Pop Go the Beatles
| Running time | 29 minutes (5:00 pm – 5:29 pm) |
|---|---|
| Home station | BBC Light Programme |
| Hosted by |
|
| Starring | The Beatles |
| Created by | Vernon Lawrence |
| Produced by |
|
| Original release | 4 June – 24 September 1963 |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Opening theme | Pop Goes the Weasel |
Pop Go the Beatles was a weekly radio show that ran for fifteen episodes on the BBC Light Programme from June to September 1963. Hosted by Lee Peters for the first four episodes and Rodney Burke for the following eleven, the show would feature a guest band and then a conversation with and performance by the Beatles.
Background[edit]
The show was first pitched by studio manager Vernon Lawrence to his assistant Donald MacLean on 30 April 1963. It was produced by Terry Henebery, who received a budget of £100 per episode. At first only four episodes were booked, but eleven more were added due to the show's success.[1] The initial first four episodes of the show were hosted by disc jockey Lee Peters, whom the Beatles secretly referred to as "Pee Litres" behind his back, and the additional eleven were hosted by Rodney Burke.[2] The first thirteen episodes were produced by Terry Henebery, and the final two by Ian Grant. The BBC estimated at the time that the show was heard by 5.3% of the British population, or 2.8 million people, though it only received 52 out of 100 on the Appreciation Index.[1]
Content[edit]
Guest acts on the show included the Hollies, the Searchers, Carter-Lewis and the Southerners, and Russ Sainty.[3] Throughout the run of the show, the Beatles played many covers that they never did studio recordings of, including Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business", "Sweet Little Sixteen", "Memphis, Tennessee", and "Carol", Carl Perkins' "Sure to Fall", "Glad All Over", and "Lend Me Your Comb", Arthur Alexander's "Soldier of Love" and "A Shot of Rhythm and Blues", Ann-Margret's "I Just Don't Understand", Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman", Elvis Presley's "That's All Right", the Jodimars' "Clarabella", and Chan Romero's "Hippy Hippy Shake".[2][4] The theme song for the show was a rock arrangement of the song "Pop Goes the Weasel" performed by the Beatles.[1][5]
Legacy[edit]
Many of the performances on the show were reissued on the compilation album Live at the BBC. Paul McCartney, bassist and singer for the Beatles, said about the recordings that "We are going for it, not holding back at all, trying to put in the best performance of our lifetimes.”[6] Rolling Stone and Slate magazines both published retrospectives on the series, with the former saying the fifth episode was "...when the Beatles pulled even with their heroes, and then surpassed them" and the latter saying that the format of the show "compelled the band to dig deep into its repertoire" and show off their influences.[4][2] Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn wrote that the band getting their own show at that point was "a remarkable coup", noting that the first episode was recorded less than year after their first recording session for EMI.[7]
Episodes[edit]
| Episode # | Date recorded | Date aired | Host | Guest | Songs performed by the Beatles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 May | 4 June | Lee Peters | The Lorne Gibson Trio | |
| 2 | 1 June | 11 June | Lee Peters | The Countrymen | |
| 3 | 1 June | 18 June | Lee Peters | Carter-Lewis and the Southerners | |
| 4 | 17 June | 25 June | Lee Peters | The Bachelors | |
| 5 | 2 July | 16 July | Rodney Burke | Duffy Power and the Graham Bond Quartet | |
| 6 | 10 July | 23 July | Rodney Burke | Carter-Lewis and the Southerners |
|
| 7 | 10 July | 30 July | Rodney Burke | The Searchers |
|
| 8 | 16 July | 6 August | Rodney Burke | The Swinging Blue Jeans | |
| 9 | 16 July | 13 August | Rodney Burke | The Hollies |
|
| 10 | 16 July | 20 August | Rodney Burke | Russ Sainty and the Nu-Notes |
|
| 11 | 1 August | 27 August | Rodney Burke | The Cyril Davies Rhythm and Blues All Stars with Long John Baldry |
|
| 12 | 1 August | 3 September | Rodney Burke | Brian Poole and the Tremeloes |
|
| 13 | 3 September | 10 September | Rodney Burke | Johnny Kidd & the Pirates |
|
| 14 | 3 September | 17 September | Rodney Burke | The Marauders |
|
| 15 | 3 September | 24 September | Rodney Burke | Tony Rivers and the Castaways |
|
Notes[edit]
- ^ The Beatles also recorded "Three Cool Cats", "Sweet Little Sixteen", and "Ask Me Why" for the BBC on 2 July, but these were not broadcast at the time.[8]
- ^ The Beatles also recorded "Lucille" and "Baby It's You" for the BBC on 1 August, but these were not broadcast at the time.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Lewisohn 1992, pp. 110–111.
- ^ a b c Wickman, Forrest (10 May 2013). "The Beatles Get Their Own Show". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ "The Beatles Bible - Radio: three episodes of Pop Go The Beatles". The Beatles Bible. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ a b Fleming, Colin (2 July 2018). "Remembering the Beatles' Greatest BBC Session". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "Pop Go The Beatles". jpgr.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ Sorene, Paul (18 November 2013). "Pop Go The Beatles: The Golden Age Of The Fab Four At The BBC". Flashbak. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ Lewisohn 1992, p. 110.
- ^ Lewisohn 1992, p. 115.
- ^ Lewisohn 1992, p. 118.
Bibliography[edit]
- Lewisohn, Mark (1992). The Complete Beatles Chronicle. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 978-0-517-58100-1.
