Pre-Fab Four Beatles

With hindsight, Paul Berriff was one of the luckiest teenagers alive.

Aged just 16, the copy boy people barely acknowledged at the Yorkshire Evening Post, happily snapped as John, Paul, Ringo and George played, sang and joked "one day we'll be famous".

While press photography diversified into the world of moving pictures — Berriff became the youngest ever cameraman for the BBC at the age of 21 — the negatives of what was only ever a "photography essay" were put in a box while Berriff's career went in another direction.

Some 47 years later, and the Yorkshireman stumbled across some of the most candid photo shoots of the biggest selling band in the world.

"I knew the theatre managers," said Berriff, still displaying signs of disbelief at his luck almost 50 years ago. "The Beatles were on tour in the UK and they came to Leeds, Bradford and Doncaster, which was our patch. So I asked them if I could take pictures for a photo essay project I was working on. I really just wanted to improve my portrait shots and that was the sole purpose of my being there."

In 1963 and 1964, the Fab Four were on tour with singer Helen Shapiro and were starting to become well-known across the country.

"At the gigs I went to, the Beatles were often listed fifth on the bill. They were always the support act," he said with a wry smile. "But we just knew they were going to be huge because the girls went crazy for them."

‘Couldn't hear the music'

Berriff recalls one particular show when the tide had turned for the Liverpool lads. "I was at the front of the stage because I was still working as a press photographer. I couldn't have been any closer to them but I couldn't even hear the music. That's how loud the screaming was. Young girls loved them and parents loved them too because they dressed so smart."

The images, now called the Hidden Gallery, show John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison in unguarded moments, rehearsing on stage, smoking in their dressing room and relaxing with drinks and snacks.

Not long after, security became so tight around the band that just a handful of authorised photographers had access to them.

Jerry Goldman, MD of The Beatles Story, a Liverpool museum dedicated to the band, says the exhibition is unique because it captures a time which few before ever have. The photos are on permanent display there.

Persistence pays off

"We can see how young they are," said Goldman. "I remember I had a call from Paul and to be honest after a few persistent phone calls I eventually spared 10 minutes of my time. We have hundreds of calls on a daily basis from people claiming to have ‘rare' shots of The Beatles. Usually it isn't anything we haven't already seen," he said. "But these were different. The quality of the shots struck me first and then the era."

Harvey Nichols, Dubai, secured the prints for an exclusive exhibition celebrating 50 years of The Beatles.

Berriff, now a Bafta-winning photographer and documentary maker, says he knew the photographs had to be seen.

He did not sell the rights to the images but will instead profit from sales of limited edition prints of each.

"Once they are gone, they are gone," he said. "But I'm not in this to make money. It's about sharing something special with Beatles fans all over the world."

His favourite moment

Paul Berriff, who had taken his girlfriend along to a few of the shoots, recalls his most memorable moment."I was due to shoot rehearsals later in the day, so my girlfriend and I went to the theatre early. It was dark and we were sat quite far back. All of a sudden they came out on stage to practise I Wanna Hold Your Hand because they hadn't played it live yet. They practised for about two hours and we had our own private show at the ABC Cinema in Huddersfield. I will never forget that day."