The Beatles returned to the BBC on Sunday night, at least in a manner of speaking, after the original pencil drawing of their first band’s logo appeared on Antiques Roadshow.
Expert Mark Hill was visibly stunned when he discovered that the drawings had been made for one of Ringo Starr’s drums in 1962, shortly before the band became one of the biggest and most successful groups of all time.
While filming Sunday’s episode from Sefton Park House in the band’s home city of Liverpool, Hill was given an extensive history of the artwork by their owner, a retired signwriter who knew bandmates John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison before they started their signed the first album. agreement.
“The Beatles approached me and wanted a logo for the drum,” he explained. ‘I was quite close (to The Beatles) and they were all there when I was 21. I am a sign writer and shop decorator.’
Despite creating a distinctive logo, complete with two insect antennae atop a flourishing capital B, it was ultimately rejected by then newly appointed drummer Starr in favor of what would become their final logo, with its famous fallen T, designed by Ivor Arbiter.
A retired signwriter was left speechless on Sunday night’s Antiques Roadshow after discovering that two 60-year-old pencil drawings of The Beatles’ original logo were worth £15,000
The drawings were made for one of Ringo Starr’s drums in 1962, shortly before the band became one of the biggest and most successful groups of all time.
Noticing a series of scribbles next to the completed drawings, Hill noted, “It’s interesting to note here that through these little antennae of this insect logo… you have little pencil drawings here, was this you?”
“No, that was John or Paul,” their owner admitted. “They had to do their part, didn’t they?”
Although the logo would be rejected by Starr because he feared it would ‘interfere with his recording’, the creator insisted he harbored no hard feelings towards the band as they began their rise with the release of their debut single Love Me Do – despite that they had not. paid for his work.
“I was incredibly busy,” he remembers. ‘I was an incredibly busy boy. It was just another job. We were good friends at the time and they didn’t pay me, I might add.”
However, he received positive news from Hill, who assured him that the modest drawings would be a hit at auction.
“So what we’re effectively looking at here are the very first logos ever produced for The Beatles, with their band name on them… they’re quite a few objects,” he said.
‘My feeling is that if these were to be auctioned they would probably fetch somewhere around £15,000? So sixty years later you finally get paid!’
“I don’t feel like selling them right now,” the owner replied. ‘But who knows?’
Expert Mark Hill was visibly stunned after being presented with the drawings during Sunday night’s show, filmed at Sefton Park House in The Beatles’ home city of Liverpool
The expert pointed out a series of curious scribbles next to the completed drawings and asked if their owner was responsible for them
“No, that was John or Paul,” their owner admitted. “They had to do their part, didn’t they?”
He received positive news from Hill, who assured him that the modest drawings would be a hit at auction with a potential value of £15,000.
Antiques Roadshow is proving invaluable to the BBC in the ratings war, attracting more viewers than soap operas and Ant and Dec.
In the week commencing March 18, the 45-year-old roadshow was Britain’s fifth most popular programme, with 4.9 million viewers.
That beat every soap and Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
An episode of Coronation Street ranked sixth with 4.5 million viewers, the best soap show of the week. Ant and Dec were ninth with 4.4 million.
Author Kathy Lette attributes the success of Sunday night’s road show to “no high-speed car chases, no massacres, no brutality, no swearing, no psychos, no sci-fi monsters.” Just people who are kind, curious, knowledgeable and calm.”
Barb Audience’s viewing figures include both live viewers and catch-up conversations. In the week of March 11, the roadshow also came fifth, narrowly beaten by a Coronation Street episode.
Roadshow presenter Fiona Bruce said last night she was happy with the audience figures. She said: ‘Even modest items from a car boot sale can prove valuable, such as the vase bought for £1 which was revealed to be a Lalique treasure which sold for £32,000.
‘But the program is about so much more than monetary value, it is also a window into our common history, into human stories that we can all share in. It’s a pleasure to work on.’
The Beatles at the height of their fame in 1967 (L-R: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison)