Monday 11 September 1967 | Film and video, Magical Mystery Tour
| Date | Monday 11 September 1967 |
| Event | First week of Magical Mystery Tour filming begins |
| Departure point | Allsop Place, near Baker Street underground station, London |
| Planned departure time | 10.45am (delayed two hours) |
| Passengers | 43, including The Beatles, film technicians, family, friends and actors |
| First overnight stop | Royal Hotel, The Den, Teignmouth, Devon |
On Monday 11 September 1967, The Beatles began filming Magical Mystery Tour β the self-directed, semi-improvised television film that would be broadcast on BBC One on Boxing Day 1967. The project had been conceived by Paul McCartney, who drew his inspiration from the American tradition of the mystery bus tour and, more directly, from Ken Kesey's famous Merry Pranksters bus journey across the United States in 1964.
Filming was structured around two week-long coach trips. The first began this day. The second would follow later in the month. Between and around those trips, additional footage was shot in studios and on location.
Allsop Place: the delayed departure
It was traditional for pop package tours involving multiple acts to depart from Allsop Place, near Baker Street underground station in London. McCartney chose the same location for the Magical Mystery Tour coach, scheduling departure for 10.45am.
The coach, however, was not ready. It was still being decorated with the distinctive Magical Mystery Tour lettering and psychedelic colour scheme that would become one of the film's most recognisable images. The 43 passengers β a mix of family, friends, fan club staff, actors, and other selected travellers β were made to wait two hours for its arrival.
McCartney used the time productively. While the passengers waited, he walked to the London Transport cafΓ© above Baker Street station, where he bought a cup of tea and signed autographs. He then headed to Soho with road manager Mal Evans to purchase suitably theatrical uniforms for the coach driver and courier.
The Beatles β Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour Album Cover Unisex T-Shirt (Red) β wear the icon of the 1967 trip.
On the road: the A30 and Ivor Cutler
As the coach finally left London via the A30, road manager Neil Aspinall handed each passenger a Β£5 note to cover meals for the week. The party numbered 43 in total, including The Beatles themselves and the film technicians responsible for capturing what would become the raw material of the finished film.
John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were not on the coach from the start. They were picked up en route at Virginia Water, Surrey, close to where they lived. Among the other passengers was the Scottish comedian and musician Ivor Cutler, who had been cast to play Buster Bloodvessel β one of the film's central characters. McCartney had been a fan of Cutler's eccentric, deadpan work and had personally invited him to take part.
Filming began almost immediately, with scenes improvised on the coach as it travelled and during a lunch break at the Pied Piper restaurant in Basingstoke, Hampshire. The unscripted, spontaneous nature of those early scenes β passengers interacting, characters emerging, the coach itself becoming a kind of rolling stage β set the tone for the entire production.
The Beatles β Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour Pin Badge β a small piece of one of the most inventive film projects of the 1960s.
Teignmouth: the Royal Hotel
Late in the evening, the coach arrived at its first overnight destination: the Royal Hotel at The Den, Teignmouth, Devon. The entire party of 43 spent the night there.
The Beatles had attempted to arrive discreetly, swapping from the coach to a car just outside the town in a bid to remain incognito. The plan did not work. 400 local teenagers had discovered their supposedly secret plans and were waiting in the rain outside the hotel for a glimpse of the group. The crowd was not hostile β it was the particular kind of patient, devoted, rain-soaked devotion that had followed The Beatles everywhere since 1963.
Inside the hotel, McCartney gave an impromptu press conference, outlining the group's plans for the film. He and Neil Aspinall then worked through the room arrangements for the 43-strong coach party, before sitting down with John Lennon and technical director Peter Theobalds to discuss the following day's shooting schedule.
The Royal Hotel in Teignmouth has since been remodelled as the Royal Court apartments.
The film in context
Magical Mystery Tour was conceived and directed by The Beatles themselves β the first time they had taken full creative control of a film project without the involvement of a professional director. It was an ambitious, deliberately uncommercial undertaking: a stream-of-consciousness journey with no conventional plot, built around musical sequences, comic sketches, and improvised interactions between the coach passengers.
The project came in the immediate aftermath of Brian Epstein's death on 27 August 1967. With their manager gone, The Beatles had resolved to manage their own affairs and take their own creative directions. Magical Mystery Tour was the first substantial project of that post-Epstein phase. McCartney in particular drove it forward, and the film reflects his instinct for visual experimentation and his interest in absurdist, Goon Show-influenced humour.
The accompanying double EP β one of the first releases of its kind β contained some of the strongest material The Beatles recorded in 1967, including I Am the Walrus, The Fool on the Hill, Flying, and the title track. For more on the music, films and recording sessions of The Beatles, visit the Beatles Knowledge Hub.
Key Facts
| Filming start date | 11 September 1967 |
| Departure point | Allsop Place, near Baker Street underground station, London |
| Coach passengers | 43, including The Beatles, film crew, family, friends, fan club staff and actors |
| Lennon, Harrison & Starr joined | Virginia Water, Surrey |
| Lunch stop | Pied Piper restaurant, Basingstoke, Hampshire |
| First overnight stop | Royal Hotel, The Den, Teignmouth, Devon |
| Crowd at Teignmouth | Approximately 400 local teenagers |
| Meals allowance | Β£5 per person, distributed by Neil Aspinall |
| BBC broadcast | Boxing Day, 26 December 1967 |
Frequently Asked Questions
When did filming of Magical Mystery Tour begin?
Filming of Magical Mystery Tour began on Monday 11 September 1967, when the decorated coach departed from Allsop Place near Baker Street underground station in London. The coach was delayed by approximately two hours while it was still being painted with the Magical Mystery Tour lettering and colours.
Where did the Magical Mystery Tour coach depart from?
The Magical Mystery Tour coach departed from Allsop Place, near Baker Street underground station in London. Paul McCartney chose the location because it was the traditional starting point for pop package tours of the era. The planned departure time was 10.45am on 11 September 1967, though the coach arrived approximately two hours late.
Where did The Beatles spend the first night of Magical Mystery Tour filming?
The entire Magical Mystery Tour party spent the first night at the Royal Hotel at The Den in Teignmouth, Devon. The Beatles arrived by car rather than coach in an attempt to remain incognito, but approximately 400 local teenagers had discovered their plans and were waiting in the rain to see them. The Royal Hotel has since been converted into the Royal Court apartments.
How many people were on the Magical Mystery Tour coach?
There were 43 people on the Magical Mystery Tour coach, including The Beatles, film technicians, family members, friends, fan club staff, actors, and other selected travellers. Each person was given a Β£5 note by Neil Aspinall to cover their meals for the week.
Who was Ivor Cutler in Magical Mystery Tour?
Ivor Cutler was a Scottish comedian and musician cast by Paul McCartney to play Buster Bloodvessel in Magical Mystery Tour. McCartney was a fan of Cutler's eccentric, deadpan style and personally invited him to take part. Cutler was among the passengers on the coach from the first day of filming, 11 September 1967.
When was Magical Mystery Tour broadcast on television?
Magical Mystery Tour was broadcast on BBC One on Boxing Day, 26 December 1967. It was transmitted in black and white, despite having been filmed in colour, which contributed to the critical disappointment that greeted it on first broadcast. A colour repeat was shown on BBC Two on 5 January 1968.
Why did The Beatles make Magical Mystery Tour?
Magical Mystery Tour was conceived by Paul McCartney as a self-directed, experimental film project. It came shortly after the death of their manager Brian Epstein in August 1967, and represented The Beatles taking full creative and business control of their own output. McCartney drew inspiration from the tradition of mystery bus tours and from Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters bus journey in the US.
Β
The Beatles β Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour Keychain Spinner β take a piece of the mystery tour with you.
β Brian Epstein dies β 27 August 1967
β Interview: John, George and Ringo in Bangor, Wales β 27 August 1967
β People in Beatles History
β The Beatles Knowledge Hub
β On This Day in Beatles History
β The Beatles collection
Shop Magical Mystery Tour merch: MMT Album Cover T-Shirt | MMT Pin Badge | MMT Keychain Spinner | Full Beatles collection
0 comments