On this day in 1963, The Beatles made their first appearance on a major TV show

1963 saw the bands popularity increase massively with the release of “Please, Please Me” as a single and later an album, as well as completing three regional tours. It was decided that their next big appearance should reach the field of television.

The show they decided to appear on was Val Parnell’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium, a variety entertainment programme that regularly drew massive British audiences, often up to 15 million people. Competition to appear on the show was fierce and The Beatles rehearsed heavily for the performance, determined to make a good impression.

They were introduced at the beginning of the program and returned with their performance to close out the hour-long show. They played two songs, From Me To You, followed by I’ll Get You. Paul McCartney introduced the songs, with some jovial interruptions from Lennon.