Radio: Easy Beat

The Beatles recorded their fourth and final session on the BBC radio show Easy Beat on this day.

The group’s manager Brian Epstein had told BBC executives that, given The Beatles’ popularity and concerns for their safety, he would no longer allow radio appearances in front of studio audiences. This led to the cancellation of a planned fifth Easy Beat appearance, due to have taken place on 4 December.

This final session was recorded at the Playhouse Theatre in London from 9-10pm, although The Beatles had taken part in a rehearsal from 4pm. After opening with ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, they performed their four EMI singles in order: ‘Love Me Do’, ‘Please Please Me’, ‘From Me To You’ and ‘She Loves You’.

It’s almost a year since The Beatles first hit the show business jackpot, so all the rest of the numbers that you’re going to hear today are the big hits that the boys have achieved during the past 12 months.

The half-hour show was broadcast on the BBC Light Programme service on Sunday 20 October 1963 from 10.30am. The version of I Saw Her Standing There, meanwhile, was released on the 1994 collection Live At The BBC.

While at the Playhouse Theatre, The Beatles also gave an interview to reporter Peter Woods about the announcement that they had been invited to perform at the Royal Command Performance on 4 November. Their words were carried on the Light Programme’s 7pm news bulletin.