Several well-known actors, including Adolescence star Christine Tremarco, Sex Education actor Asa Butterfield and Trainspotting star Jonny Lee Miller, have joined the cast of the upcoming BBC drama series Hamburg Days, which explores the early years of The Beatles.
The six-part series will chronicle the legendary band's formative period in Germany, tracing their journey from a group of Liverpool teenagers to global music icons.
Bafta-winning actress Tremarco, 49, has been cast as Mimi Smith, the aunt who raised John Lennon. Butterfield, 29, will portray Brian Epstein, the manager credited with helping shape The Beatles’ rise to international fame. Jonny Lee Miller, 53, is set to play Jim McCartney, the father of Sir Paul McCartney.
Production on the series began in May in Germany and Liverpool.
The drama focuses on the period between 1960 and 1962 when The Beatles played more than 250 shows in Hamburg, a crucial chapter in the band's development.
Hamburg Days is inspired by the memoirs of Klaus Voormann, a young artist who befriended the group during their time in Hamburg. Voormann later designed the cover of The Beatles’ landmark 1966 album Revolver and collaborated with John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison on their solo projects.
According to the producers, the series will depict the band's encounters with Voormann and photographer Astrid Kirchherr. At that time, the lineup included bassist Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Pete Best, alongside Lennon, McCartney and Harrison.
The series has been written by Jamie Carragher, one of the writers behind HBO's acclaimed drama Succession. Director Christian Schwochow, known for his work on The Crown, will serve as showrunner, while Bafta-winning composer David Holmes, who worked on Killing Eve and the Ocean’s film franchise, will oversee the music.
The cast also includes Rhys Mannion as John Lennon, Ellis Murphy as Paul McCartney, Harvey Brett as George Harrison, Louis Landau as Stuart Sutcliffe and Patrick Gilmore as Pete Best.
Luna Jordan will play Astrid Kirchherr, while Laura Tonke and Casper von Bülow will portray Nielsa Kirchherr and Klaus Voormann respectively.
Widely regarded as the best-selling music act in history, The Beatles scored 18 UK number-one singles and 16 UK number-one albums during their career.
The band is also the subject of four upcoming films directed by Sam Mendes. The movies are set to feature Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.
With inputs from BBC