Volume 1 Issue 6	19 December, 1998	Online Edition

The long-awaited TV documentary about Brian Epstein will be receiving its world premiere over the Christmas holidays on British TV.

And given its unusually-long 150 minute length - the film is unlikely to ever be seen uncut on American TV.

Other countries may show the documentary in its entirety - though no announcements have yet been made by the BBC which owns the film.

Admirers of Brian Epstein and the Beatles who live outside the UK - who wish to see the entire film - are advised to request that friends in the UK videotape the documentary for them from British TV.

The unusual length of the film arose during the editing process when BBC filmmakers decided that Brian Epstein’s life was so important and fascinating that they need to expand their originally-planned 90-minute single film into two 75 minute films. In Britain the films will be aired on successive nights.

(Note that in the UK the films will be aired on the commercial-free BBC - so the duration of each 75-minute film is a true 75 minutes.)

Transmission details are as follows:

Part One - Christmas Day (Friday December 25th 1998) 9:00pm - 10:15pm - BBC 2
Part Two - “Boxing Day” (Saturday December 26th 1998) 9:00pm - 10:15pm - BBC 2

The American TV rights are held by A&E (Arts & Entertainment Network) which has been planning to air the documentary as part of its prestigious “Biography” series. However the fact that it has ended up being a two-part film totaling 2 1/2 hours (which would expand to 4 hours on a commercial American network) clearly poses a difficulty for the American cable network.

No decision has been made yet by A&E - which has not yet viewed the final documentary.

Part One of the film covers Epstein’s life from his birth up to January 1964 - including his discovery of the Beatles, his crucial makeover of their image and his successful campaign to break them in Britain and Europe.

Part Two covers the story from February 1964 - and follows the campaigns Epstein masterminded for the Beatles to conquer America and the rest of the world. The film follows his incredible successes in 1964, ‘65, ‘66 and ‘67 right up to the final tragedy of his very premature death in August 1967 - a event which John Lennon always asserted was ultimately the real reason for the demise of the Beatles.

The documentary features extensive use of previously-unseen archive material. It also contains an historic interview with Paul McCartney in which he definitively anoints Epstein as “the Fifth Beatle.”

The MBE! website will present news about the distribution of the film in other countries as soon as it gets notification.

Copyright © 1998 Springtime!