The BBC has confirmed the casting for its new Beatles-based drama, while sharing a first look at the upcoming series. Titled Hamburg Days, the six-part series follows the band’s early evolution in 1960s Germany.
The synopsis reads (via BBC): “Hamburg Days is set in the 1960s, in the smoke-filled clubs of Hamburg’s St Pauli red-light district, where 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,” continues the logline for the series, which is based on Voormann’s autobiography of the same name.
BBC
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The BBC has released two first-look images, showing the cast in character, with Rhys Mannion starring as John Lennon, Ellis Murphy as Paul McCartney, and Harvey Brett playing George Harrison (there’s no Ringo Starr here).
Also in the cast are Louis Landau as the band’s original bass guitarist, Stu Sutcliffe, and Patrick Gilmore as the original drummer, Pete Best. Rounding out the cast are Luna Jordan as Astrid Kirchherr, Casper von Bülow as Voormann, and Laura Tonke as Nielsa Kirchherr.
Filming is already under way in Hamburg, Munich and Liverpool, with the series set to air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK. There might be some wait, however, as a release date is yet to be confirmed.
This update arrives as filming continues in Liverpool and London on Sam Mendes’s four-part Beatles saga, The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, which is set to debut in April 2028.
BBC
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Starring as the Fab Four are Harris Dickinson as Lennon, Paul Mescal as McCartney, Joseph Quinn as Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Starr. The supporting cast is also stacked, with James Norton, David Morrissey and Saoirse Ronan all appearing.
Back when the films were announced, Mendes said (via Sony Pictures): “I’m honoured to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies.”
Hamburg Days has no release date.
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