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A 35mm film negative showing the Beatles' first appearance on the BBC music program Top of the Pops, which many thought was lost, has been found by a British film conservation group. The film will be restored and returned to the BBC archives.
Film Is Fabulous, a non-profit that works to preserve historic film, announced the discovery at the British Film Collectors' Convention in Surrey. The group said the footage was provided by the family of a late industry professional.
The recording shows the Beatles at the BBC Television Theatre in London, later known as Shepherd's Bush Empire, on March 19, 1964, during the peak of Beatlemania. They performed 'Can't Buy Me Love' and 'You Can't Do That,' the A- and B-sides of a single that was released the next day. The single became the group's fourth number one hit in the United Kingdom.
When the original broadcast aired, the BBC often wiped and reused recording tapes, which caused many historic performances to be lost. Although some low-quality, distorted clips of the Beatles' appearance had circulated before, a full, clear copy of the footage was thought to be gone forever.
Film Is Fabulous shared details about the footage on social media, saying it shows not only the performances but also the studio setting, technicians, and makeup staff who were present during the session.
'There were four takes of the first song, 'Can't Buy Me Love', with two being aborted because of technical errors. During breaks, the Beatles openly joked and could be seen dancing to amuse themselves,' the group wrote.
The second song, 'You Can't Do That,' was recorded in two takes. Film Is Fabulous said that during the second take, John Lennon made a funny face as the camera came in for a close-up. The group called it 'an amusing piece of Beatles history.'
Film Is Fabulous said that the original 35mm film will be restored and returned to the BBC archives. The group also said they are in talks with other BBC departments to ensure the footage is available to a wide audience, but no timeline has been set.
This discovery comes just days before Global Beatles Day, which is celebrated every year on June 25. On that day, Apple Corps will release a colorized version of the Beatles' 'All You Need Is Love' BBC broadcast online for the first time.
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