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sharedthestronganddistinctiveLiverpoolaccentknownas“scouse”(see
Atkinson2006).Thiswassignificantinrelationtothechangingsocial,eco-
nomicandpoliticalcircumstancesofthetime.Favourableeconomicconditions,
improvedpublicservicesandhousing,improvedcommunicationsnetworksand
thecomparativepeaceoftheColdWarperiodcombinedtoofferyoungpeople
thechancetofindgainfulemploymentandtoprosper.TheBeatlesthemselves
wereanexampleofsuchupwardsocialmobilityasworking-classyouthswho
promoted,andvisiblyenjoyed,therewardsoftheemergentconsumerculture.
TheBeatles’LiverpoolvoicesbecamesignificantinthecontextoftheBritish
social-realistaestheticofthelate1950sandearly1960s.Somebroadcast
programmesinfluentialinitsdevelopmentincludedAlunOwen’sLiverpool
televisionplaysof1959-1962;DenisMitchell’sbroadcastdocumentariessetin
LiverpoolandManchesterin1958-1959;thecreationofthenorthern,working-
classsoapoperaCoronationStreetin1960;andthebroadcastingoftheradically
newtelevisionpolicedramaZCars,setinafictionalLiverpool,from1962.
AlunOwenwroteastylizedversionoftheBeatles’speechinAHardDay’s
Night(directedbyRichardLester,1964)(seeAtkinson2006).Buthehad
broughtrepresentationsofLiverpoolworking-classculturetothesmallscreen
beforetheBeatles’risetofame.HisfirsttelevisionplayNoTramtoLimeStreet
wasbroadcaston18October1959ontheinfluentialArmchairTheatre(ITV
1956–1969).TheplaywascommissionedbySydneyNewman,adirectorof
dramawho“concentratedonplaysofsocialrealism,manyofthemreflecting
achangingBritain”(Crisell1997:95).NoTrampresenteda“slice-of-life”
dramaaboutordinaryworking-classLiverpoolpeople.Thefourmaincharacters
oftheplayhaveCelticbackgrounds,asignificantpointhere:itisin-migration
fromCelticcountriesthatgivesLiverpoolitsdistinctiveaccent,anaccentso
differentfromotherEnglishspeechvarietiesanddifferent,even,fromthe
speechofnorthwestEngland(seeKnowles1973;Trudgill2000;Belchem2000).
Norecordingoftheplaysurvives,butthepublishedscriptindicatesthatthe
dialoguefeaturestheregionaldialect.Examplesofthisincludetheuseofthe
wordgerron(meaning“geton”),theabbreviationofthewordafternoontoavo,
ofladtola,andtheinclusionoftheLiverpoolwordforfoodatthetime–chuck
(Owen1961).NoTramwasthefirstplayinwhatMarkDugoid(2003)refersto
asOwen’s“loosetrilogy”ofLiverpoolplays.AftertheFuneral(1960)andThe
HardKnock(1962)completethesetandbothplaysproviderepresentationsof
thelivesofworking-classLiverpoolpeople.Allthreeplaysexaminetheeffect
onfamiliesofmenbeingabsentatseaanditisnotablethattheabsenceof
Lennon’smerchantseamanfatheralsoimpactedonyoungJohn’slife(see
Coleman1985;Norman1996).Owen’sLiverpooltrilogyhelpedimprinttheidea
ofthecityintheBritishpublic’spopularmemory.Indeed,PaulMcCartney
statedthathewasawareofNoTramwhenOwenwasbeingconsideredas
scriptwriterfortheband’sfirstfilm.McCartneyhassaidthattheBeatlesthought
