Hamburg Days

Lore & Background

The series is set in the St Pauli district of Hamburg in the 1960s, where young German artists meet a young British rock and roll band from Liverpool. The main cast was announced in May 2026, with Ellis Murphy, Harvey Brett, and Rhys Mannion portraying Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and John Lennon, respectively. Paddy Gilmore plays Pete Best, and Louis Landau plays Stuart Sutcliffe. Luna Jordan was originally cast as Astrid Kirchherr, but after her sudden death on 13 May 2026, the role was recast with Lea Drinda. Casper von Bülow plays Klaus Voormann, and Lasse Klene plays Jürgen Vollmer.

Filming commenced in 2026, with locations including Hamburg and Munich in Germany, and Liverpool in England. The music is curated by David Holmes and includes cover versions of songs by artists such as Consuelo Velázquez, Bobby Scott, and Ric Marlow, recorded in the basement of the Casbah Coffee Club by the Liverpool band Savage Young Beatles.

Reader's Guide

Hamburg Days represents a significant addition to the cultural portrayal of the Beatles' formative years, drawing directly from the firsthand account of Klaus Voormann, a key figure in the band's Hamburg scene. The series is notable for its British-German co-production, involving BBC One and German broadcaster ZDF, and for its detailed casting choices that required actors to adapt their handedness to match the real musicians. The sudden recasting of Astrid Kirchherr following Luna Jordan's death adds a layer of real-world poignancy to the production. By focusing on the intersection of young German artists and the nascent Beatles, the series aims to illuminate a pivotal period that shaped the band's musical identity and global trajectory. Its legacy will be measured by its fidelity to Voormann's autobiography and its ability to capture the raw energy of the early 1960s Hamburg club scene.

Did You Know?

• The series is based on the 2018 autobiography 'It Started in Hamburg' by Klaus Voormann, who also consulted on the series.
• Ellis Murphy, who plays Paul McCartney, is a right-handed guitarist who had to learn to play left-handed for the role.
• The role of Astrid Kirchherr was recast with Lea Drinda after the sudden death of original cast member Luna Jordan on 13 May 2026.
• Music for the series includes cover versions recorded in the basement of the Casbah Coffee Club by the band Savage Young Beatles.

From Voormann's Memoir to the Screen

Hamburg Days traces its creative DNA directly to the 2018 autobiography It Started in Hamburg, penned by artist and session musician Klaus Voormann. The book, which recounts his personal encounters with a young Liverpool band during their formative Hamburg years, became the narrative backbone for what would become a six-part television drama. Voormann's involvement extends well beyond the page; he serves as a consultant on the production, lending firsthand authenticity to the storytelling. The series was developed by producer Benjamin Benedict alongside head writer Jamie Carragher, with Christian Schwochow attached as showrunner and Mat Whitecross at the helm as director. BBC One officially announced the project in December 2025, positioning it as a British-German co-production that would bring the St Pauli district's vibrant 1960s music scene to a wide audience. The central premise is deceptively simple: a group of young German artists in Hamburg cross paths with a young British rock and roll band from Liverpool, and the collision of those two worlds ignites a creative spark that would reshape popular music forever.

Casting the Band and the People Around Them

The main cast was unveiled in May 2026, bringing together a mix of rising and established British talent to populate the world of 1960s Hamburg. Ellis Murphy was selected to portray Paul McCartney, a role that demanded a particular physical commitment: Murphy is naturally a right-handed guitarist and had to retrain himself to play left-handed for the part. The challenge was mirrored by Louis Landau, who was cast as Stuart Sutcliffe; being left-handed in real life, he had to learn to play his instrument right-handed to match the character. Rhys Mannion steps into the shoes of John Lennon, Harvey Brett takes on George Harrison, and Patrick Gilmore is cast as drummer Pete Best. The ensemble is rounded out by notable names including Asa Butterfield as manager Brian Epstein, Jonny Lee Miller as Jim McCartney, and Christine Tremarco as Mimi Smith. The role of Astrid Kirchherr, originally awarded to Luna Jordan, was recast to Lea Drinda following Jordan's sudden death on 13 May 2026. Casper von Bülow, naturally, plays the real-life Klaus Voormann, while Lasse Klene portrays Jürgen Vollmer.

Co-Producing Across the Channel

Hamburg Days is structured as a genuine British-German co-production, with funding and creative input flowing from both sides of the North Sea. Beyond BBC One, the project received financial backing from AGC Television and German broadcaster ZDF. Production was handled by W&B Television and Turbine Studios, with a slate of executive producers spanning both companies: Benjamin Benedict, Quirin Berg, and Max Wiedemann on the W&B side, alongside Andrew Eaton and Justin Thomson from Turbine, plus Stuart Ford, Lourdes Diaz, and Miguel A. Palos Jr. Filming kicked off in 2026, with principal photography spread across three cities—Hamburg and Munich in Germany, and Liverpool in England—giving the series an authentic geographic texture. The musical landscape was curated by David Holmes, who assembled a soundtrack featuring cover versions of songs originally by artists such as Consuelo Velázquez, Bobby Scott, and Ric Marlow. Notably, the series' original recordings were captured in the basement of the Casbah Coffee Club, performed by the Liverpool band Savage Young Beatles, tying the production back to the very city that launched the group's career.

St Pauli, the Casbah, and a City That Made a Band

The series is anchored in the St Pauli district of Hamburg during the 1960s, a neighbourhood that served as the crucible where a young British rock and roll band from Liverpool first honed their craft on the European stage. The premise centres on the meeting between young German artists and that British group, capturing a moment of cultural cross-pollination that would prove transformative. The Casbah Coffee Club, a real venue in Hamburg, features prominently in the production's musical world; it is in the basement of that very club that the Liverpool band Savage Young Beatles recorded the series' original songs. The cast includes characters drawn from both the British and German sides of this story—Cynthia Lennon played by Darci Shaw, Tony Sheridan as Archie George, and the wider circle of Hamburg musicians and artists that surrounded the young band. By framing the narrative through the eyes of the German community that welcomed and shaped the group, the series offers a perspective on the Beatles' early years that goes well beyond the familiar Liverpool-centric telling, grounding their rise in the gritty, cosmopolitan streets of a northern German port city.

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