New film ‘Yesterday’ by Danny Boyle forces viewers to imagine life without The Beatles

Yesterday, written by Richard Curtis, was shown in Liverpool last month ahead of its official release on 28 June.

Imagined life without the Fab Four? Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis are about to release their new movie ‘Yesterday’ which lets you do just that.

Yesterday, is a film in which struggling musician Jack finds he is the only person to remember the songs of John, Paul, George and Ringo, it was shown in the city in May, a month ahead of its official release date.

Danny Boyle filming Yesterday

MORE: For more news on The Beatles head to our Fab Four section of the site here

Parts of the new film were filmed in Liverpool, and the movie is released during the 30th anniversary year of Liverpool Film Office which last year alone brought 366 different film and TV projects to our city.

Written by Curtis and directed by Boyle, the movie follows Jack, played by Eastenders’ actor Himesh Patel, as he wakes from a freak accident to find no one else in the world remembers the songs made famous by The Beatles.

Ed Sheeran plays himself

Starting from the house he shares with his parents, played by Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar, in Suffolk, Jack travels to Moscow, Los Angeles and then on a magical mystery tour to Liverpool as the world reacts to hearing the famous songs for the first time.

Ed Sheeran plays himself in the movie, changing the lyrics to one of the group’s most famous ballads to “hey dude”, and it also features a cameo from James Corden.

Downton Abbey actress Lily James plays Jack’s manager and best friend, while Saturday Night Live’s Kate McKinnon stars as his money-obsessed manager.

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Lily James and Himesh Patel (left) during the shooting of a scene for Danny Boyle’s new film

The hometown of The Beatles is another of the film’s stars, with famous locations such as Penny Lane and Strawberry Field featured, as well as the city’s Pier Head, Lime Street train station and the Mersey Tunnel.

As Patel sings his way through much of the band’s extensive back catalogue, former Coronation Street actress Sarah Lancashire sums up the situation near the film’s end when she says: “A world without The Beatles is a world that’s infinitely worse.”

Introducing the film at s special screening in May, Liverpool’s deputy mayor Wendy Simon said: “The film does celebrate the musical legacy of The Beatles which is really important for us as a city.

“The Beatles bring hundreds of thousands of people to this city year in and year out.”

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She added: “Last year was our busiest year yet for film and TV production and we’re delighted Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis decided to shoot on location here in our city, proving once again Liverpool has established itself as a world class destination for film.”

Our city has previously been the setting for shows including Peaky Blinders and films such as Tolkien, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Fast and Furious 6.

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