on film and television 1963
1963
This is the year it all really started to happen for The Beatles. After topping the chart with 'Please Please Me' the group never looked back and the number of TV appeances this year (over 30) is indicative of both their success and the hard work they put into maintaining and developing it.
It's sad so many of these early appearnace have been lost, but even today, forty years on, new clips are still occassionally coming to light - so you never know! For the majority of these shows, the band mimed to the tracks - a practice that was standard back then. Indeed, many shows banned performers from playing live!

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8 January 1963
'Roundup'
The Beatles mimed 'Please Please Me' on 'Roundup' a local Scottish children's TV programme broadcast live from Glasgow.
No record of this performance is thought to remain.
13 January 1963
'Thank Your Lucky Stars'
 This week The Beatles were in Birmingham making their first appearance on a fully UK networked show, ABC Television's 'Thank Your Lucky Stars'. The boys once again mimed 'Please Please Me'.
No record of this performance is thought to remain.

16 January 1963
'People and Places'
Back to Manchester for another appearance on Granada TV's 'People and Places'. This time miming to two songs, 'Ask Me Why' and 'Please Please Me'.
No record of this performance is thought to remain.

17 February 1963
'Thank Your Lucky Stars'
A second apearance on 'Thank Your Lucky Stars', this time recorded at the Teddington Studio Centre in Middlesex. Once again, 'Please Please Me' was mimed for the cameras.
The programme was not transmitted until Saturday, 23 February 1963 and no record of the performance is thought to remain.
2 March 1963
'ABC at Large'
Another ABC-TV appearance, but this time for the boys first TV interview. The programme was a regional news magazine called 'ABC at Large' and the band, along with Brian eEpstein, were interviewed by David Hamilton. There was no performance, but a clip of 'Please Please Me' from the 17 February 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' was shown.
No record of this programme is thought to remain.

1 April 1963
8mm Home Movie

On this day The Beatles and the Karl Denver Trio were both recording a radio show called 'Side bySide' at the Paris Studios. A member of the Trio shot some 8mm footage of The Beatles outside the studios and this was eventually used in a promo of 'Baby It's You' (from the 'Live at the BBC' album) in 1995.
9 April 1963
'Tuesday Rendezvous'
The Beatles made a second appearance on the Rediffusion programme 'Tuesday Rendezvous' miming to 'From Me To You' and a minute of 'Please Please Me' at the end of the show.
No record of this programme is thought to remain.
13 April 1963
'625 Special'
The Beatles first appearance on the BBC. Recording took place on this day for the '625 Special' show which was broadcast on 16 April at, no prizes for guessing, 6:25pm.
The boys sang 'From Me to You', 'Thank You Girl' and 'Please Please Me'.
No record of this programme is thought to remain.

14 April 1963
'Thank Your Lucky Stars'
Another outing on 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' miming 'From Me To You'.
No record of this programme is thought to remain.
16 April 1963
'Scene at 6:30'
Back to Manchester for an appearance on Granade Televion's 'Scene at 6:30' where they appeared live, miming 'From Me To You'. As this was live, it was going out againt the '625 Special' on BBC recorded a few days earlier!
No record of this programme is thought to remain.

12 May 1963
'Thank Your Lucky Stars'
'Thank Your Lucky Stars' again, this time as top of the bill headline act. Two tracks were mimed, 'From Me To You' and 'I Saw Her Standing There'. Recorded in Birmingham for broadcast on 18 May.
No record of this programme is thought to remain.

16 May 1963
'Pops and Lenny'
A second live appearance on the BBC. This time a children's show called 'Pops and Lenny'. They sang 'From Me To you', a minute of 'Please Please Me' and joined the cast for the closing 'After You're Gone'.
No record of this programme is thought to remain.

23 June 1963
'Lucky Stars (Summer Spin)'.
The Beatles headline a Mersey Beat special of 'Lucky Stars (Summer Spin)'. This programme, recorded in Birmingham, was aired on 29 June (once again clashing with another Beatles appearance - this times John sitting as a juror on Juke Box Jury). The boys mimed 'From Me To You' and 'I Saw Her Standing There'.
No record of this programme is thought to remain.
27 July 1963
8mm Home Movie
 Dezo Hoffman spent a day with The Beatles around this time, filming them with (in silent colour 8mm) on the beach at Brean Down, in go-carts and victorian bathing outfits. Parts of the film were later used in the 1995 'Real Love' promo video.
14 August 1963:
'Scene at 6:30'.
The Beatles go back to the Granada TV studios in Manchester to record two songs for two different broadcasts of 'Scene at 6:30'. The first was 'Twist and Shout' shown on the same day. The second was 'She Loves You' which was broadcast on 19 August. Of the two performances, 'Twist and Shout' is available (Anthology & Imagine) whilst 'She Loves You' appears to be lost.

