The BBC produced an hour-long Sgt Pepper documentary

The Beatles’ most prized record, 1967’s Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club, turns 50 on June 1 and among the many celebrations in store is an hour-long documentary commissioned by the BBC: Sgt. Pepper’s Musical Revolution.

The documentary promises “material never before accessible outside of Abbey Road Studios, including recordings of studio chat between band members and isolated instrumental and vocal tracks.”

The doco will be hosted by BBC veteran Howard Goodall, a long time enthusiast.

“Whatever music you like to listen to, if it was written after 1 June 1967 then more likely than not it will have been influenced, one way or another, by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” Goodall says. “The record’s sheer ambition in its conception, composition, arrangements and ground-breaking recording techniques sets it apart from others of the time. It’s a landmark in 20th century music, and I’ve hugely enjoyed exploring the story behind the music.”

“This will be Sgt. Pepper as you’ve never heard it before,” producer Martin R. Smith says of the doco. “We’ve been granted unprecedented access to the Beatles’ own archive, photographs and multi-track studio tapes so we’ll be able to give an insider’s view into the making of this landmark album and, through Howard Goodall’s insight, just why it was so revolutionary.”

The documentary airs June 3 on the BBC.

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