Before the matching suits and polite bows, the Beatles were Liverpool teenagers sharpening their sound in the clubs of Hamburg’s red-light district. This episode traces the band from John’s 1956 skiffle group and George’s audition on a bus to grueling all-night sets and the deportations that ended their German residency.

We explore how a manager’s makeover and a producer from classical and comedy records shaped their sound, why Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr, and how fame turned into a dangerous circus. We also look at their shift to studio innovation and the personal tensions that led to their 1970 breakup.

• How Hamburg gave the band an encyclopedic knowledge of songs and unmatched live chemistry
• Why tailored suits worked as a Trojan horse for mainstream success
• Their 1965 stadium concert in New York and their refusal to play segregated shows
• The butcher cover and the religion remark that ended their touring years
• Vertical versus horizontal songwriting and the friction behind the band’s final years