Interview for Saturday Club

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On March 19, 1965, The Beatles were in Obertauern, Austria, for the filming “Help!”

At 8 pm, they gave a telephone interview from their hotel suite to Brian Matthew for the BBC radio programme Saturday Club. The interview was broadcast on the BBC Light Programme the following day at 11 am. It had been arranged by manager Brian Epstein after BBC executives complained that The Beatles had not recorded any sessions or granted any interviews for the network in the previous three months.

BRIAN: Are you all there?

GEORGE: Yes, well actually there’s John, Paul and me — and we’re just dragging Ringo away from his dinner.

BRIAN: Are they? Where have you been today?

GEORGE: Today we’ve been to a place called Rad— [?]

BRIAN: Yeah?

GEORGE: Radstadt, sorry.

BRIAN: Yeah — I was told you were up in the Alps.

GEORGE: Well, this is in the Alps — a little sort of village.

BRIAN: Yeah? And what exactly have you been doing there, can you tell us?

GEORGE: We’ve been sort of on toboggans, on skis, and on ski lifts and things.

BRIAN: Yeah? Has it been hard work?

GEORGE: Well, quite. You know, we were [roped?] up sort of suddenly this morning. It’s good fun, though.

BRIAN: When are you coming back to England?

GEORGE: We’re leaving on Monday afternoon. We get back… think about five o’clock.

BRIAN: All right, George — [lovely?] to hear you again.

GEORGE: Thank you. I’ll pass you on to John now.

BRIAN: Right, right. Bye, George.

JOHN: Hello, Brian.

BRIAN: Hello, John. Now then, we’ve just been talking with George a little bit about the film. Is any of the music done yet, John? I mean, I know it’s written — is it recorded yet?

JOHN: Yeah, we recorded it before we went to the Bahamas, even.

BRIAN: You did all the music?

JOHN: We did eleven tracks [down to take seven?]. [?]

BRIAN: Gosh.

JOHN: But we’re still going to write the title song, because they only just told us it the other day — “Eight Arms to Hold You.”

BRIAN: Yes, fine.

JOHN: It’s going to be hard writing a song about that.

BRIAN: Well, I don’t know — you managed one about “Eight Days a Week.” Now then, are you [getting?] a bit of practice in at this skiing, then?

JOHN: Oh yeah, but you know, we haven’t done enough. They just [send?] down two inches of snow, and then they use the stand-ins. We’ve done a bit, though.

BRIAN: Can you tell us, very roughly, what the theme of this is all about?

JOHN: No, it’s no use asking me — I haven’t a clue.

BRIAN: Oh, I see. Tell me — just before you went to the Bahamas, you bought a very expensive and dangerous fast racing motorcar?

JOHN: Oh — a Ferrari.

BRIAN: Oh, that’s it, yes — let’s get the name in.

JOHN: If you get the name in, I might get it free.

BRIAN: Do you think that’s wise, for the man who’s just passed his test?

JOHN: Well, I don’t need to be driving it up and down the… [?]

BRIAN: Well, take it easy, won’t you? We’ll be glad to see you back in—

JOHN: Right.

BRIAN: Hello, Ring — how are you?

RINGO: Fine, thanks.

BRIAN: How’s life?

RINGO: Oh, great. Great.

BRIAN: Now then, since this film seems to centre around you — I couldn’t get any sense out of John. What have they been doing to you up to now?

RINGO: Um… [?]

(telephone line interference)

[unidentified voice]: Hello?

BRIAN: Yes.

RINGO: Who’s that?

BRIAN: I don’t know.

RINGO: That was an operator.

BRIAN: Oh, well. Erm — what’s been happening?

RINGO: Well, the Bahamas was the worst bit of it. We [had?] to leap off a boat into the river, you know —

BRIAN: Oh, yes.

RINGO: — into the sea.

BRIAN: Yeah?

RINGO: Because I can’t swim.

BRIAN: Oh, that’s useful!

RINGO: But that’s about the worst, you know — bit, the [diving?]. [?]

BRIAN: All right, Ring. Well now — could I have a quick word with Paul before we go? Thanks a lot. Bye, Ringo. Hello, Paul.

PAUL: How are you?

BRIAN: Fine, thanks. Are you enjoying yourself? You’ve got how much longer to do when you come back?

PAUL: I think it’s about eight weeks. [?]

BRIAN: When are we going to see it?

PAUL: Uh, about August, I think.

BRIAN: Oh, quite a long time yet. I believe that you and the boys are doing a programme on Easter Monday — you’re going to be choosing some of your records.

PAUL: Right.

BRIAN: Well, we’d like to congratulate you on the sustained success of your record in America — still number one.

PAUL: Great, thanks.

BRIAN: “Eight Days a Week,” that’s the one we’d like to play now — because I believe the new one is going to be released in April, isn’t it?

PAUL: Yeah.

BRIAN: So anyway, we’ll spin “Eight Days a Week,” okay? We’ll be glad to see you all back again.

PAUL: All right.

BRIAN: Thanks for calling.

PAUL: Goodbye.