Irish actor and musician Rhys Mannion is to play John Lennon in a new BBC drama about The Beatles' early years.
Athlone-born Mannion (23) landed the coveted part after what has been described as "a very gruelling" open casting process with thousands of hopefuls applying for roles in the new series.
He has previously starred with Cosmos Jarvis in It’s in Us All, which was shot in Donegal, and he also appeared in 2023’s Freuds last Session, which was filmed in Wicklow.
Mannion wrote a musical set during the Famine and has performed in indie band Happy Daze.
Hamburg Days also stars Ellis Murphy, who previously appeared in TV dramas Being Eileen (2011) and Lapland (2011), will play bassist and singer Paul McCartney in the new drama about the band's formative years in the German city in the early sixties.
Harvey Brett will play singer and guitarist George Harrison, Rivals actor Louis Landau will play the band's original bassist Stu Sutcliffe, while original drummer Pete Best will be played by Patrick Gilmore.
Filming has begun in Hamburg, Liverpool and Munich on the six-part series, which will follow The Beatles transformation from a group of teenagers into the world's biggest band.
The series is based on the book of the same name by Beatles associates Klaus Voormann and Astrid Kirchherr.
Kirchherr will be played by Wild Republic actress Luna Jordan, while Voormann will be played by Casper Von Bulow, and Laura Tonke will play Kirchherr’s mother Nielsa.
Voormann, 87, who is also known for designing the cover for The Beatles' 1966 album Revolver, will act as a consultant on the new series, which has been acquired by the BBC from UK-based independent film and television company Turbine Studios.
German musician Voormamn has a long-lasting working relationship with The Beatles and played bass on many of their solo projects following their break-up in 1970.
Kirchherr died in 2020, having been remembered for the early pictures she took of The Beatles.
Director Christian Schwochow, who worked on Netflix’s hit series The Crown is the showrunner of the series, and Northern Irish musician and Bafta-winner David Holmes, who worked on Killing Eve and the Ocean’s franchise, will curate the music.
Sue Deeks, Head of Scripted Pre-buy Acquisitions at the BBC said, "Hamburg Days is the fascinating story of how, in the space of two short years, a raw young band from Liverpool honed their music skills in Hamburg, before returning home to become an overnight worldwide success.
"It is an incredible story, accompanied (of course) by an amazing soundtrack!"
The series will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer with an air date yet to be announced.
The Beatles, formed in 1960 and made up of McCartney, Lennon, Harrison, and Ringo Starr from their debut album onwards, are the best-selling musical act of all time and one of the most influential groups in the world.
During their time in Hamburg, The Beatles performed at a number of venues in the city's St Pauli district, most notably at the Star-Club.
Four films directed by Sam Mendes about the band are also currently in the pipeline starring Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.
Source: Press Association
