The BBC has expanded the ensemble for its upcoming six-part television drama Hamburg Days. High-profile actors Asa Butterfield (Sex Education), Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting), and Bafta award-winner Christine Tremarco (Adolescence) have officially joined the project, which is currently filming in Liverpool and Germany.
The biographical series focuses on the formative, lesser-known early chapter of the legendary band’s career, following a group of raw Liverpool teenagers during their grueling residencies in the smoke-filled clubs of Germany’s port city as they transform into global icons.
“Hamburg Days is the fascinating story of how, in the space of two short years, a raw young band from Liverpool honed their music skills in Hamburg, before returning home to become an overnight worldwide success.” Sue Deeks.
Highlighting the band’s inner circle and family roots
The new casting announcements bring several key historical figures to life. Asa Butterfield, 29, will portray the legendary visionary Brian Epstein, who managed The Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967. Alongside him, 53-year-old Jonny Lee Miller takes on the role of Sir Paul McCartney’s father, Jim, while Bafta award-winner Christine Tremarco, 49, has been cast as John Lennon’s aunt and guardian, Mimi Smith. They join a core cast of fresh faces playing the young musicians, including Rhys Mannion as John Lennon, Ellis Murphy as Paul McCartney, Harvey Brett as George Harrison, Louis Landau as Stuart Sutcliffe, and Patrick Gilmore as Pete Best.
Inspired by the memoirs of Klaus Voormann and premium crew
The Beatles performed more than 250 gigs in the German port city between 1960 and 1962. Hamburg Days pulls its creative inspiration from the memoirs of Klaus Voormann, a young artist who met the band there, designed their 1966 Revolver album cover, and later played on solo tracks for Lennon, Harrison, and Starr. The drama is scripted by Succession writer Jamie Carragher, directed by The Crown’s Christian Schwochow, and features music curated by Killing Eve’s David Holmes. The series will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
