The BBC has announced a new six-part drama series, Hamburg Days, which will explore the Beatles' formative years in Hamburg, Germany, and highlight the often overlooked role of their early co-manager and mentor, Lord Woodbine. The series aims to shed light on the period between 1960 and 1962 when the band played over 250 gigs near the notorious Reeperbahn, honing their skills while entertaining rowdy sailors.
Lord Woodbine's Role in the Beatles' Early Career
Jamie Carragher, the writer of Hamburg Days, told the Guardian that the series will include the significant yet frequently omitted contribution of Lord Woodbine, played by Sherwood actor Jorden Myrie. Woodbine, whose real name was Harold Adolphus Phillips, was a Trinidadian calypso musician and co-manager alongside Allan Williams, the band's first manager. Carragher noted, “He’s represented as very much the friend and partner of Allan Williams. Woodbine was older than the Beatles, but also played music himself. He knew about music.”
Phillips' Journey from Trinidad to Liverpool
Phillips came to Britain in 1943 during World War II, serving as a Royal Air Force flight engineer. After the war, he returned to the Caribbean before coming back to the UK on the Empire Windrush. He stood beside Lord Kitchener in the famous footage of the calypsonian singing London Is The Place For Me at Tilbury Dock. Phillips eventually settled in Liverpool, reuniting with his wartime sweetheart in Toxteth.
Musical Mentorship and Influence
According to Carragher, “McCartney and Lennon respected him in a musical sense. There weren’t many people in their lives at this point who wrote their own songs, and Lord Woodbine did that via the calypso tradition.” Phillips managed the Jacaranda club and, with Williams, co-managed the Beatles early on. Malik Al Nasir, an academic and author who researched Phillips for the British Library's Beyond the Bassline exhibition, explained that Lennon and McCartney “used to come and offer to clean and collect glasses for Woodbine. In return Woodbine would feed them and help them out by teaching them chords.” One of the first songs John Lennon wrote was called Calypso Rock.
Initiating the Hamburg Move
Some histories claim that Phillips initiated the move to Hamburg, driving the Beatles to Germany in a beaten-up Volkswagen. Al Nasir noted, “I don’t even know if Woodbine even had a contract with the Beatles, but he certainly picked them up when no one else cared; he took them to Hamburg, a place that nobody else really thought about.” After Brian Epstein took over management, Phillips' influence and legacy were largely excluded from the official Beatles story. He briefly appeared in the 1994 film Backbeat, played by Charlie Caine.
Recognition and Legacy
In 1992, Phillips attended a Beatles-themed play in Liverpool and saw a group photo from the Hamburg trip that had been altered to remove him. “When I saw that it hurt me,” he said in 2000. “That was the end of the Beatles memory and me.” Phillips died in a house fire in 2000 at the age of 72. Last summer, his family unveiled a plaque from the Windrush Foundation outside the Jacaranda in Liverpool, recognising his cultural impact.
Upcoming Projects
Hamburg Days, inspired by the memoirs of Klaus Voormann (who met the band in Hamburg and designed the cover of their 1966 album Revolver), will be shot in Liverpool and Germany. Additionally, Sam Mendes' four Beatles biopics are due in 2028, with Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
