BC the Beatles
Music
About
Beatles historians, writers, and (most importantly) fans Allison Boron and Erika White dive into the Beatles - everything about the Beatles - from a second-generation, female perspective. Featuring guests, controversial debates, and a good, ol‘ fashioned sense of humor, BC the Beatles (pronounced ”Because the Beatles”) refreshes the conversation around the Fab Four, their music, and their world.
Episodes
- April 1966: Into the Void
This episode is Part Four of our 12-part series, Beneath the Surface: The Beatles in 1966 , a year-long, month-by-month look at the band’s most transformational year. In April 1966, the Beatles return from a three-month break and step into…
- A New Perspective on Brian Epstein, with Tom Wright, author of 'Please Please Me'
In this episode, we’re joined by Tom Wright to discuss his new play Please Please Me , which brings the story of Brian Epstein to the stage at London’s Kiln Theatre. The play explores Epstein’s life beyond his role as the Beatles’ manager,…
- March 1966 — The Image and the Cage
This episode is Part Three of our 12-part series, Beneath the Surface: The Beatles in 1966 , a year-long, month-by-month look at the band’s most transformational year. March 1966 marks the moment the Beatles begin to emerge from their earl…
- Capitol Gains: The Beatles' Records in America, with Author Andrew Cook (Part 2)
Today we’re bringing you part two of our interview with Andrew Cook, author of the new book Capitol Gains: Exposing the Conflict between the Beatles and the Record Label that Made Them. In part one, we dug into the many myths surrounding t…
- Capitol Gains: The Beatles' Records in America, with Author Andrew Cook (Part 1)
Today we’re joined by Andrew Cook, author of the new book Capitol Gains: Exposing the Conflict Between The Beatles and the Record Label That Made Them — part one of a two-part conversation. If you think you already know the story of how Th…
- February 1966 — Words That Will Echo
This episode is Part Two of our 12-part series, Beneath the Surface: The Beatles in 1966 , a year-long, month-by-month look at the band’s most transformational year. February 1966 continues the strange calm at the start of the year. There…
- January 1966 — The Calm Before the Weird
This episode is Part One of our 12-part series, Beneath the Surface: The Beatles in 1966 , a year-long, month-by-month look at the band’s most transformational year. In January 1966, everything about the Beatles still looked exactly the wa…
- (Just Like) Starting Over: Celebrating 1966 in 2026
It's been a minute, and we're back with a new season! This year, we're focusing the transformational year of 1966 — tracking the Beatles' lives, month-by-month. In this preview episode, we catch up on our time away, including Allison's tri…
- Digging Into The Beatles ’64 Doc & New Mono Set!
Another crazy month for us Beatles fans! This episode, we’re going through the Beatles’ new vinyl releases, including the brand-new Mono box set and its breakouts. (Which you can win in our special holiday giveaway!) We also review the new…
- Yoko Ono in Your Mind, with Author Madeline Bocaro
We’re back from our summer break and are so excited to welcome author Madeline Bocaro. Madeline is a music journalist with a lifelong admiration for Yoko Ono. Her new book, In Your Mind - The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono , tells the story…
- Podcast Preview: BC the Beatles x Ranking the Beatles
We’re still on our summer break, so we’re bringing you a preview of our recent appearance on one of our favorite podcasts, Ranking the Beatles. This episode keeps the Let it Be vibes going and discusses "One after 909," ranked #85 on Ranki…
- MACH SCHAU! The Beatles in 1960 [Encore]
The month of August has historically been full of significant changes for the Beatles. In August 1962, Pete Best was fired, and Ringo joined the band, completing the lineup and creating the chemistry that propelled them to worldwide stardo…
- Playing Those 'Mind Games' Ultimate Collection Remixes (Part 2: Track-by-Track)
It's part two of our Mind Games extravaganza, and we're going track-by-track on the new Mind Games Ultimate mix. Listen along with us as we dive into each song on this fabulous new release. And don't forget, enter our giveaway to win your…
- Playing Those 'Mind Games' Ultimate Collection Remixes (Part 1)
We're going deep with a two-parter celebrating the new release of John Lennon's solo album, Mind Games . In part one, we discuss the original album, the musicians who made up the "Plastic U.F.Ono Band," and the expansive offerings in this…
- 'Midas Man' Film Trailer: First Impressions (And How to REALLY Say Brian Epstein's Name)
The trailer for 'Midas Man' — the new film about Beatles' manager Brian Epstein — dropped this week, and we couldn't be more excited! Scheduled for release on August 29, 'Midas Man' follows Brian's career from 1963 through his death in 196…
- Almost a Beatles Reunion: The 'Ringo' Album
We celebrate Ringo's birthday by diving into the solo album that was almost a Beatles reunion: 1973's Ringo . With contributions from John, George, and Paul, Ringo gave fans hope that, although their breakup was acrimonious, the four Beatl…
- Manila Mayhem: The Beatles’ Disaster in the Philippines
On July 3, 1966, the Beatles landed in Manila, The Philippines, for the final stop on the first leg of their world tour. But two days later, after a misunderstanding with the country's first family, the band and their entourage narrowly es…
