Eras

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The stories of the biggest artists in the world told over the years in their own words.

The stories of the biggest artists in the world. We delve deep into the BBC archive and speak to the people who were there, as we look back on their most iconic eras.

Episode 6 - Now and Then

Eras: The Beatles: The Beatles: 6. Now and Then

Episode 6. Now and Then

The Beatles: 6. Now and Then

The Beatles

BBC Radio 2 - Eras, The Beatles, The Beatles: 6. Now and Then

The story behind The Beatles' final single, Now and Then, narrated by Martin Freeman.

The story behind The Beatles' final single Now and Then, featuring new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Narrated by Martin Freeman.

In the final episode of Eras: The Beatles, we hear the story behind The Beatles' final single Now and Then, including new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. 

Narrated by Martin Freeman, the episode also features insight on the new track from Sean Ono Lennon, Olivia Harrison and Peter Jackson.
 
In 1994, Yoko Ono gave Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr a selection of unfinished demo tapes recorded by John Lennon in the 1970s. Two of those songs, Free as a Bird and Real Love, were arranged and released on 1995’s Beatles: Anthology project. 
 
A third demo was never completed. At the time, the tape was deemed too muddy to work with. But, decades later, a new machine-assisted learning programme, pioneered by Get Back director Peter Jackson and his team, made Now and Then, the final Beatles single, possible – with each Beatle performing on the track.

Listen to the story of how it came about as Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and more reflect on the decades and discuss the making of the band’s last song.

Eras: The Beatles

Amazing music. Played by an amazing line up.

Radio 2: Amazing music. Played by an amazing line-up. The home of great music, entertainment and documentaries

In Eras: The Beatles, Martin Freeman tells the story of the most famous band on Earth.

In Eras: The Beatles, Martin Freeman tells the story of how the most famous band on Earth shaped music today. Told in the band's own words with an extensive archive.

In Eras: The Beatles, Martin Freeman tells the story of how the most famous band on Earth shaped music today. Told in the band's own words with extensive archive, looking at the Fab Four's rise, fall and rebirth - and how they changed the world along the way.

In the space of just eight years, their journey took them from the smoky clubs of Hamburg and Liverpool, to Abbey Road and unprecedented global fame. When their time together came to an end, each Beatle began anew, creating a body of work that's still growing today.

As the world gets ready to welcome Now and Then - the first new music from the Beatles since 1995 - hear a fresh retelling of a story with no real end in sight.

Featuring rare interviews from the BBC's treasure trove of Beatles material, sourced with a little help from our friends on the Archive team,  Eras: The Beatles is an immersive celebration of the biggest band in history.

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Eras

The Beatles

The Beatles: 6. Now and Then

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