Ringo Starr appears on Cilla Black’s television show

Ringo Starr was not present for The Beatles’ recording sessions on this day, as he was at the BBC’s Television Theatre in London to rehearse and record an appearance on Cilla Black’s television show Cilla.

This was the second edition of Cilla, a variety show with a number of guests each week. Rehearsals took place on this day from 10.30am-1pm, and 2-6.30pm, and the 50-minute show was broadcast live from 8pm. The guests were comedian Spike Milligan and ventriloquist Peter Brough.

Starr appeared during the opening credits and in a number of skits. In the first, he assisted Black in sorting through her fan mail and introduced one of her singing performances, I’m Playing Second Fiddle To A Football Team. A second sketch saw him interact with Peter Brough and performing with his own ‘dummy’, introduced as Ariadne but actually Black in a school uniform.

Starr and Black duetted unaccompanied on the 1905 song Nellie Dean while he drank from a pint of beer, and finally they sang and danced to a 1917 song entitled Do You Like Me?

The Beatles’ two sessions on this day were scheduled to allow an hour’s break in between, and it is likely that they watched their bandmate’s televised appearance.