Eras

Martin Freeman tells the story of the Fab Four’s rise, fall and rebirth - and how they changed the world along the way. In the space of just 8 years, their journey took them from the smoky clubs of Hamburg and Liverpool, to Abbey Road and unprecedented global fame. And 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...

It’s 1964. British Beatlemania is in full swing but, this summer, the Fab Four are about to go global - and nothing can stand in their way. In Part 2 of Eras: The Beatles the band scales new heights as they enter the pop stratosphere on both sides of the Atlantic. From silver-screen adventures to the invention of Stadium Rock, the BBC Archive team have scoured their collection for the interviews t...

No high lasts forever. And in 1966, the pressures of fame begin to weigh on the globetrotting lives of John, Paul, George and Ringo. From a close-call with military police in the Philippines, to an all-out religious backlash in the United States, the band starts to question whether being a Beatle is quite so fab after all. Maybe it’s time for something new. To become a different band entirely. In...

When tragedy strikes at the end of 1967, the Beatles are faced with an uncertain future. In the months and years to come, cracks begin to show in the foundations of the world’s most powerful musical unit. As each member matured and developed as artists, the end became inevitable. In Part 4 of Eras: The Beatles, Martin Freeman explores the pressures that broke the biggest band on the planet, and th...

If you’re in the biggest band there ever was, how do you cope when it all comes crashing down? That’s the question John, Paul, George and Ringo were asking themselves in the spring of 1970, when it was announced that the Beatles were breaking up for good. In Part 5, Martin Freeman arrives at the end of an era - and the start of four more. In the aftermath of the split, recriminations give way to n...

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 unfinish...

Join Scott Mills for the ultimate celebration of the UK’s best-loved pop star, who this year headlines Radio 2 in the Park on Sunday 17th September. When a teenage Kylie lit up Aussie screens in Neighbours, the die was cast for her meteoric rise to fame. Before long, she’d launched a parallel career as a singer - and left Ramsay Street in the rear-view mirror. After that? No prizes for guessing. S...

Join Scott Mills for the ultimate celebration of the UK’s best-loved pop star, who this year headlines Radio 2 in the Park on Sunday 17 September. The 90s are well underway, and Kylie Minogue is in uncharted territory. After splitting with powerhouse production team Stock, Aitken and Waterman, she’s joined forces with indie label Deconstruction Records, spurning the advances of a slew of record in...

Join Scott Mills for the ultimate celebration of the UK’s best-loved pop star, who this year headlines Radio 2 in the Park on Sunday 17th September. Australia rings in the New Year first. But as a new millennium dawns, one of her favourite daughters is relaxing in LA. She won’t be standing still for long. In the summer of 2000, the world entered Kylie Minogue’s third and most iconic era so far. Ne...

Join Scott Mills for the ultimate celebration of the UK’s best-loved pop star, who this year headlines Radio 2 in the Park on Sunday 17th September. All good things come to an end - unless you’re Kylie Minogue, apparently. In 2012, Kylie marked 25 years in the music industry. The Abbey Road Sessions, an album of radical reworkings of some of her biggest hits, could easily have bookended a career f...

Ahead of Kylie's headline set at Radio 2 in the Park 2023, Scott Mills chats to the Princess of Pop, as they discuss the highlights of her 35 year career.