Friday, September 19, 1969
BBC Late Night Line Up previews “Abbey Road”
Last updated on May 8, 2025
Friday, September 19, 1969
Last updated on May 8, 2025
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Article Sep 19, 1969 • BBC Late Night Line Up previews "Abbey Road"
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Article Sep 20, 1969 • The Beatles sign the new Capitol / EMI agreement
By The Beatles • LP
Officially appears on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (UK Mono)
Officially appears on Abbey Road
Officially appears on Abbey Road
Officially appears on Abbey Road
2015 • For The Beatles
On this day, the BBC2 television series “Late Night Line-Up” aired a special preview of the “Abbey Road” album, from 10:55 to 11:30 pm — one week ahead of its UK release. The programme was rebroadcast on Saturday, October 10, from 11:25 pm to midnight.
The entire broadcast was dedicated to the album. While Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr did not appear on the show, Apple provided a selection of photographs – some were shot at John’s Tittenhurst Park estate during the Beatles’ final photo session, on August 22, 1969 – and some 16mm footage for inclusion.
To illustrate “Come Together,” the programme used footage from the orchestral session for “A Day in the Life,” directed by Tony Bramwell and originally filmed in February 1967. This marked the first time that this material was shown on television.
A specially created animated film accompanied “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” and footage of the moon landing was used to accompany “Because.”
The programme was long considered lost until 2019, when Dig Media — the custodian of a video archive left by 1960s counterculture figure Jack Henry Moore — released a 53-second excerpt. Moore, a relationship of the Beatles, had been involved in key underground movements such as International Times and the 14-Hour Technicolour Dream, and had filmed John and Yoko’s Bagism performances. Dig Media has since claimed to possess a complete copy of the show, albeit in poor quality.
The special was produced in cooperation with The Beatles’ company Apple Corps to promote their album Abbey Road, which was to be released the following week of the program’s air date. “The Beatles approached us“, the BBC told the Daily Mirror. “It seems they often watch the program and they like the way pop music has been covered visually.” Rowan Ayers, the editor for Line-Up, said that he planned to “illustrate the music with captions, film sequences and electronic devices.“
Ayers met with The Beatles at Apple Corps to discuss the project. According to Ayers’s account of that meeting, although John Lennon was “laconic” and George Harrison seemed “lost in thought” it was Paul McCartney that showed enthusiasm for the show. Coming up with “plenty of suggestions and ideas” of the program. Ringo Starr too showed interest and asked Ayers questions about the production and its production crew Rowan Ayers wrote a letter written to the buyer of an animation cell from the “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” animation. The letter titled “Background To The Signed Caption” detailed the making of the TV special. Ayers recalls “We had a fortnight’s notice…and we used all kinds of devices, like captions and film, and the Beatles were wild about it.” The program was directed by Granville Jenkins.
From Late Night Line-Up (partially found Beatles “Abbey Road” special; 1969) – The Lost Media Wiki
BACKGROUND TO SIGNED BEATLES CAPTION
Towards the end of 1969 I received a telephone call from Peter Browne, from APPLE, asking if I’d like to come and have lunch with The Beatles at their Saville Row offices. They had a proposition they wanted to put to me.
At the time I was running a live nightly talk show on BBC 2 Television called “Late Night Line Up”. Though small in budget, it ranged across almost every topic of the day, particularly the arts and entertainment. We had come to make use of a brilliant young film editor called Philip Jenkinson, who adapted all manner of footage to suit pieces of music, ancient and modern, and in fact was originating what we now call Rock Videos. The Beatles liked the programme, and what “Jenks” did with film. When I arrived for lunch at APPLE, they wanted to know whether I’d like to have the chance to launch their new album, just completed, exclusively on Late Night Line Up, using any visuals we chose to illustrate the music.
Over a boozy lunch, I listened to the tracks and knew this was going to be a great album. Paul McCartney was enthusiastic about what we might do, coming up with plenty of suggestions and ideas, John Lennon was his laconic self, George seemed lost in thought most of the time, but Ringo was enthusiastic and wanted to know about everyone on the programme.
I came away bemused, called “Jenks”, and set about finding ways of justifying their confidence in giving us the chance to be first to offer “Abbey Road” to the public.
We mixed a number of styles and visual gimmicks to reflect each of the numbers, including an animated cartoon background to “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”; in which drawings of the Fab Four showed them as a Barber Shop Quartet. They were delighted with the whole programme, and gave me this signed caption as a memento. Ringo’s PS relates to our regular presenters, Joan Bakewell, and Tony Bilbow, who interviewed him a number of times on the programme.
Rowan Ayers – Former Editor: Late Night Line Up – From File:Rowan Ayres letter.jpeg – The Lost Media Wiki
BEATLES’ NEW ALBUM GETS BBC-2 PREVIEW
THE whole of BBC-2’s “Late Night Line-Up” on Friday, September 19, will be devoted to a preview of the Beatles’ new album “Abbey Road.” This will be the first occasion on which the tracks have been played publicly, and the first time that this long-running TV series has confined itself solely to showcasing an album. Film of the Beatles will be seen while the tracks are playing, and it is likely that one or two of the group will be present in the studio to discuss the LP.
The NME understands that the Beatles themselves approached the “Late Night Line-Up” office with this programme suggestion, because they like the manner in which the series deals with pop subjects. Meanwhile, in view of the late delivery of the LP sleeve, its British release has been put back two weeks to September 26.
Beatle Ringo Starr was admitted to Middlesex Hospital last weekend suffering from internal pains. He was detained for observation with a suspected intestinal obstruction, but was expected to be discharged later this week.
From New Musical Express – September 13, 1969
THE ROWAN AND BEATLES POP-IN
ROWAN AYERS, editor of “Line-Up,” gets a big pop scoop tonight (BBC-2, 10.55) — the first presentation of the new Beatles LP “Abbey Road.” The title comes from the studios in North West London, where EMI, which has the world’s top group under contract, records the Beatles’ hits. Tonight will be the first time the tracks have been heard.
“The Beatles approached us,” the BBC says. “It seems they often watch the programme and they like the way pop music has been covered visually.”
Ayers plans to use about a dozen tracks and to illustrate the music with captions, film sequences and electronic devices. Many top pop people — performers, recording executives and experts — will be watching the experiment with tremendous interest.
And so, I imagine, will ATV. For although ATV — through its new shareholding in Northern Songs — has management control over the Beatles’ music, they are not in a position, even if they wanted to, to stop the Beatles from giving their LP to the BBC.
EMI must feel strange about things, too. They have a stake in Thames Television, another ITV company.
But the Beatles still have the last word about which network presents their discs first. And they’ve chosen the BBC.
Tonight’s presentation will be TV history. Nothing like it has been attempted before, and it may set the pattern for future programmes.
From Daily Mirror – September 19, 1969
The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years
"With greatly expanded text, this is the most revealing and frank personal 30-year chronicle of the group ever written. Insider Barry Miles covers the Beatles story from childhood to the break-up of the group."
Solid State: The Story of "Abbey Road" and the End of the Beatles
Acclaimed Beatles historian Kenneth Womack offers the most definitive account yet of the writing, recording, mixing, and reception of Abbey Road. In February 1969, the Beatles began working on what became their final album together. Abbey Road introduced a number of new techniques and technologies to the Beatles' sound, and included "Come Together," "Something," and "Here Comes the Sun," which all emerged as classics.
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