An 11-second clip of the Beatles’ only live appearance on Top of the Pops has been discovered in Mexico.
The silent clip – which was previously thought to have been been lost – is the only remaining evidence of the Fab Four miming to Paperback Writer on the BBC show in 1966.
The original tapes were not kept, but it was recorded by a family in Liverpool filming their TV set with an 8mm camera, and the clip eventually fell into the hands of a collector in Mexico.
The collector contacted Birmingham-based organisation Kaleidoscope, which specialises in locating previously missing TV footage.
“I think if you’re a Beatles fans, it’s the holy grail,” Kaleidoscope’s Chris Perry told the BBC. “People thought it was gone forever because videotape wasn’t kept in 1966. To find it all these years later was stunning.”
Watch the clip here:
