Radio: BBC European Service – 18 June 1965

Q: What was the BBC European Service interview on 18 June 1965?

An interview for the BBC's Italian language service, recorded at NEMS Enterprises and broadcast 23 June 1965 on Londra Ultima Ora, ahead of the Milan concert on 24 June.

Q: Did The Beatles ever perform in Italy?

Once — at the Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan, on 24 June 1965, attended by around 25,000 people.

Q: What was NEMS Enterprises?

Brian Epstein's management company, with London offices on Argyll Street. It managed The Beatles' professional affairs from the early 1960s.

Q: What was Londra Ultima Ora?

An Italian-language BBC European Service programme (London Latest Hour), carrying news and culture from London for Italian-speaking audiences.

June 18, 2026

Friday 18 June 1965 | NEMS Enterprises, London, England

On 18 June 1965, The Beatles gave an interview for the BBC's Italian language service, recorded at the offices of NEMS Enterprises in London from 3.30pm. The interview was broadcast five days later, on 23 June 1965, on the BBC's European Service as part of the Londra Ultima Ora programme, which aired from 11pm to 11.30pm GMT.

Ahead of the Milan Concert

The interview was recorded in anticipation of The Beatles' first Italian concert, scheduled for 24 June 1965 at the Velodromo Vigorelli in Milan. It would be the group's only Italian performance — a single show in a country where Beatlemania had taken hold as fiercely as anywhere in Europe.

The BBC's European Service broadcast in multiple languages to audiences across the continent, and the Italian language service — Londra Ultima Ora (London Latest Hour) — was a regular fixture for Italian listeners seeking British news and culture. The Beatles, by June 1965, were sufficiently significant that an interview with them constituted a major broadcast event for the service.

NEMS Enterprises

NEMS Enterprises — North End Music Stores, the company Brian Epstein had built from his family's Liverpool record shop into The Beatles' management operation — had its London offices in Argyll Street, near Oxford Circus. By 1965 it was the administrative hub of The Beatles' professional lives: the address from which tours were booked, contracts negotiated, and press managed. The interview taking place at NEMS rather than Abbey Road or a BBC studio reflects the increasingly corporate infrastructure around the group by this point in their career.

The 1965 European Tour

The Milan show on 24 June 1965 was part of The Beatles' brief European tour that summer, which also took them to France, Spain, and Italy. It followed the completion of the Help! album — the mixing sessions for which had concluded that same morning at Abbey Road — and preceded the group's triumphant appearance at Shea Stadium in New York on 15 August 1965, widely regarded as the moment that defined the scale of Beatlemania.

The Velodromo Vigorelli in Milan — a cycling velodrome that had been used for major concerts and sporting events — was the venue for the Italian show. The concert was attended by around 25,000 people and was, by all accounts, as chaotic and exhilarating as any Beatles performance of the era.

Key Facts: 18 June 1965

Date	Friday 18 June 1965
Location	NEMS Enterprises offices, London
Interview time	From 3.30pm
Broadcast	BBC European Service — Londra Ultima Ora
Broadcast date	23 June 1965, 11–11.30pm GMT
Purpose	Ahead of The Beatles' first Italian concert, Milan, 24 June 1965
Milan venue	Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan

NEMS Enterprises had its London offices on Argyll Street, near Oxford Circus — the administrative hub of The Beatles' professional operation by 1965. The BBC European Service interview was recorded there on 18 June 1965.

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The Beatles: 1965

The year of Help!, Shea Stadium, and a single Italian concert. Officially licensed.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What was the BBC European Service interview on 18 June 1965?

On 18 June 1965, The Beatles gave an interview for the BBC's Italian language service at the offices of NEMS Enterprises in London. It was broadcast on 23 June 1965 on the BBC European Service as part of the Londra Ultima Ora programme (11–11.30pm GMT), ahead of The Beatles' first Italian concert in Milan on 24 June 1965.

Did The Beatles ever perform in Italy?

Yes — once. The Beatles performed a single concert in Italy on 24 June 1965 at the Velodromo Vigorelli in Milan, attended by around 25,000 people. It was their only Italian performance.

What was NEMS Enterprises?

NEMS Enterprises was Brian Epstein's management company, built from his family's North End Music Stores record shops in Liverpool. By 1965 it had London offices on Argyll Street and managed The Beatles' professional affairs including touring, contracts, and press.

What was Londra Ultima Ora?

Londra Ultima Ora (London Latest Hour) was a programme on the BBC's European Service broadcast in Italian. It carried news and cultural content from London for Italian-speaking audiences across Europe. The Beatles' interview was broadcast on the programme on 23 June 1965.