- The Beatles' Early Tours: Johnny Gentle and Helen Shapiro [Encore]
This week, we’re re-releasing a double header of episodes (two-in-one!) that digs into pivotal moments from the Beatles' touring career. The first part is about their very first tour backing Johnny Gentle in 1960. Part two discusses the ba…
- The Beatles' Historic Stance Against Segregation, with Dr. Kitty Oliver
Today is Juneteenth, a day that has held significance for the Black community for many years and one that, for the past four, has become a national holiday in the United States. It’s a day for education, listening, learning, and increasing…
- The Sound of ‘One Hand Clapping’ Track-By-Track, with Sam Whiles of the Paul Or Nothing Podcast
Paul McCartney and Wings’ One Hand Clapping is one of the most bootlegged albums in rock history. Fifty years later, the album is being officially released for the first time, with a fabulous new mix by Steve Orchard (and Giles Martin coll…
- John’s Not-So-Lost Weekend, with May Pang
Our guest today is the wonderful May Pang, who we’re so excited to welcome onto BC the Beatles! May began her career in the music industry at ABKCO and Apple Records before transitioning into being John and Yoko’s personal assistant. Three…
- The Beatles and Doctor Who: A Shared Timeline, with Ed Chen and James Ryan
This month, two behemoths of British culture crashed into one another, when the new season of Doctor Who featured a much-anticipated Beatles episode called “The Devil’s Chord.” Both fandoms have been hoping for this crossover episode for y…
- The Redhead on the Roof, with Kevin Harrington
Our very, very special guest today is the great Kevin Harrington, who most Beatles fans will recognize as the “redhead on the roof” in the Let It Be and Get Back films. At the time, Kevin was only 18 years old(!) but had been working for t…
- A ‘Let It Be’ Roundtable with the Blotto Beatles, Ranking the Beatles, Fans on the Run, and Paul or Nothing Podcasts
This week, Erika participated in a roundtable discussion of the newly-released Let it Be film with some of our favorite Beatles podcasters. Enjoy this supersized episode about all things Let it Be . And if you like what you hear, please he…
- ‘Let It Be’ Revisited with Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg
We’re thrilled to welcome the incredible Michael Lindsay-Hogg to the podcast. Michael is, of course, the director of the Beatles’ film “Let it Be,” now fully restored and available worldwide on Disney Plus. Michael joined us to talk about…
- A "Let it Be" Teaser with Giles Martin and a Track-by-Track Recap of the 2021 Remixes [Encore]
The trailer for the restored version of Michael Lindsay-Hogg's "Let it Be" film dropped this week, and we couldn't be more excited! So in anticipation of the big day, we combined two of our favorite "Let it Be" episodes from the archives.…
- Behind the Scenes at Abbey Road on the River, with Melissa Brumm
This week, we welcome Melissa Brumm, Co-Producer and Creative Director for the Abbey Road on the River music festival. Abbey Road on the River (AROTR) is the world’s largest Beatles-inspired music festival (and is very close to Allison's h…
- Nutopia: John and Yoko's Conceptual Country
In an April 1973 press conference, John Lennon and Yoko Ono declared the birth of Nutopia, a "conceptual country" founded in response to John's ongoing immigration struggles. In past weeks, Nutopia has resurfaced online through a new websi…
- Surprise, Surprise! It's a Cilla Black Episode!
When we first started this podcast way back in 2018, one of the reasons we called it “BECAUSE the Beatles” was because we wanted to be able to not only talk about the Beatles, but anything adjacent to them in any way … hence "because" the…
- Podcast Preview: We Say Yeah!, a Cliff Richard Podcast with David “Ghosty” Wills
This week, we're sharing an episode of one of our favorite Beatles-adjacent podcasts, We Say Yeah! , a show about Cliff Richard and the Shadows. This is one of the only — if not the only — podcasts exclusively about Cliff Richard, who was,…
- The Last Lennon Interview, with Author Laurie Kaye
Today we're joined by Laurie Kaye, author of the new book, Confessions of a Rock 'N' Roll Name-Dropper: My Life Leading up to John Lennon’s Last Interview. As a young rock journalist, Laurie got the opportunity of a lifetime: to spend the…
- And the Award Goes To… Beatles Biopics
Our excitement over the upcoming Sam Mendes Beatles biopics got us thinking about some of our favorite Beatles movies. From classics like Birth of the Beatles and Backbeat , to contemporary Beatles stories like Nowhere Boy and Yesterday ,…
- Beatles Fan Clubs in North America, with author Sara Schmidt
Sara Schmidt returns to the podcast to discuss her new book, Dear Beatle People: The Story of the Beatles North American Fan Club . Dear Beatle People: The Story of the Beatles’ North American Fan Club tells the stories of both the officia…
- The New Beatles Biopics!! What We Know and What We Want
Four new Beatles biopics are coming, and we're obsessed! Oscar- and TONY-award winning director Sam Mendes will direct the films, slated for 2027, with full life rights for all four Beatles. We break down what we know so far, speculate on…
- Happy Birthday(s), George! [Encore Episode]
This week marks what would have been George Harrison’s birthday… or is it birthdays? So we pulled one of our most popular episodes out of the archives in his honor. We’re looking at George’s early life in Liverpool, his all-encompassing gu…
- Love Letters to the Beatles (and a Fest recap!)
