Paul McCartney : Beatles and beyond – BBC Radio 4 Pick of the Week
Paul McCartney: Beatles and beyond documentary out now: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct80j6
The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs celebrates the life and legacy of Sir Paul McCartney, from his Liverpool roots to Beatlemania and beyond. It’s a musical journey that moves from the late 1950s to the present day, spanning McCartney’s skiffle start with John Lennon in The Quarrymen, all the way through to his long solo career, taking in Mersey Beat, the rise of the Fab Four to 1960s icons, and Wings’ 1970s success along the way.
Learn how The Beatles could only have come from Liverpool, and how a visit to McCartney’s old grammar school led to a significant legacy: the formation of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA). The city of their birth gave McCartney and his fellow mop-tops their creative spark – now Sir Paul is giving back via new generations of talent.
Joining Susanna to celebrate McCartney’s musical career are: author of recent biography, Fly Away Paul, Lesley-Ann Jones; veteran songwriter and member of 10cc, Graham Gouldman; LIPA founding principal and chief executive, Sir Mark Featherstone-Witty; Beatles historian and author, David Bedford; lifelong Beatles enthusiast Jean Catharell; BBC Radio Merseyside broadcaster Paul Beesley; Universal Music Group chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge; and two LIPA alumni – award-winning composer Hannah Peel and singer, songwriter and guitarist Natalie McCool
Giving the narrative an intimately familial contribution is McCartney’s younger brother, Mike McCartney. The programme also visits some key Liverpool landmarks in the story of Sir Paul McCartney and his lasting ties to the port city.
Produced by Lewis Borg-Cardona
A Magnum Opus Broadcasting production for the BBC World Service
