While director Sam Mendes puts together his ambitious The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event for release in 2028, the BBC has announced that it will be delving into the early days of the iconic band with the six-part series Hamburg Days.
Based on the autobiography of Klaus Voorman, who also serves as a consultant, Hamburg Days will take place in the early 1960s, where “in the smoke-filled clubs of Hamburg’s St. Pauli’s red-light district, an inexperienced young rock ‘n’ roll band from Liverpool collide with two young artists, Klaus Voormann and Astrid Kirchherr. Together they help spark a transformation that turns a scrappy group of teenagers into the greatest music phenomenon the world has ever known: The Beatles.”
“Hamburg Days is the fascinating story of how, in the space of two short years, a raw young band from Liverpool honed their music skills in Hamburg, before returning home to become an overnight worldwide success,” said Sue Deeks, the BBC’s Head of Scripted Pre-buy Acquisitions. “It is an incredible story, accompanied (of course) by an amazing soundtrack!”
Hamburg Days has been developed by Benjamin Benedict (Generation War) and Jamie Carragher (Succession), with Christian Schwochow (The Crown) serving as showruynner and Mat Whitecross (Oasis: Supersonic) directing.
