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Tim is joined by journalist, writer and broadcaster Samira Ahmed to explore Rubber Soul's 'You Won’t See Me'.

The conversation explores the song’s double meanings, its portrayal of relationship tension, and McCartney’s ability to transform personal experience into art. They also discuss the evolving depiction of women in Beatles songs, the broader social changes of the 1960s, and how Rubber Soul captures a band (and a culture) in transition.

Musically, they highlight the track’s rich harmonies, inventive structure, and standout bass line, as well as its subtle sophistication beneath an apparently simple surface. Along the way, Samira shares insights from her new BFI Film Classics book on A Hard Day’s Night.

Guest links

• BFI Film Classics: A Hard Day's Night, by Samira Ahmed: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/hard-days-night-9781839029394/
• Samira's website: https://samiraahmed.blog
• Samira's podcast: https://squarewindow.co.uk
• Samira on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/samiraahmeduk.bsky.social
• Samira on X.com: https://x.com/SamiraAhmedUK

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Original music by Joe Kane

Logo design by Mark Cunningham

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Tim is joined by broadcaster, author and DJ Stuart Maconie to explore Martha My Dear. They examine its musical sophistication, McCartney’s melodic genius, and the song’s place within the strange, kaleidoscopic world of the White Album, alongside reflections on Beatles history, culture and myth.

Guest links

• With a Little Help From Their Friends (UK edition): https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/with-a-little-help-from-their-friends-the-beatles-changed-the-world-but-who-changed-theirs-stuart-maconie?variant=54870051815803
• With a Little Help From Their Friends (US edition): https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/with-a-little-help-from-their-friends_9781419789571/
• Stuart Maconie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stumaconie/
• Radcliffe and Maconie on Radio 6: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0100rp6

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• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/myfavebeatles.bsky.social
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Original music by Joe Kane

Logo design by Mark Cunningham

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Tim is joined by writer, literary critic and music historian Kenneth Womack to dig into Paul McCartney's White album gem, Rocky Raccoon. They explore its roots in Robert Service's poem 'The Shooting of Dan McGrew', its talking blues DNA, and why a song that sounds improvised is actually a masterfully constructed short story.

Guest links

• Kenneth Womack website/newsletter: https://kennethwomack.com

Follow My Favourite Beatles Song

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/myfavebeatles.bsky.social
• X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/myfavebeatles
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyFavouriteBeatlesSong
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myfavouritebeatlessong

Original music by Joe Kane

Logo design by Mark Cunningham

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Tim is joined by renowned photographer Tom Murray. They discuss Tom’s remarkable firsthand experience photographing The Beatles during their famous 'mad day out' in 1968, reflecting on creativity, spontaneity, and the band’s enduring legacy.

Tom recalls hearing Paul McCartney play Lady Madonna live as he first walked into the session, before capturing a series of now-iconic images of the band across seven locations in London. He shares stories of that extraordinary day; travelling across the city, observing the band’s dynamic, and documenting candid, unguarded moments that would later become some of the most celebrated Beatles photographs. The conversation also touches on his connection with George Harrison, the haunting Lennon image, and why these photographs continue to resonate decades later. 

Guest links

• Website: http://tommurrayphotos.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tom.murray.1004
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/clickboss1943

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• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/myfavebeatles.bsky.social
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyFavouriteBeatlesSong
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• X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/myfavebeatles

Original music by Joe Kane.

Logo design by Mark Cunningham.

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Tim is joined by musician and podcaster Matt Howell to explore Lovely Rita. They examine its playful humour, psychedelic atmosphere, studio craft and sequencing on Sgt. Pepper. They also explore its musical details, lyrical ambiguity and cultural context.

• Follow Matt Howell on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howl_matt

Follow My Favourite Beatles Song

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/myfavebeatles.bsky.social
• X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/myfavebeatles
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyFavouriteBeatlesSong
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myfavouritebeatlessong

Original music by Joe Kane

Logo design by Mark Cunningham

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Tim is joined by former Nothing Is Real podcaster Steven Cockroft to explore Only a Northern Song. They examine George Harrison’s frustrations with publishing and ownership, the song’s layered self-referential lyrics, its dense psychedelic production, and its uneasy place in the Sgt. Pepper era before finding a home on Yellow Submarine.

Guest Links

• Steven Cockroft on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stevenc63.bsky.social
• Nothing is Real Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1201681553346132
• Nothing is Real on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/beatlespod.bsky.social

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Original music by Joe Kane

Logo design by Mark Cunningham

Excerpt from Luke Brooks from Beatles Explained: https://www.instagram.com/beatles_explained/

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Tim is joined by Cavern Club owner and author Debbie Greenberg to explore I Saw Her Standing There. They examine the song’s explosive energy, its rock and roll roots, and how it captured the raw excitement of the Beatles’ early Cavern performances.

Debbie shares extraordinary first-hand memories of seeing the Beatles live 292 times at the Cavern. She reflects on their transformation from local “lads” (fresh from Hamburg) to leather-clad rock and roll trailblazers, the shock of Pete Best’s departure and Ringo’s arrival, and the band’s effortless onstage humour and chemistry.

Guest Links

• Cavern Club: The Inside Story, by Debbie Greenberg: https://www.beatlesbookstore.com/product/cavern-club-the-inside-story/

Follow My Favourite Beatles Song

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/myfavebeatles.bsky.social
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyFavouriteBeatlesSong
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myfavouritebeatlessong
• X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/myfavebeatles

Original music by Joe Kane.

Logo design by Mark Cunningham.

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Tim is joined by filmmaker Chris Purcell to explore Please Please Me. They examine its transformation from a Roy Orbison-style ballad into an urgent pop classic, George Martin’s crucial early guidance, the song’s groundbreaking harmonies and driving rhythm, and how it marked the true beginning of Beatlemania.

They also discuss Chris’s new feature documentary Evolver 62, featuring Mark Lewisohn, which tells the blow-by-blow story of the Beatles’ pivotal year through rare artefacts and on-location storytelling.

Guest links

• Evolver 62 – Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/4bP7bGS
• Evolver 62 – Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4pXf4gL
• Evolver 62 – Apple TV (US): https://apple.co/46m6L7x
• Evolver 62 – Google Play (US): https://bit.ly/4qsUXHy
• Evolver 62 – Fandango at Home (US): https://bit.ly/45SSvTu
• Evolver 62 – DVD (US): https://bit.ly/3Zap37F
• Right Angle Films: https://www.rightanglefilms.co.uk/
• Liverpool West Productions: https://liverpoolwestproductions.com/

Follow My Favourite Beatles Song

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Original music by Joe Kane

Logo design by Mark Cunningham