Lost Beatles performance preserved in Dr. Who

[Ken Jacowitz]

Reading about the new upcoming Dr. Who, “The Devil’s Cord”, where The Doctor meets the Beatles, I read how only because of Doctor Who some Beatles footage survives. In a reverse of the missing and believed wiped that all brings us together here.

From wiki.

“An early intention was for the first episode to feature the Beatles, dressed as old men, performing in the studio as part of a fictional 50th anniversary concert; the idea was rejected by the band's manager, Brian Epstein, who thought it would be poor for the group's image. The production team enquired about obtaining material of the Beatles from Top of the Pops, but discovered that most episodes had been wiped after broadcasting; they were offered a November 1964 recording of "I Feel Fine" at Riverside Studio. However, after the group performed their new song "Ticket to Ride" on Top of the Pops in April, Epstein consented to one minute of its usage on the show. This had the unintended effect of making the first episode of The Chase the only remaining source of any surviving Beatles footage from Top of the Pops, as much of the show was wiped.”

[Angel Amezquita (Angelgreat)]

Apr 10, 2024 11:48:50 GMT Ken Jacowitz said:

Reading about the new upcoming Dr. Who, “The Devil’s Cord”, where The Doctor meets the Beatles, I read how only because of Doctor Who some Beatles footage survives. In a reverse of the missing and believed wiped that all brings us together here.

From wiki.

“An early intention was for the first episode to feature the Beatles, dressed as old men, performing in the studio as part of a fictional 50th anniversary concert; the idea was rejected by the band's manager, Brian Epstein, who thought it would be poor for the group's image. The production team enquired about obtaining material of the Beatles from Top of the Pops, but discovered that most episodes had been wiped after broadcasting; they were offered a November 1964 recording of "I Feel Fine" at Riverside Studio. However, after the group performed their new song "Ticket to Ride" on Top of the Pops in April, Epstein consented to one minute of its usage on the show. This had the unintended effect of making the first episode of The Chase the only remaining source of any surviving Beatles footage from Top of the Pops, as much of the show was wiped.”

For a long time, It was the only surviving footage of the Beatles' performance on TOTP, until 2019, when 11 seconds of off-air footage was discovered, followed by an additional 42 seconds of that same performance the following year.