On 1st June, 1967 The Beatles released their ground-breaking studio album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album was described by Rolling Stone magaine as ‘The most important rock & roll album ever made…’ as well as becoming one of the biggest selling albums of all time. 

The film – It Was Fifty Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper & Beyond – hit cinemas on 26 May and the DVD is out 5 June. It follows a 12 month period in which the band stopped being the number one touring band, instead focusing on being the world’s most innovative recording artists. 

This period of extreme creativity and rebirth, where The Beatles pushed the boundaries of what could be achieved in the studio, included embracing ‘swinging’ London, LSD and the Summer of Love. 

Credit: Getty Images

The result was the creation of their new alter ego, Sgt. Pepper, with the desire to create a pop music first, the concept album. It has amazing unearthed archival footage, which hasn’t been seen since it was aired on the TV in the 1960s. 

The film’s director Alan G. Parker (Monty Python: Almost The Truth, Never Mind the Sex Pistols, Who Killed Nancy) has been a devoted fan of The Beatles since the age of nine. To create It Was Fifty Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper & Beyond, Parker interviewed former employees, fellow musicians, family members and journalists who were there for the creation of the album. 

The influence of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and meditation is also explored in the film. 

Watch the trailer for the film here: 

The DVD for It Was Fifty Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper & Beyond is out 5 June. For more information, head to 50yearsagofilm.com #SgtPepper50