18 August 1963
'Lucky Stars (Summer Spin)'
A visit to Birmingham to record another appearance on 'Lucky Stars (Summer Spin)', this time miming to 'She Loves You' and 'I'll Get You'
The programme was broadcast on 24 August and no record is thought to remain.
22 August 1963
'Day by Day'
The Beatles mimed to 'She Loves You' for the Southern Regional TV programme 'Day by Day'. The programme was broadcast the same day and no record is thought to remain.
27 August 1963
'The Mersey Sound'
Day One of The Beatle collaboration with BBC documentary maker Don Haworth which resulted in the 30 minute documentary 'The Mersey Sound'.
Today's filming included performances of 'Twist and Shout', 'She Loves You' and 'Love Me Do' to an empty Little Theatre in Southport. This footage was then edited in with screaming audience film from 26 August show at the Southport Odeon. This was all necessary due to the difficulty of capturing decent quality live recordings of the band.
Day two (28 August) consisted of interviews and backstage shots.
Day three (29 August) included filming a mock airport arrival at Speke and a trip on the ferry across the Mersey.
Day four (30 August) focused on film of Ringo and George.
The documentary was first broadcast on 9 October 1963. The 'She Loves You' performance was also sold on to the Jack Paar Show in America where it became the first Beatles US TV show appearance on 3 January 1964.
1 September 1963
'Big Night Out'
The Beatles appear on Mike and Bernie Winter's 'Big Night Out' and mimed to 'From Me to You', 'She Loves You' and 'Twist and Shout'. The recording was broadcast on 7 September 1963.
4 October 1963
'Ready Steady Go!'
The Beatles first appearance, broadcast live, on Rediffusions's 'Ready Steady Go!'. They mimed 'Twist and Shout', 'I'll Get You' and 'She Loves You'.
13 October 1963
'Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium'
The Beatles appeared live on Associated Television's 'Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium'. They performed 'From Me to You', 'I'll Get You', 'She Loves You' and Twist and Shout'. No filmed record of this programme is thought to remain though a sound recording survives. .
18 October 1963
'Scene at 6:30'
The Boys appear on Granada Television's 'Scene at 6:30' once more, this time miming 'She Loves You'. The programme was broadcast the same day and no record is thought to remain.
20 October 1963
'Thank Your Lucky Stars'
The Beatles return to 'Thank Your Lucky Stars', recorded at the ABC Television Studios in Birmingham. They mimed to 'All My Loving', 'Money (That's What I Want)' and 'She Loves You'. 'Money' is the only song that appears to have survived on film.
30 October 1963
'Drop In'

Whilst touring in Sweden The Beatles recorded four songs for the Swedish TV show 'Drop In': 'She Loves You', 'Twist and Shout', 'I Saw Her Standing There' and 'Long Tall Sally'. They also clapped along to the shows closing credits. The programme was first broadcast on 3 November and the entire show is still available to enjoy today - British Television companies could have learnt a thing or two about archiving tapes from the Swedes!

4 November 1963
The Royal Variety Show
The famous Royal Variety Show appearance where John invites the royalty present to 'rattle their jewellery' rather than clap. They sang 'From Me To You', 'She Loves You', 'Till There Was You' and 'Twist and Shout'. The show was broadcast on ATV on 10 November.
20 November 1963
'The Beatles Come To Town'
'The Beatles Come To Town' is a mini-documentary filmed this day by Pathe News. The eight minute colour film includes 'She Loves You' and 'Twist and Shout' from the show at the ABC Ardwick in Manchester.
25 November 1963
'Late Scene Extra'
& 'Scene at 6:30'
 Back to Granadaland in Manchester to record a two tracks for a couple of Granada TV programmes. They mimed 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' and were interviewed with comedian Ken Dodd for 'Late Scene Extra' broadcast on 27 November. They also mimed to 'This Boy' which was show on 'Scene at 6:30' on 20 December. Both songs and the interview were shown again on 26 December on another episode of 'Scene at 6:30'.
2 December 1963
'The Morecambe and Wise Show'
The boys appear on the top UK comedy programme 'The Morecambe and Wise Show'. They sang 'This Boy', 'All My Loving' and 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand'. They also joined Eric and Ernie for a sketch in which they exchanged banter and sang 'Moonlight Bay'.
7 December 1963
'It's the Beatles'
The Beatles held a special concert for their Northern Area Fan Club in their home town of Liverpool. The show was filmed by the BBC who broadcast it in a thrty minute programme entitled 'It's the Beatles'. They sang 'From Me to You', 'I Saw Her Standing There', 'All My Loving', 'Roll Over Beethoven', 'Boys', 'Till There Was You', 'She Loves You', 'This Boy', 'I Want to Hold Your Hand', 'Money (That's What I Want)' and 'Twist and Shout'. They finished by reprising an instrumental version of 'From Me To You'.
The same day an all-Beatles Juke Box Jury was also filmed in the same venue, the Empire Theatre.
15 December 1963
'Thank Your Lucky Stars'
An all Mersey-sound edition of 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' featured The Beatles miming to 'All My Loving', 'Twist and Shout', 'She Loves You' and 'I Want to Hold You Hand'. The programme was broadcast on 21 December.