Filming has begun on upcoming Beatles drama series Hamburg Days, which looks at the early days of the Fab Four.
The show, which will air on the BBC, is set in the early 1960s and looks at the band’s years performing in the German city before they hit the big time. Succession‘s Jamie Carragher has written the show, with The Crown‘s Christian Schwochow and Call My Agent Berlin‘s Laura Lackmann directing.
It has now been confirmed that production has commenced on the six-part series in Merseyside and Munich.
Based on an autobiography by artist Klaus Voormann, the project takes place “in the smoke-filled clubs of Hamburg’s St. Pauli’s red-light district”.
There, “an inexperienced young rock ‘n’ roll band from Liverpool collide with two young artists, Klaus Voormann and Astrid Kirchherr”, the synopsis adding: “Together they help spark a transformation that turns a scrappy group of teenagers into the greatest music phenomenon the world has ever known: The Beatles.”
Hamburg Days will feature Rhys Mannion as John Lennon, Ellis Murphy as Paul McCartney, Harvey Brett as George Harrison, as well as Louis Landau and Patrick Gilmore as early band members Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best. Luna Jordan will take on the role of Kirchherr, with Laura Tonke playing her mother Nielsa, while Casper von Bülow portrays Voormann.
“Hamburg Days is the fascinating story of how, in the space of two short years, a raw young band from Liverpool honed their music skills in Hamburg, before returning home to become an overnight worldwide success,” Sue Deeks, Head of Scripted Pre-buy Acquisitions at the BBC, previously said. “It is an incredible story, accompanied (of course) by an amazing soundtrack!”
As well as the series, work is underway on four standalone films focused on the Beatles, which are being directed by Sam Mendes and are due in cinemas in 2028. The project stars Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. Additionally, Saoirse Ronan will play Linda McCartney, Aimee Lou Wood is Pattie Boyd, Anna Sawai is Yoko Ono, and Mia McKenna-Bruce is Maureen Starkey, while James Norton has been cast as Brian Epstein.
As well as the films, director Steven Soderbergh is working on a documentary called John Lennon: The Last Interview, which will use generative AI.
In other news, it has been confirmed that 3 Savile Row – an iconic London landmark long associated with the band – will open its doors to the public for the first time next year for the first ever official Beatles fan experience.
Fans will be able to access seven floors of never-before-seen material from Apple Corps’ extensive archives, as well as rotating exhibitions, a fan store, and a recreation of the original studio where ‘Let it Be’ was recorded.
Elsewhere, McCartney has just released his first-ever duet with Starr called ‘Home To Us’, which is available now.