It feels as though we’ve been in a bit of a Beatles resurgence in recent years; first we had the film Yesterday, the new Beatles photo archive exhibition going on display, the new star-studded Beatles biopic, and obviously, the band featuring on every single Spotify Wrapped from men under 60. But according to Variety, there’s a new Beatles biopic (of sorts) heading our way.
The Beatle and the Bass is a new documentary commissioned by BBC Arts which tells the story of Paul McCartney’s stolen bass guitar which was returned to him in 2024 after 52 years.
The feature length documentary is being directed by Arthur Cary, and produced by Passion Pictures. That’s the same Passion Pictures who won this year’s BAFTA with Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. It’s all part of BBC Arena’s 50th Anniversary alongside similar documentaries also celebrating big cultural moments and figures in British history, including Turner and LS Lowry.
The less-guts-and-gore crime story charts the mystery of McCartney’s original Höfner bass guitar which disappeared 52 years ago, and became one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most heartwarming detective stories.
McCartney will feature in the film, but the documentary will also feature interviews from others who are connected to the bass like McCartney’s brother Mike, as well as friend and artist Klaus Voormann who were with the Beatles from the start.
McCartney originally bought his Höfner bass in 1961 in Hamburg for £30, back when he was a relatively unknown 18-year-old, and it stayed by his side throughout The Beatles’ stratospheric rise to fame in the early 70s. Until, around the mid-70s, it vanished completely, thought to be lost forever…
“The documentary offers a fresh perspective on music history, with access to McCartney himself and those who witnessed the Beatles’ rise from the very beginning,” according to Ceire Clark, VP of non-scripted entertainment at Fremantle. The team behind it are hoping it “celebrates the enduring power of music and storytelling to connect people around the world.” Respectfully, we are already seated.
And if you can’t get enough McCartney, there is another documentary on Amazon Prime titled Man on the Run which examines his post-Beatles career.
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