1963: The Beatles' early years
Just two years after their first gig at the Cavern Club as the Beatles in 1961, the Fab Four were the biggest band in the UK.
Allan Scott talks to friends of the Beatles, including their former drummer Pete Best, about the band's early years.
In 1963, The Public Ear became the show young people would tune into to understand the rapid changes in music, film, fashion and culture that the UK was experiencing.
Listen to James Peak and Joan Bakewell talk about some incredible The Public Ear archive in the Radio 4 show A Year in the Life of the Swinging Sixties.