BBC One starts filming Beatles drama ‘Hamburg Days’
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- BBC One began filming the six‑part drama “Hamburg Days” in Germany and Liverpool, with additional shoots slated for Merseyside and Munich.
- Hamburg Days will dramatise the Beatles’ 1960‑62 Hamburg period, covering more than 250 gigs and featuring early members Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best.
- Klaus Voormann’s memoirs inspire the series, which will portray his meeting with the band and photographer Astrid Kirchherr, whose style and mop‑top haircut shaped the group’s image.
- Jamie Carragher is the scriptwriter, while direction is shared by Christian Schwochow (of “The Crown”) and Laura Lackmann; the cast includes Rhys Mannion, Ellis Murphy, Harvey Brett, Louis Landau, Patrick Gilmore and Luna Jordan.
- Steve Rotheram attended the launch of a Hamburg exhibition of Beatles letters with the cast, underscoring Liverpool’s cultural ties to the band.
- Sam Mendes is filming a separate four‑part Beatles movie series in Liverpool for a 2028 release, highlighting the region’s growing role as a UK production hub.
Why it matters: The series gives BBC One a high‑profile, internationally co‑produced drama that will attract viewers and showcase the network’s commitment to music history, while the German‑British production partnership and on‑location shoots in Liverpool and Munich boost local economies and cement Merseyside’s status as a major UK filming hub.
