Something About the Beatles – Episode 318: Oliver Murray's Time Machine

Host: Robert Rodriguez
Guest: Oliver Murray (writer/director of recent Beatles projects)
Release Date: January 18, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features award-winning director and writer Oliver Murray, whose recent work with The Beatles includes the acclaimed "Now and Then" making-of short film, Anthology Episode 9, and "Free as a Bird: A Song Reborn". Host Robert Rodriguez leads a deep, candid conversation exploring Murray’s creative process, challenges with archival materials, and the ever-evolving art of telling the Beatles’ story for both passionate fans and new audiences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Oliver Murray's Role and Vision in Recent Beatles Projects

• Introduction to the Guest

  • Murray is the go-to filmmaker for Beatles projects in recent years ("Now and Then" short, Anthology Episode 9, "Free as a Bird: A Song Reborn"; also did docs on Bill Wyman, Lang Lang, Montreux Jazz, Ronnie Scott's club).
  • His task: bridge the world of hardcore fans and new listeners by offering emotional resonance and historical authenticity.

• Challenges of Serving Diverse Audiences (09:00–13:00)

  • “Always trying to service both sides, which involves a bit of plate spinning.”—Murray [07:38]
  • Difficulty in creating content that brings in new fans without alienating knowledgeable ones: “A big mistake is to try and serve both all the time because you land in the middle and do neither.”

• Intimate Approaches to Storytelling

  • Making documentary material tactile and relatable: “I like reminding people that in the era this was created, it was very, very tactile. … and give it a physicality, the intimacy that you get with that.”—Murray [09:00]

2. Creating the "Now and Then" Short Film

• Emotional Impact and North Star (06:00–13:00)

  • Murray received the original tape "stems," brought to tears by hearing John Lennon’s restored vocal: “I have to hang on and I want to give people an experience of what I've had.” [07:38]

• Technical and Conceptual Approach (15:05–17:30)

  • The storytelling puzzle: balancing archive footage, technical constraints, and narrative clarity.
  • Peanut gallery: Apple/Beatles team gives creative freedom but reviews the final product late in the process—“With Paul, … lets you get on with it. It's freeing. But it also creates a certain amount of anxiety because he's not going to see it till very, very late…” [15:05]
  • The metaphor of “musical archaeology”: “We conclude that, yes, there was the technical conclusion of finding the tape… but then really the final chapter … is this idea they were, as John would say, they were just a band.” [17:30]
  • The challenge of using the archive as a “time machine”—connecting eras seamlessly.

• Worldwide Impact

  • The short film reached audiences in 21 countries simultaneously across major platforms: “All the usual rules of exclusivity… were thrown out the window and everywhere.” [12:00]

3. Working with the Beatles' Archive: Abundance and Limitations

• Footage Limitations and Licensing Hurdles (29:17–37:05)

  • Many informal camcorder moments from the 1994–6 sessions were serendipitous—“They said no cameras. … And then when Ringo brings his Handycam in, no one's going to tell Ringo no cameras.” [29:17]
  • Some desired material was left out due to high licensing fees for photos and lack of sufficient visual coverage: “I need to know when to … say it's central to the story. ... Other times, eye-watering costs can be involved.” [33:14]
  • “I always fight for the stuff that we'd found first time that no one else had seen.” [34:07]
  • On using imperfect, “tactile” footage: “If it's got a bit of light, flare and all that kind of stuff, we put it in. ... There's a tactileness to all this material that I really love.” [36:21]

• Restoration and Technology (41:52–45:36)

  • Restoration’s role is more about access than making the old “unusable” usable—35mm/16mm held up well.
  • Technology now helps to discover and audition global material quickly (“a guy in Finland…can send you a screener”). [42:14]

4. Balancing Hardcore Fans’ Demands vs. Mass Appeal

• Length and Scope (23:48–25:13)

  • “Sometimes the criticism is leveled that things should be longer. … if they're longer, then you're just stretching out like a piece of elastic.” [20:06]
  • Peter Jackson’s “Get Back”: a test case in pleasing completists vs. casual viewers.

• Archival Access/Dreams of Open Archives (25:13–30:00)

  • Hopes for academic institutions to eventually digitize and freely make available all session tapes, given logistical/rights hurdles.

• Memorable Example—Beetle Boots Origin Story (45:36–48:40)

  • Found unexpected gold hunting for casual “hanging out” shots. “It turns out to be the shoe store that they're talking about in the interviews.” [46:00]
  • “It's a series of little moments, isn't it… thousands of little moments, and string them together and tell the story that way …” [47:56]

5. Potential Future Directions and Reflections

• Would Murray Do More Beatles? (57:10–58:06)

  • “If I can be typecast as working with these legacy acts…happily stay in my lane and keep going if they have me back.”

