: “Recorded on the 19th March 1964, at the BBC’s Television Theatre (since renamed The Shepherd’s Bush Empire), in London, the inserts beautifully captured the Fab Four at the height of Beatlemania.”
They added: “Segments of the recording show the studio space, crew members, and makeup assistants. There were four takes of the first track, ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, with two cut short due to technical issues. During pauses, the Beatles were seen joking around and even dancing for fun.”
The group continued: “The second song, ‘You Can’t Do That’, was also recorded in two takes. In the second take, John Lennon made a playful expression when the camera moved in for a close-up. It’s a charming piece of Beatles history.”
During the 1960s, the BBC often erased and reused tapes, which led to the permanent loss of many episodes of shows including Top Of The Pops. If the restoration is successful, this would become the earliest surviving Top Of The Pops appearance by the Fab Four.
In other Beatles related news, June 25 will be marked as Global Beatles Day, celebrating the 1967 satellite broadcast of ‘All You Need Is Love’.
The Beatles and Apple Corps Ltd are planning a series of global online and in person events, with a newly colourised version of the broadcast also expected to be released.
The Fab Four will also be the focus of a four part film series directed by Sam Mendes, due for a simultaneous release in April 2028. The films will star Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, with each instalment told from a different band member’s perspective.
McCartney released his album ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane‘ last month, which included his first duet with Ringo Starr on ‘Home To Us’. He recently spoke to NME about reflecting on his long career, his “excitement” about contributing to a new Rolling Stones record, and whether retirement is on the horizon.
