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Episode details

World Service,30 Aug 2025,49 mins

Paul McCartney: Beatles and beyond

The Documentary

Available for over a year

The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs celebrates the life and legacy of Sir Paul McCartney, from his Liverpool roots to Beatlemania and beyond. It’s a musical journey that moves from the late 1950s to McCartney’s skiffle start with John Lennon in The Quarrymen, all the way through to his long solo career, taking in Mersey Beat; the rise of the Fab Four to 1960s icons; and Wings’ 1970s success. We learn how The Beatles could only have come from Liverpool, and how a visit to McCartney’s old grammar school led to a significant legacy: the formation of the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA). Joining Susanna to celebrate McCartney’s musical career are author of recent biography Fly Away Paul, Lesley-Ann Jones; veteran songwriter and member of 10cc, Graham Gouldman; LIPA founding principal and chief executive, Sir Mark Featherstone-Witty; Beatles historian and author, David Bedford; lifelong Beatles enthusiast Jean Catharell; ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio Merseyside broadcaster Paul Beesley; Universal Music Group chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge; plus two LIPA alumni - award winning composer Hannah Peel, and singer-songwriter and guitarist Natalie McCool. Plus, an intimately familial contribution from McCartney’s younger brother, Mike McCartney. Presenter: Susanna Hoffs Producer: Lewis Borg-Cardona Editor: Steve Levine A Magnum Opus Broadcasting production for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service (Photo: Sir Paul McCartney in front of a self-portrait hanging on a wall. No reuse. Credit: Mike McCartney)

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