Footage from the Beatles documentary.
Screenshot by Katie Teague/CNET
If you’ve been binge-watching the latest Disney Plus releases, you’ll want to add another one to your list. Later next week, Disney Plus will release The Beatles: Get Back. The hotly anticipated documentary will stream as a series, with three episodes airing on consecutive days. If you’re a Beatles fan, you won’t want to miss the unseen footage of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr as they prepare to play their renowned “rooftop concert” at the band’s Apple Corps headquarters on London’s Savile Row — the band’s last live performance.
The Beatles: Get Back is directed by storied Oscar-winning director (and self-avowed Beatles fan) Peter Jackson, who burst to fame directing The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Jackson is the only person in 50 years to have access to the 60 hours of footage and 150 hours of unheard audio used to make the Beatles documentary. (The footage had been stored at Apple Corps in London all those years.)
We’ll tell you when the Beatles documentary will be released, as well as how to watch it.
When to watch The Beatles: Get Back on Disney Plus
Starting Thursday, Nov. 25 — Thanksgiving Day in the US — The Beatles: Get Back will be available to all Disney Plus subscribers to stream without paying an extra charge. Since the documentary is a three-part series, only the first episode will be available on that day, with the second available on Friday, Nov. 26 and the third on Saturday, Nov. 27.
A Disney Plus representative told CNET each episode will be available at 12 a.m. PT (3 a.m. ET) on their release dates.
See the sneak preview below.
How to watch The Beatles: Get Back on Disney Plus
If you’ve already got a Disney Plus subscription, The Beatles: Get Back will likely be in the scrolling menu at the top of the screen. You can also use the search bar to look it up and tap Play. If you’re not subscribed, you can choose from one of the following options:
Screenshot by Katie Teague/CNET
What’s the big deal about the new Beatles documentary?
The new Beatles three-part series documents the band’s recording sessions, which have been locked in a vault for more than 50 years. The trailer shows the Beatles planning their first public performance in three years (in 1969), while writing and rehearsing 14 new songs. “I think we’ve gone a bit shy,” McCartney says to Lennon after he expresses he would like to play on stage.
The surprise appearance on the rooftop above London’s Savile Row also happens to be the last time the group performed together outside of a recording studio. Some of the songs featured in the documentary are Let It Be, Don’t Let Me Down, I’ve Got a Feeling and Get Back. The Let It Be album came out in 1970 after the band had already split up.
Many people have speculated what led to the cause of the band breaking up — for instance, one rumor was that Yoko Ono was the cause — so it’s likely fans will look to this unseen footage for clues.