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PeterAtkinson
SchoolofJournalism,MediaandCommunication
UniversityofCentralLancashire,UK
TheBeatlesandthebroadcastingofBritishcultural
revolution,1958–63
“Ifyouarehavingarevolutionyouhaveto
haveamyth”–ColinRenfrew
1
In1963,theyearoftheirrisetofameinBritain,theBeatlesreleasedrecords,
playedaveryconsiderablenumberoflivedates,andwereextensivelyfeatured
inthenationalandmusicpress.Buttheyalsofeaturedintelevisionandradio
programmes,andtheireffectinBritishculturemaybeputinthecontextofthis
beingatimeofsignificantchangeinBritishbroadcasting.In1963traditional
formsandformatsinthisfieldco-existedwithnewonesthatwereinnovative,
modernand,insomecases,revolutionary.Televisionwasimportantatthetime,
asitwasthenewdomesticbroadcastingmedium.ArthurMarwicknotesthat
“theuniversalpresenceoftelevision”inthe1960sresultedinthe“spectacle”
becomingan“integralpartoftheinterfacebetweenlifeandleisure”(Marwick
1998:18).JohnCornermeanwhileobservesthattelevisionacquireda“newly-
dominant‘publicsphere’role”atthistime(Corner1991:43).Itcanbeseen
belowthattheculturalinfluenceoftheBeatlesinthisperiodwastransacted
withinthecontextofamodernizingbroadcastservice.
TherewereonlytwotelevisionbroadcastersinBritainin1963:theBritish
BroadcastingCorporation(BBC)andIndependentTelevision(ITV),andthe
onlyradioproviderpermittedtobroadcastwasBBCRadio.Thechangesat
BBC-TVweretheresultofthepublicservicebroadcasterlosingthemonopolyit
hadenjoyedsinceitstartedbroadcastingatelevisionservicein1936.ITVbegan
broadcastingin1955,thesameyearthatrockandrollwasfirstheardinBritain,
mainlyastheresultofbeingusedonthesoundtrackfortheAmericanfilmThe
BlackboardJungle(directedbyRichardBrooks).Losingitsmonopolyhad
severalconsequencesfortheBBC,whicharerelevantfortheriseoftheBeatles
in1963andtheirculturalimpact.Thesearediscussedindividuallybelow.
Representationsofnorthernworking-classcultureonBritishtelevision
TheBeatles’working-classaccentsprovidedakeysignifierinthesymbolthey
becameforthebeginningoftheeraknownasthesixties.Theband’smembers
1
ColinRenfrewspeakinginHitler’sSearchfortheHolyGrail,ChannelFourTV,
5October2000.