This Valentine's Day, we're reading some of the love letters fans sent to the Beatles 60 years ago this year, published in 1964's Love Letters to the Beatles . Plus a recap of the 2024 Fest for Beatles Fans at the fabulous TWA hotel! -----…
- A Really Big Show: How the Beatles Made It to ‘Ed Sullivan’
It’s the 60th anniversary of the Beatles’ first American visit and their groundbreaking appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. We’re tracing the twists and turns that brought the Beatles to America, and opened the doors to a cultural revolut…
- Sex, Nostalgia, and Fanfiction: Beatles Fandom with Richard Mills
This week, we welcome Dr. Richard Mills, author of the book The Beatles and Fandom: Sex, Death, and Progressive Nostalgia , as we discuss the intricacies of Beatles fandom in all its glory. From sex and death to slash fanfic and tribute ba…
- "Meat" the Beatles: The Butcher Cover Controversy
The infamous "Butcher" cover inspired near-universal shock and disgust when it appeared as the original cover of The Beatles' Yesterday...and Today album. It was recalled after a single day, and albums with a butcher cover hidden underneat…
- The Beatles as Fashion Icons with Deirdre Kelly
This week, we're exploring the Beatles' fashion sense and influence with Deirdre Kelly, author of the new book Fashioning the Beatles: The Looks that Shook the World . Deirdre is a Canadian journalist, author and arts critic. Other books i…
- Before “Now and Then”: The First “New” Beatles Song, ”Free as a Bird”
The Beatles’ Anthology yielded more than an audio trip through the group’s history, it also produced the first “new” Beatles song since the band’s breakup in 1970. Utilizing a demo recorded by John Lennon in the 1970s, “Free As a Bird” bec…
- Encore: What If the Beatles Had Passed the (1962 Decca) Audition?
For our last holiday hiatus episode, we’re going back to our archives again, to look at a New Year's day that may have been one of the most pivotal moments in the Beatles’ career. After just one month of being their manager, Brian Epstein…
- A ’Now and Then’ Roundtable with Blotto Beatles and Ranking the Beatles
For the last episode of 2023, we're re-living the most exciting thing to happen in the Beatles world this year: the release of "the last Beatles song," 'Now and Then.' When 'Now and Then' was released in November, Allison joined a roundtab…
- Encore: Simply Having a … Happy Xmas (War is Over)
We’re taking a break for the holiday season, so we pulled a fun and timely discussion from our back catalog. In this episode from December, 2018, we look at the two most famous—and most polarizing—holiday songs from the solo Beatles: Paul'…
- The Mystery of Mal Evans feat. Gary Evans and Ken Womack
Mal Evans is best known as the Beatles’ roadie, but he was much more: a trusted confidant, driver, Mr. Fix-It, drug procurer, and, most importantly, husband and father. Today, we’re joined by Mal’s son, Gary, and the author of the new biog…
- Designer David McGurk on the George and Giles Martin Action Figures
Did you know that George and Giles Martin have their own action figures? When Giles Martin saw the action figure that designer David McGurk created of his father, George Martin, he liked it so much that he arranged for it to sell in the Ab…
- Paul Muldoon on Paul McCartney: The Lyrics, 1956–Present
We’re so excited to welcome poet and editor Paul Muldoon to the podcast, to talk about his work on Paul McCartney’s book, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present , and the companion podcast, Paul McCartney: A Life in Lyrics. Paul Muldoon has been…
- The Beatles’ ”Red” (1962–66) and ”Blue” (1967–70) Remixes: Track-by-Track (Part 2)
We continue our track-by-track deep dive of the Beatles’ “Red” (1962–1966) and “Blue” (1967–1970) albums. In part two, we look at the second half of the Red album and the new tracks on Blue. Fifty years after their original release, Giles…
- The Beatles’ ”Red” (1962–66) and ”Blue” (1967–70) Remixes: Track-by-Track (Part 1)
The newly-mixed Beatles’ “Red” (1962–66) and “Blue” (1967–70) albums are here! We start our two-part deep dive with the first half of the “Red” album. Fifty years after their original release, Giles Martin has remixed these albums using th…
- Giles Martin on Completing the Beatles
Beatles producer Giles Martin is back! Giles joins us to talk “Now and Then,” the new Red and Blue re-releases, and… his personalized action figure? About Giles: Giles Martin is the mastermind behind the recent remixes of Sgt Pepper, the W…