MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR REVISITED (2012)

BBC's Arena presents the greatest Beatles story never told. A one-hour documentary full of fabulous Beatles archive material never shown before, anywhere in the world. Songs you'll never forget, the film you've never seen and a story that's never been heard. 

In 1967, in the wake of the extraordinary impact of Sgt. Pepper, The Beatles made a film - a dreamlike story of a coach daytrip, a magical mystery tour. It was seen by a third of the British nation, at 8.35pm on BBC1 on Boxing Day - an expectant public, hoping for some light entertainment for a family audience. Magical Mystery Tour was greeted with outrage and derision by middle England and the establishment media.

'How dare they', they cried, 'They're not film directors, who do they think they are?' they howled. Where were the four lovable moptops of Help! and A Hard Day's Night?

What propelled The Beatles to make this surreal, startling and - at the time - utterly misunderstood film? By the end of 1967, The Beatles had achieved a creativity unprecedented in popular music. Their triumphant summer release, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, was both avant garde and an instant hit. It went straight to No.1 in June and remained there for the rest of the year.

They immersed themselves in the fiercely radical art of the new counter culture and decided to make a film on their own terms, not as pop stars, but as artists.

Roll up, Roll Up for the Mystery Tour....Step right this way!

Contributors include Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Peter Fonda, Martin Scorsese, Terry Gilliam, Paul Merton and Neil Innes. (00:59:00)

Plus exclusive DVD special bonus feature.