Bangor has been transported back to the 1960s as filming takes place for a major new production telling the story of The Beatles.
Period cars and actors portraying John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were seen on Siliwen Road on Wednesday, 30 September, according to BBC Cymru Fyw.
Crews have also been spotted at Bangor University’s Hen Goleg site, the former Normal College, where the real Beatles stayed during a momentous visit almost 60 years ago.
In August 1967, the four musicians travelled to Bangor to attend a transcendental meditation seminar led by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Their arrival attracted considerable attention, bringing one of the world’s most famous bands to the city.
However, their visit was cut short by tragic news. On 27 August, while in Bangor, they learned that their manager, Brian Epstein, had been found dead at his London home, aged 32.
Epstein had helped guide The Beatles from their early Liverpool days to international fame. His death left the band shocked, and they abandoned their stay in Bangor to return to London.
The precise scenes being filmed for the new production have not been announced, but the city’s connection to this pivotal episode makes it a significant location in the Beatles’ story.
The production, The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, is directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes, whose previous films include American Beauty, Skyfall and 1917.
Rather than telling the band’s story in a single film, Mendes is making four interconnected features, each following events through the eyes of a different member. Together, they will explore the musicians’ lives, their rise to worldwide fame and the relationships behind their success.
Harris Dickinson plays John Lennon, Paul Mescal portrays Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn takes the role of George Harrison and Barry Keoghan plays Ringo Starr.
The films have the backing of Apple Corps, the surviving Beatles and the families of Lennon and Harrison. The project marks the first time full life-story and music rights have been granted for a scripted film about the band.
Ahead of the North Wales shoot, The Casting Collective recruited local people for paid work as extras, with filming advertised from September 2026.
Bangor joins several locations used to recreate important moments in the band’s history.
In Liverpool, cameras have been seen outside John Lennon’s former home on Menlove Avenue in Woolton. More recent filming has recreated the 1957 church fête where Lennon and McCartney first met, and the band’s celebrated 1964 homecoming at Liverpool Town Hall. Crews have also filmed outside Ye Cracke, a pub associated with Lennon’s student years.
In London, the four lead actors were filmed in August recreating the famous zebra-crossing photograph used for the cover of the Beatles’ Abbey Road album.
All four films are currently scheduled for cinema release in April 2028, with Sony Pictures distributing the production worldwide. Local screening details have yet to be announced.
