One more, then: here's a bonus episode covering the Beatles Anthology DVD extras. We note just how much this disc complements the Anthology series, to the extent that watching it without watching this feels incomplete. It made us rethink some of the assumptions we'd made about the Beatles' interpersonal relationships in the 1990s, in fact.
We see in longer form the footage from the Threetles' day at George Harrison's Friar Park home on 23 June 1994, and observe the differences between their behaviour when being interviewed together versus apart. We talk about the making of the Free As a Bird video, and put forward a theory about the nurse selling poppies from a tray (if it turns out it's been on the internet for years, no need to tell us).
Links
If you want to watch the original version of The Beatles Anthology you can buy the DVD box set pretty cheaply.
George Martin's Alderney Sailing Club jumper will be from when he owned a house in Alderney, on Guernsey, in the Channel Islands. He also lived on Montserrat, where he had his studio. Here's an article from January 2024 about Guernsey donating instruments to young people in Montserrat in his name
Videos
Free As a Bird
Real Love
Guide to our Beatles Anthology episodes
This series of episodes discusses the 2003 DVD box set release, which expanded the original 1995 TV broadcasts.
The Beatles Anthology: episodes 1 and 2 (original version)
Why were the three Beatles interviewed separately? Did they get the name from Marlon Brando's The Wild One? And how are Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best treated?
Listen on Spotify
The Beatles Anthology: episodes 3 and 4 (original version)
It's the Beatlemania and touring years: but why is Paul McCartney interviewed in a tugboat? And how did Ringo Starr feel when he was replaced by Jimmie Nicol?
The Beatles Anthology: episodes 5 and 6 (original version)
We see how George Harrison and Ringo Starr remember Manila differently to Paul McCartney, plus: Shea Stadium and Sgt Pepper: the Beatles' two imperial phases?
The Beatles Anthology: episodes 7 and 8 (original version)
How does the series treat the Beatles' breakup? Does it tell a coherent story around the White Album? And did All You Need is Love make them religious icons?
The Beatles Anthology: DVD special features (original version)
We look at the 1994 Threetles footage, and their behaviour when interviewed together versus apart. And we talk about the making of the Free As a Bird video.
We've also covered the 2025 remaster released on Disney+.
The Beatles Anthology (2025 remaster): episodes 1 to 8
How have the episodes been altered: what's new, what's been removed and why? Plus: what are the implications of AI upscaling the early performance footage?
The Beatles Anthology (2025 remaster): episode 9
We look at the decision not to include any new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. What effect does it have on how this rounds off the series?