BBC Radio 2 broadcast: 14th September 2019
The television film Magical Mystery Tour was devised, written and directed by The Beatles. It has a significant place in the history of The Beatles - not least, because it was viewed by many as the group's first failure. In the UK, it was transmitted by BBC 1 in black and white on 26 December, 1967 and then shown ten days later in colour on BBC 2. Certainly, the impact of the film's special effects was diminished by watching in monochrome and this may have contributed to the bafflement experienced by many viewers. But as Paul McCartney acknowledges, the film's generally unfavourable reception was more affected by its scheduling on Boxing Day, usually reserved for fairly light entertainment rather than an experimental fantasy film.
The documentary also examines the group's activities during 1967 before they spent most of the final four months working on their film. It was a momentous year. It began with Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever; their LP Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released in June; they performed All You Need Is Love on Our World - the first global TV show linking five continents by satellite. While learning about Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Bangor, North Wales, The Beatles received the shocking news of the sudden death of their manager Brian Epstein. Two weeks later they began filming Magical Mystery Tour.
The Beatles - Hello, Goodbye
The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever
The Beatles - Penny Lane
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles - She's Leaving Home
The Beatles - All You Need Is Love
The Beatles - Baby You're A Rich Man
The Beatles - Within You Without You
The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles - Flying
The Beatles - Blue Jay Way
The Beatles - I Am The Walrus
The Beatles - Your Mother Should Know
The Beatles - The Fool On The Hill
The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
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