A new six-part BBC drama, Hamburg Day, is set to go head-to-head with Sam Mendes's highly anticipated Hollywood Beatles biopic, which is slated for release in April 2028. While Mendes's project boasts a star-studded cast featuring Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Barry Keoghan, and Joseph Quinn, the BBC series will feature a cast of complete unknowns.
Underdog Story
Producers of Hamburg Day acknowledge they are the underdogs in this cinematic clash. "We are the David to their Goliath but we are trying to tell a very different story," said producer Andrew Eaton. The series focuses on the Beatles' formative years in Hamburg, Germany, before they achieved global fame. Unlike Mendes's films, which have access to the band's original songs, Hamburg Day will rely on covers of tracks by artists such as Bobby Scott, Consuelo Velasquez, and Ric Marlow.
Exploring the Hamburg Era
Set in the early 1960s, the series will depict John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Pete Best as they honed their craft in the smoky clubs of Hamburg's St. Pauli district. "John Lennon once said: 'I was born in Liverpool but I grew up in Hamburg,'" Eaton noted. "Their Hamburg days have hardly been celebrated at all." The show aims to capture the raw energy of a young band struggling to make it in the music industry.
Filming has already begun in Hamburg, Munich, and Liverpool. The series is based on the autobiography of Klaus Voorman, the artist behind the Beatles' Revolver album cover. The cast includes Rhys Mannion as John Lennon, Ellis Murphy as Paul McCartney, Harvey Brett as George Harrison, Louis Landau as Stuart Sutcliffe, and Patrick Gilmore as Pete Best. All actors are between 19 and 21 years old, and many had to adapt to playing instruments opposite to their natural handedness.
Soundtrack and Production
The soundtrack features 21 tracks recorded by the Liverpool band the Savage Young Beatles in the basement of the Casbah Coffee Club. Eaton explained, "They are like a punk version of the Beatles... People say that when they heard the Beatles play in Hamburg it made the hairs stand up on the back of their necks, and we want to capture that."
The six-part series is scheduled to air on the BBC in April 2028, the same month Mendes's four biopics hit theatres. While the competition is fierce, Eaton believes the two projects can complement each other, offering different perspectives on the legendary band's journey.
