Season Eight
…ran from October to December 2023, and even more bonus episodes for the for Acast+ Subscribers looked at the Beatles Live performances. Check out the bonus episodes here.
Season One • Season Two • Season Three • Season Four • Season Five • Season Six • Season Seven • Season Eight • Interviews • Specials
Episodes 1 & 2
Bigger Than Jesus
Part One: John Lennon never actually said that the Beatles were “bigger than Jesus”, but that wasn’t the point. When you’re free-associating to a trusted journalist, what’s to stop your words being lost in translation as they cross the Atlantic?
Part Two: Four months passed between John Lennon free-associating about Christianity to a trusted journalist, and touching down in the US for a North American tour. The “Bigger Than Jesus” controversy hung over the tour, but was it really that big of a deal?
Episode 3
Mal Evans
Mal Evans had a front-row seat to the entire Beatles experience, and the Beatles were happy to have him there. Whether it was as an extra in A Hard Day’s Night or co-writing a song on the Ringo album, he remains an indelible part of their landscape. Contains anvils.
Bonus: Talking Mal Evans with Ken Womack - Kenneth Womack is a writer, historian, and critic, who has written some of the best books about The Beatles and their inner circle. To this list, he is about to add Living The Beatles Legend, The Untold Story of Mal Evans, the first of two books about big Mal.
Episode 4
Harrison / Starkey
George and Ringo always had a special bond. As the sixties became the seventies, was there an opportunity for the Beatles to give the world a second magnificent song-writing partnership?
Episodes 5 & 6
November 1963
Part One: Between October 31st and December 1st 1963, the Beatles pushed the envelope from being the biggest pop group in the country to something even… bigger. In a year when they just kept getting more extraordinary, by the end of November 63, the world was theirs for the taking.
Part Two: As the Beatles move through the month, beyond the Royal Variety Performance they continue to pack houses up and down the UK. What recordings are waiting in the wings? I Want To Hold Your Hand and With The Beatles. Not too shabby.
Episodes 7 & 8
Press To Play
Part One: After the huge success* of Give My Regards to Broad Street, Paul McCartney wants to get back to basics. Kicking back in a small band with Eric (not that one) this is a broth that attracts many cooks…
Part Two: The plan for a quick live-in-the-studio album gradually morphs into something more 80s, more produced. Hello to Hugh Padgham. Warning: Contains Spies Like Us.
Episode 9
George Harrison: Gig in Japan
In 1991, when so many acts from the 60s were lucratively touring, George Harrison decided to dip his toes in the water. Why? Money. Where? Japan. Who? Clapton. What…could possibly go wrong?
Episodes 10 & 11
Live at the Roundhouse
Part One: After filming the Hey Jude promo, and in the midst of recording the White Album, somehow The Beatles decide to eye up a return to the stage in the heart of London. So where should that be, and how will they pull it off?
Part Two: In December 1968, Michael Lindsay-Hogg directed a TV special where the kings of British rock gathered to play their new material. Unfortunately, it was with the Rolling Stones. Whither The Roundhouse? What happened next and what could have happened?
Episode 12
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
1988 was an unusual time: The biggest Beatle was George, rock stars were dealing with the unthinkable (their forties), people were paying attention to Mike Love, and the rebellion of rock & roll had been replaced by a gentlemen’s club.
Christmas Episode
The Nothing Is Real Review of 2023
You boy! What day is it? Ending the year in the NIR log cabin looking back at 2023 - our fifth annual review. Did anything to do with the Beatles happen this year? That’s right, the third anniversary of McCartney III. Oh, and a little tune called Now & Then. Includes a special Christmas guest!