Brassic star spotted on set for BBC's "incredible" '60s-set Beatles drama

Hamburg Days will show the band's early years, when they included bassist Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Pete Best in their line-up

Gordon Timpen/ Hamburg Films Ltd

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Brassic star spotted on set for BBC's "incredible" '60s-set Beatles drama

Hamburg Days looks back at the band's early career.

By Stefania Sarrubba

Digital Spy

PUBLISHED: 01 SEPTEMBER 2026

Brassic star Ryan Sampson has been spotted on set for a new BBC series charting the early days of the Beatles as the band spent some time in Hamburg that would prove pivotal in their career.

Titled Hamburg Days, the series from developer Benjamin Benedict follows the Liverpool group as they interact with local artists, as told in musician and record producer Klaus Voorman's memoir, It Started in Hamburg.

In pictures obtained by Digital Spy, Sampson is in character as Allan Williams, the Beatles' first manager and booking agent. In one shot, the actor rocks a grey suit as he stands by the red and grey minivan that would bring the band to Hamburg, while other first-look pictures offer glimpses of the group as they ready for their German adventure.

Ryan Sampson filming Hamburg Days

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Patrick Gilmore, Harvey Brett, Rhys Mannion, Louis Landau, Ellis Murphy filming Hamburg Days

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With Voorman on board as a consultant, the series is co-written by Benedict and Succession's Jamie Carragher, while The Crown's Christian Schwochow is on showrunning duties and Oasis: Supersonic's Mat Whitecross sits in the director's chair.

Alongside Sampson, Hamburg Days stars Rhys Mannion as John Lennon, Harvey Brett as George Harrison, Ellis Murphy as Paul McCartney, as well as Patrick Gilmore and Louis Landau as the band's original drummer and bassist, Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe.

The pictures from set also includes a group snap of the band posing in front of the van, as well as a shot of Mannion and Darci Shaw as John and Cynthia Lennon.

Set in "the smoke-filled clubs of Hamburg's St. Pauli's red-light district", the show sees "an inexperienced young rock 'n' roll band from Liverpool collide with two young artists, Klaus Voormann and Astrid Kirchherr".

"Together they help spark a transformation that turns a scrappy group of teenagers into the greatest music phenomenon the world has ever known: The Beatles," the synopsis adds.

Rhys Mannion, Darci Shaw filming Hamburg Days
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Harvey Brett, Rhys Mannion, Ellis Murphy filming Hamburg Days
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Tash Major, Darci Shaw filming Hamburg Days
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Ellis Murphy filming Hamburg Days
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Hamburg Days set
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Sue Deeks, the BBC's head of scripted pre-buy acquisitions, called Hamburg Days the "fascinating story" showing how, over two years, "a raw young band from Liverpool honed their music skills in Hamburg, before returning home to become an overnight worldwide success".

"It is an incredible story, accompanied (of course) by an amazing soundtrack!" she added.

Hamburg Days will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

George Harrison and John Lennon perform with My Bonnie singer Tony Sheridan in Hamburg
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