• Archival Releases and the ‘Carnival of Light’ Question (64:10–67:38)

  • Rodriguez presses for open session tape releases, and the elusive “Carnival of Light.”
  • Murray acknowledges fan clamor but also the band’s right to control what represents them: “If there's a reason that they don't want to put it out, then we don't want to force bands to put stuff out…” [65:24]
  • “I loved the idea of ‘Now and Then’ being the last Beatles record. I thought it was so appropriate in so many ways…” [66:45]

• The Enduring Mythos of The Beatles (58:52–62:07)

  • Murray: “It comes in sort of ebbs and flows.” [59:40]
  • “It’s less about maintaining some sort of constant presence and just…it's coming in and out with the tide, that it's always there.” [60:03]
  • Beatles are part of British folklore—“especially when I think, you know, great story, great mythology around it, great music. Beatles are the same.” [61:00]

• Potential for Anthology Documenting Itself (68:53–70:06)

  • “There will at some point be some sort of doc of people just talking about the Beatles, you know, fans, celebrity fans…” [68:53]
  • Rodriguez: “There is a great story to be told. How did [Anthology] happen? … It did generate so much goodwill. He [George] immediately makes Flaming Pie with Jeff Lynne. I think there is a story with a natural arc.” [69:16]

6. Process & Philosophy: Making Living History

• Working with Living Legends

  • Murray: “No one needs to explain to Paul and Ringo how to be creative. They know what the conditions are to make that happen and let people get on with it.” [21:45]
  • His sense of privilege: “I can't believe my luck, shall we say? So I'm happy.” [56:35]

• Looking Forward

  • Murray is thrilled to have contributed to the Beatles story and open to whatever the future brings—potentially even “scratch 'n sniff” immersive versions, joking: “I see you in two years. Time for the chat about scratch and sniff. I'm here to film you for this anthology.” [73:16]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Emotional Impact

  • “It just brought tears to my eyes and I just thought I have to hang on and I want to give people an experience of what I've had.” – Oliver Murray, describing hearing the isolated Lennon vocal for the first time. [07:38]

• On Archive as Time Machine

  • “I used the phrase a time machine. I think this archive gives us that gift of almost like going back in time to sit with them and then we can run between 60s and 90s.” – Murray [36:51]

• On the Endurance of the Beatles Myth

  • “Great story, great mythology … great music. Beatles are the same. I mean, it's great. … It's folklore for us in the UK.” – Murray [61:00]

• On Open Access Hopes

  • “I would be very surprised if we don't see some sort of archive being made available through an academic institution of some kind. I really hope that happens.” – Murray [26:00]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:54–06:00 | Introduction to Oliver Murray’s Beatles work | | 07:38 | Murray’s “North Star”: Emotional impact of presenting Lennon’s restored voice | | 09:00–13:00 | Balancing hardcore fans and newcomers; process of making the “Now and Then” short | | 15:05–17:30 | Creative autonomy in production; conceptual evolution of the project | | 20:06–23:48 | Lessons learned from working on Stones/Ronnie Scott projects—uniqueness of Beatles fandom | | 25:13–30:00 | Future of Beatles archives, access; hopes for academic availability | | 29:17–37:05 | Discussing limits of available Beatles session footage; “fight for the stuff no one else had seen” | | 41:52–45:36 | Advances in restoration technology enable better access/discovery, less so miracles with “unusable” footage| | 45:36–48:40 | Discovering new stories through meticulous photo research—boot shop anecdote | | 64:10–67:38 | Carnival of Light and session tapes, rights issues, philosophy about releasing unfinished Beatles work | | 61:00 | The Beatles as British folklore; comparison with Mozart | | 68:53–70:06 | Possibility of docs about the making of Anthology itself/do-overs | | 73:16 | Murray jokes about future "scratch n' sniff" Beatles productions |

Tone & Language

• The episode is thoughtful, reverent, and tinged with a British wit. Both Rodriguez and Murray speak to, and as, genuine fans—curious, respectful, and sometimes gently irreverent about the mythology and machinery of Beatles curation.
• Murray is open, passionate, and analytical about his process, often highlighting the emotional core behind archival documentaries.
• The conversation brings in moments of humor and humility (“If I can be typecast as working with these legacy acts…happily stay in my lane.”).

Final Note

This episode gives a rare insider’s look at continuing the Beatles legacy on screen: the hazards and joys of dealing with limited materials, ever-shifting expectations from fans and new audiences, proprietary and philosophical questions of archival access, and the emotional “north star” of sharing the Beatles’ enduring magic. Murray’s approach is at once pragmatic and poetic—a time traveler with a camera and an ear for human truth. Essential listening for anyone invested in the legacy, future, and ongoing rediscovery of The Beatles.