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Beatles A Day in the Life Blog posts of '1963' 'November'

The Beatles - A Day in The Life : Sunday, November 10, 1963

The Beatles - Hippodrome Theatre, Birmingham

The Beatles - A Day in The Life : Saturday, November 9, 1963

Granada Cinema, East Ham, London

Backstage before the show, with news hot from EMI, George Martin announced to the Beatles that their forthcoming single, "I Want To Hold Your Hand", looked likely to sell one million copies in advance of release. Later on, still before the release date, sales did actually top the million mark - the first time this feat had been acheived in Britain.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life : Friday, November 8, 1963

Studio 8, Broadcasting House, Ormeau Ave. Belfast and Ritz Cinema, Fisherwick Place, Belfast

En route from Dublin to Belfast, near to the Irish border, the Beatles stopped at a pre-arranged spot to be interviewed for Ulster Television (the ITV franchise for Northern Ireland) by reporter Jimmy Robninson. The item was included in this evening's edition of Ulster News, 6:25 to 6:35.

Then, on their 2:00 pm arrival in Belfast, the Beatles went to the BBC's local television studios, at Broadcasting House, where they taped an interview with Sally Ogle for the corporation's rival to Ulster News, the magazine program "Six Ten", broadcast, hardly surprisingly, at 6:10, until 6:31. The interview was taped at 3:00 pm. The Beatles had also been contracted to sing (mime) one song but this they did not do.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life : Thursday, November 7, 1963

Dublin Airport, Dublin, Eire and Adelphi Cinema, Middle Abbey St. Dublin, Eire

The Beatles only appearance in Ireland. On their arrival at Dublin Airport they were interviewed by reporter Frank Hall for the RTE (Radio Telefis Eireann) news-magazine television program "In Town", transmitted this same evening, 7:55 to 8:00 pm.

The Beatle's first feature film, "A Hard Day's Night", though it was five months away from gaining that title, first took shape on this day, when screenwriter Alun Owen, appointed by the film's producer Walter Shenson at the group's suggestion, began a three-day observation of the Beatles and their increasingly chaotic lifestyle. He flew into Dublin wit the group from London Airport, and stayed with them up to and including the engagement at East Ham on the 9th.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life : Wednesday, November 6, 1963

The Beatles at ABC Cinema, Northampton

The Beatles - A Day in The Life : Tuesday, November 5, 1963

Adelphi Cinema, Slough

In the late-morning the Beatles had an engagement with a TV crew from Associated-Rediffusion, which had decided to dedicate half of the next edition of its 30-minute current affairs series This Week to the subject of the Beatles and Beatlemania.

The group consented to an interview, filmed in the back of a hire car driving around London. Owing to the cramped conditions it wasn't impossible for all four Beatles to be in camera at the same time, so George and Ringo filmed together, then John and Paul.

Exactly nine minutes of interview footage, cut from the 10 mins 40 secs that was shot, made it into the finished program and this was supplemented by more than 20 Beatles photo stills and also by a studio converation about (though not with) the group, inserted live into the Thursday November 7th transmission, 9:10 to 9:40 pm.

In the evening, the Beatles resumed their nationwide package tour with two "houses" at Slough. ("Oh, that's near us", the Queen Mother had remarked to the group when, during their presentation to Her Majesty after the Royal Command Performance the previous evening, she had asked them where they would next be playing. Slough is only two miles from Windsor).

The Beatles - A Day in The Life : Monday, November 4, 1963

Prince of Wales Theatre, Coventry St. London

The Beatles' famous Royal Command Performance, in the presence of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, with Lord Snowdon. Though appearing seventh on a 19-act bill, they were undoubtedly the night's main attraction.

As they had done on Val Parnell's Sunday Night At The London Palladium on October 13th, the group put all of their tried-and-trusted stage tricks into the performance. They began playing the opening number, "From Me To You", before the curtain parted, then John and Paul simultaneously moved their microphone stands closer to the audience at its end; they bowed at the close of the second song, "She Loves You", Paul, clearly nervous, cracked a joke about Sophie Tucker being their "Favorite American Group" before the third song, "Till There Was You", before the fourth and last number, John and Paul returned their mike stands for the applause to die away before uttering his notorious jewellery-rattling witticism as an introduction to "Twist And Shout", finally, Ringo came down from his drum podium to join John, Paul and George, the curtain closed behind them, they bowed to the audience, then to the royal box, and then to show exuberance, sprinted off the stage.

Historically, telivising of the Royal Command Performance has alternated between the BBC and ITV, this year it fell to the latter. Pictures were networked across Britain by ATV the following Sunday, November 10th, 7:28 to 10:30 pm, with the Beatle's entire four-song performance included. However, when the BBC radio Light Program transmitted hightlights from the show *also on November 10), it omitted "She Loves You".

The Beatles - A Day in The Life : Sunday, November 3, 1963

Odeon Cinema, Leeds

A few minutes of one of the Beatles two "Houses" this evening was recorded for use in a court case involving the Performing Right Society. The tape no longer exists. After this night, the tour resumed on the 5th.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life : Saturday, November 2, 1963

The Beatles at City Hall, Sheffield

The Beatles - A Day in The Life : Friday, November 1, 1963

Odeon Cinema, Winchcombe St. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

The opening night of "The Beatles Autumn Tour", their 4th trek around Britain inside nine months, earning them £300 a night. Identical for every performance, the Beatles repertoire for this one comprised "I saw her standing there", "From me to you", "All my loving", "You really got a hold on me", "Roll over Beethoven", "Boys", "Till there was you", "She loves you", "Money (That's all I want)", and "Twist and Shout".

But the screaming was so loud that no one, not even the Beatles could hear more than a few notes of it.