Magical Mystery Tour first aired on BBC1 on Boxing Day 1967 in black and white. It didn't go down all that well. Then it went out in colour on 5 January 1968 on BBC2 and wasn't much better received. This was the Beatles' first major critical failure, but in part one we discuss whether it succeeded on its own terms: were they actually trying to entertain their audience, or were they more interested in challenging them? Was the film just a showcase for the songs or was there more going on?

Meet the Beatles Films Podcast

The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by Matt Looker and Ed Williamson. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for TheShiznit.co.uk, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media.

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