With seemingly unstoppable momentum during the summer of 1967, on 18 May The Beatles signed a contract to represent the BBC, and Britain, on Our World, the world’s first live television satellite link-up to be seen by approximately 400 million people across five continents.
The Beatles’ appearance was announced four days later, on 22 May. John Lennon wrote the song ‘All You Need Is Love’ especially for the occasion, to the brief given by the BBC: it had to be simple so that viewers around the world would understand it.
We were big enough to command an audience of that size, and it was for love. It was for love and bloody peace. It was a fabulous time. I even get excited now when I realise that’s what it was for: peace and love, people putting flowers in guns.
Our World took place on 25 June 1967. Between the announcement and the broadcast date, The Beatles recorded the rhythm track and some basic vocals.
The satellite link-up was devised by the BBC, which took the idea to the European Broadcasting Union in 1966. The project editor was BBC executive Aubrey Singer. Personalities, including Maria Callas and Pablo Picasso, from 19 nations performed in separate items from their respective countries. The event, which lasted two-and-a-half hours, had the largest television audience to date.
No politicians or heads of state were allowed to take part in the broadcast, and no pre-recorded videotape or film was allowed. Around 10,000 technicians, producers and translators helped make the event happen; each country had its own announcers, with translators narrating where necessary.
For the first time ever, linking five continents and bringing man face to face with mankind, in places as far apart as Canberra and Cape Kennedy, Moscow and Montreal, Samarkand and Söderfors, Takamatsu and Tunis.
National broadcasting companies from 14 countries provided material for the 125-minute programme, which was shown in black-and-white. The organizations involved were: Australia (ABC), Austria (ORF), Canada (CBC), Denmark (DZR), France (ORTF), Italy (RAI), Japan (NHK), Mexico (TS Mexicana), Spain (TVE), Sweden (SRT), Tunisia (RTT), United Kingdom (BBC), USA (NET) and West Germany (ARD), and the programme was also shown – without contributing their own content – in Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland.
In the week before broadcast, seven Eastern bloc countries – led by the Soviet Union – pulled out, apparently in protest to the Western nations’ response to the Six Day War.
The Beatles’ day began at 2pm with a camera rehearsal in EMI’s Studio One. An outside broadcast van was situated in the studio car park, which relayed the signal around the world via the Intelsat I (Early Bird), Intelsat II (Lana Bird) and ATS-1 satellites.
Also on this day...
- 2022: Paul McCartney live: Glastonbury Festival
- 2016: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Pinewood Bowl Theater, Lincoln
- 2015: Paul McCartney live: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia
- 2014: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Turning Stone Casino, Verona
- 2013: Paul McCartney live: Arena di Verona, Verona
- 2010: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Casino Rama, Rama
- 2008: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Bank of America Pavilion, Boston
- 2006: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio
- 2000: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Humphreys Concerts By The Bay, San Diego
- 1992: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Summerfest, Milwaukee
- 1968: Mixing, editing: Revolution 1, Revolution 9
- 1968: George Harrison produces Jackie Lomax’s Sour Milk Sea
- 1968: Paul McCartney flies from New York to London
- 1966: The Beatles live: Grugahalle, Essen, Germany
- 1964: The Beatles live: Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand
- 1963: The Beatles live: Astoria Ballroom, Middlesbrough
- 1962: The Beatles live: Plaza Ballroom, St Helens
- 1962: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
- 1961: The Beatles live: Top Ten Club, Hamburg
- 1960: The Silver Beetles live: Grosvenor Ballroom, Wallasey
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
‘All you need is Love’ was broadcast from Olympic Sudios, Church Road, Barnes SW13, not Abbey Road. There is also a myth going around that the anthology version was colourised. This would have been and to this day would have been an incredibly expensive process, even harder to do in 1994. The BBC had colour video capability in the summer of 1967 and it is much more probable that a colour tape was recorded on the day.
You’re wrong about Olympic. The backing track for All You Need Is Love was begun there, but Our World was filmed at EMI Studios, Abbey Road (overdubs were also recorded at EMI in the days leading up to the satellite broadcast).
you are right joe. that looks like studio two at abbey road studios
Besides being wrong about Olympic, you’re also incorrect about the colorization. The event was NOT recorded in color. It was, in fact, videotaped in Black and White, and the ‘color’ was added for the Anthology that premiered in 1995.
You’re right about it being televised in color, but wring about where. It was recorded at EMI.
Compare Jean Luc Godards ‘One Plus One’ of the Rolling Stones recording Sympathy for the Devil in 1968 at Olympic with ‘Our World’. It is the very same room I promise you.
There’s no big plot about the studio. All of the living Beatles remember being at Abbey Road, and that’s good enough for me.
Who cares where it was done. I care that it was done and we still have it to enjoy today! Love is all you need!
Mind you, OUR WORLD was nationally broadcasted also in Yugoslavia through a national RTV on that very day. (Then still) Yugoslavia also contributed it’s part in the programme. I remember because I was watching that broadcast. The Yugoslavian part was actually a Slovenian part about a touristic town Bled with it’s lake and island with a little church on it and a castle above on a rock. I think there was also something about croatian town Dubrovnik. I still rebember EVERY PART of the Beatles. It was in black and white, of course.
It’s studio no 1 at Abbey Road. Even if you haven’t read all the documents and seen all the other pictures from that day that clearly shows them being in the gigantic no 1, the control room position (ground floor, not upstairs like no 2) and REDD desk (definitely not the Helios desk at Olympic) gives it away.
Gotta love kids today discovering great Beatles songs like this!
I am soooo excited watching this today! Sorry because I was like, ‘OMG! On this day The Beatles did this and that!’
<3 <3 I love The Beatles! Whatever happens! <3 Happy Anniversary to this song! ^^
Can anyone tell me why the complete video of this occasion is not available?
Another 50th anniversary today! Peace -Love
The second page of this article says it took place at 9:36 pm GMT. I recall seeing the live super title time of 8:54 pm GMT, which makes more sense as they were the final act. It was also the time stamp seen in the 1987 Grenada TV production _It Was 20 Years Ago Today_ when it showed The Beatles on the _Our World_ broadcast. The program was over by 9:00 pm GMT or 5 o’clock Eastern Daylight Time in Toronto and New York.