Directed by Bob Smeaton, Geoff Wonfor, and Oliver Murray and written by Bob Smeaton and Oliver Murray, The Beatles Anthology is a multi-part TV documentary series about the life and career of the Beatles featuring archival footage, rare audio, and interviews with the then-surviving members of the Beatles in the mid-1990s. The film breaks down events in the individual lives of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr along with perspectives from personnel who were around the band at the time. Even as the surviving members would create new music with demos from John Lennon during the making of the documentary. Expanded in 2025 based on VHS/DVD expanded releases from the late 1990s/early 2000s with a new episode directed by Bob Smeaton, the newly remastered and expanded edition of the documentary series showcases missing gaps from the story of the Beatles as well as showcase rare footage from the mid-1990s of McCartney, Harrison, and Starr creating new music to Lennon’s demos. The result is a tremendously rich and intoxicating documentary series about one of the greatest music acts of the 20th century as they tell their own story.
From their formation in 1960 to their dissolution in 1970, the Beatles were four lads from Liverpool who changed the world with their music as they became a cultural phenomenon. For years, the story of the Beatles had been told by many following their break-up and John Lennon’s death in 1980. However, the story has often been told by outsiders who had seen their ascent from afar but not from the band themselves where in 1991 following years legal and personal strife. The then-surviving members in Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr decided to do a documentary series where they would tell the story of the Beatles from their words and perspective as well as archival footage from Lennon before his passing. Along with interviews from associates close to the Beatles including music producer George Martin, longtime assistant/road manager Neil Aspinall, and press officer Derek Taylor. The project that would become The Beatles Anthology would be a multi-media project featuring a TV documentary series, a book, and a trilogy of double-albums featuring rare and unreleased material including two new songs in Free as a Bird and Real Love based on cassette demos Lennon made back in the late 1970s.
Through archival footage, newsreels, clips from various TV performances, music videos, films, and other material including some rare footage, the original broadcast of the TV documentary series was shown in three episodes each with a 2-hour running time although it did not tell the whole story. Then in 1996 through VHS cassette tapes and Laserdisc, the documentary series was expanded into eight episodes as it would later be released on the DVD format in 2003. The documentary series has McCartney, Harrison, Starr, Martin, Aspinall, and Taylor talking about the Beatles and their ascent into mega-stardom as well as the difficulties of success and chaos of Beatlemania during the mid-1960s. The narrative does tell a lot into the many periods of the Beatles though it ends in August of 1969 where the band did a final photoshoot where it would be the last time all four men were in a room or a location together. The series does not dwell too much into the break-up and the official announcement of their dissolution in 1970 as it was a subject that the surviving members of the Beatles were uncomfortable talking about at length.
With the aid of cinematographer Eugene O’Connor, directors Bob Smeaton, Geoff Wonfor, and Oliver Murray would have the surviving Beatles talk in certain places whether it is McCartney on a tugboat or in the woods, Starr in Los Angeles, and Harrison in his home in London. The interviews that are conducted by Smeaton and musician Jools Holland are fascinating as it highlights the three members in casual moments including scenes at Harrison’s home where all three members would talk casually including some bits where they would play a bit of music. There are also these inserts with audio from the band’s BBC interviews with deejay Brian Matthews that are shown in a typical bedroom in Britain during the heyday of Beatlemania. Editor/sound supervisor Andy Matthews, along with sound editor Danny Longhurst would gather a lot of the footage and audio tapes used from the past including archival interviews Lennon made during the 1970s to get things from his perspective.
The ninth episode of the series from Bob Smeaton is about the making of the project with interviews from McCartney, Harrison, Starr, Martin, Aspinall, and Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra who would produce the new songs the Beatles made through Lennon’s demo tapes. The episode also highlight the band creating new songs through the demos yet their attempt for Now and Then was hampered by the technology they had at the time in which Harrison was the one who stopped the recording. The series is overall restored by the people at Wingnut which is the same company from Peter Jackson who worked and restored footage for the 2021 documentary film Get Back. While there are bits from the original broadcast cut out, a lot of it is minor as it does not do much to change the story the band is telling. The music is also restored thanks to the work of music supervisor Giles Martin through the MAL audio-learning device.
The Beatles Anthology is a magnificent documentary series from Bob Smeaton, Geoff Wonfor, and Oliver Murray. It is a series that fans of the Beatles should see as it is a documentary series that allows the Beatles to tell their story. Even as they go into depth over stories of moments in their lives of the Beatles even though it is an incomplete story due to their reluctance in talking about the things that led to their break-up. Still, the documentary series does allow audiences to hear the story of the Fab Four along with a few who were around the cultural zeitgeist that were the Beatles. In the end, The Beatles Anthology is an outstanding documentary series about the Beatles.
The Beatles: The Albums: Please Please Me - With the Beatles - A Hard Day's Night - Beatles for Sale - Help! - Rubber Soul - Revolver - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Magical Mystery Tour - The White Album - Yellow Submarine OST - Abbey Road - Let It Be
Compilations: (1962-1966) - (1967-1970) - Past Masters - (Live at the BBC) - (Anthology 1) - (Anthology 2) - (Anthology 3) - (1) - (Let It Be… Naked) - (Love) - (Anthology 4)
The Beatles Films: (A Hard Day’s Night) – (Help!) – Magical Mystery Tour - (Yellow Submarine) – Let It Be - The Beatles: Get Back
Related: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Across the Universe - Nowhere Boy - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Good Ol' Freda - (Eight Days a Week-The Touring Years) – (Beatles ’64) – (The Beatles: John) – (The Beatles: Paul) – (The Beatles: George) – (The Beatles: Ringo)
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