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During today’s UK budget the Chancellor (chief financial minister), Rishi Sunak, announced £2 million is to be given to Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to develop a business plan for a new Beatles attraction on Liverpool’s Pier Head waterfront.

Apparently the idea has been being discussed for around three years, and it’s been described as being an “exciting immersive experience” by Liverpool Metro Mayor Steve Rotherham.

This would be a truly world-class, cutting-edge immersive Beatles experience.

Since 2018, we have been funding concept development to create a globally significant attraction.

During that time, I’ve been in talks with a number of ministers – including this Chancellor’s immediate predecessor – to turn this vision into a reality.

It has the potential to become an unbelievably important tourist attraction, unlike anything on offer anywhere else in the world.

It would bring even more visitors from across the globe to build on our unique position as home to the single most influential musicians to walk the planet.

Adding,

The Beatles helped to firmly cement Liverpool on the map in the 60’s. Their legacy still draws millions of visitors over half a century later, which adds millions of pounds to our economy every year.

I’m really excited by the idea that Liverpool could be the home of such an exciting immersive experience, which I believe has the potential to do again what The Beatles once did – take us stratospheric.

There has been some suggestion it could involve hologram performances, which would seem highly unlikely to me for several reasons, though the creation of Beatles holograms would be the least of them. After all, we have had holograms of Tupac, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and his former father-in-law, Elvis:

Permissions would be the big thing, image rights are controlled by the surviving Beatles along with the Estates of John and George, as well as music rights, which are controlled by Apple. And there is no suggestion that Apple have so far been consulted on the idea of performing holograms in any way, and were Apple already involved, it seems unlikely the Government would have provided £2 million for them to develop the idea.

Yes, Apple and the surviving Beatles, along with the Estates of those we’ve lost, could develop a hologram show, but the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority could not without the involvement of Apple – meaning Apple having control of the project and receiving the majority of any income generated.

Without any statement saying they have Apple on board, a hologram show is impossible; with Apple on board, seems unlikely the Government would offer seed funding.

Yes, Liverpool have an immersive experience in mind, but no Apple, no performing holograms.

YES! If that looks like a statue of Brian Epstein, my fellow Forumpudlians, it’s because it bloody is!

After years of rumour, along with crowdfunding by the Brian Epstein Legacy Project, a planning application has been submitted to Liverpool City Council by the Liverpool BID Company for a nearly two metre tall bronze statue to be placed strolling down Whitechapel, not far from the former site of NEMS record store, on the corner of Button Street, heading in the direction of The Cavern, or maybe the Pier Head.

Designed by Andy Edwards, also designer of the statues of The Beatles on the Pier Head, as well as the statue of Cilla Black outside The Cavern, who’s said:

The design, if I’m not spoiling the surprise, is intended to be in the same style as our Beatles statues and relates to them not only in the walking pose, but it maps the short journey Brian would take to The Cavern from his NEMS office, or maybe to meet his boys on the waterfront.

He could also of course be off to see Gerry, Billy, Tommy, Michael or Cilla.

He is such a connective part of musical and cultural history, and he will always be remembered as a very proud part of our identity as the most creatively original, beautifully diverse and warmly caring place you can visit.

Tony Calderstone, who has been behind the project, remarks:

I’m absolutely delighted our campaign has paid off. This is a tribute to the hard work, enthusiasm and tenacity of our committee who have spent five years working towards this goal. We were further boosted by strategic and developmental support from our partner Ralph Kluseman from the Iowa Rock And Roll Music Association.

The Epstein family have supported us from the start, and I’m made up we’re able to repay that faith by confirming that Brian will finally be justly honoured in his hometown with a wonderful statue by renowned sculptor Andy Edwards. This will be another world-class addition to Liverpool’s Beatle statue trail and overall cultural offer.

And we’re not stopping here. We’ll continue our fundraising efforts to secure a wider legacy by working towards the creation of a musical instrument library for underprivileged youngsters in the city, and other educational opportunities. We have other great ideas, so keep watching out for us.

More than 50 years after his death, Brian’s impact on the world is still being felt in so many ways. We’re honoured and humbled to have played a small part in recognising that.

Bill Addy, CEO of the Liverpool BID Company, added:

Liverpool is a city of performers and creative talent, but its cultural sector is also driven by people like Brian Epstein who see talent and champion it, who support our artists, who promote them and advocate for them. You would never have The Beatles if it wasn’t for Brian Epstein and this statue is not simply to immortalise him, but also those countless thousands who make being an artist possible in this country.

Not only a long overdue tribute to a man whose faith and belief in his artists saw Britain, swiftly followed by the rest of the world, changed forever, it will also be the first statue of an LGBT figure in the city centre.

The city council are expected to rule on the planning application in the next few weeks, though I would suggest it is more-or-less a done deal, and that there would be shock and amazement were it to be turned down.

Any budding drummers among our Forumpudlians? Silly question, I already know the answer is yes.

Any of our drummers interested in being taught by Ringo? Probably another silly question. Hell, there’s those here (possibly even writing this post) that would turn up without any interest in actually becoming a drummer.

Well, seems – in what has already been a busy year for him – Ringo has become one of the latest people to join the online learning platform MasterClass as an instructor, with a course called “Drumming and Creative Collaboration”, which will launch on 22 November.

The details of Ringo’s course are unknown at the moment (though it’s expected he’ll get into The Beatles for the Creative Collaboration part), but most courses run to roughly twenty lessons of about 10 minutes each.