A day in the life of the Beatles: Astonishing never-before-seen colour footage shows the Fab Four performing at their peak 60 years ago - as rare 18-minute film reel is set to go on auction

Astonishing never-before-seen colour footage of the Beatles performing at the peak of their popularity 60 years ago is set to go on auction.

The 18-minute film reel shows the Fab Four appearing on the music TV show Ready, Steady, Go! and their own special programme Around the Beatles back in 1964.

John, Paul, George and Ringo were smartly dressed in suits and ties with their trademark mop top haircuts for the shows which were broadcast as Beatlemania swept the globe.

The footage features singer Dusty Springfield interviewing the band on stage and Cilia Black and Helen Shapiro performing with them.

There is also a segment of the film, which is expected to fetch £10,000, that shows the band smoking and laughing together backstage. 

John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney perform on the Ready, Steady, Go! TV show. Ringo Starr is behind the drums on the right

The never-seen-before footage is expected to fetch £10,000. Picture shows Paul McCartney and George Harrison

Paul McCartney and John Lennon smile as they perform in the footage

The film had been with the family of the man who filmed it for 60 years. Picture shows Ringo Starr behind his drum kit in-between songs

 The footage is in bright colour and of 'exceptional quality' and was shot at a different angle to the film that was actually broadcast.

It was shot by Teddy Fader, who worked as a lighting supervisor for ITV production company Associated-Rediffusion, a forerunner for Thames Television.

He worked on both programmes and edited the clips together which he kept.

The 8mm film reel has remained in the Fader family for six decades but they are now selling it with copyright at Omega Auctions, of Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside.

The footage is expected to fetch £10,000 and includes candid shots of the Beatles backstage smoking and laughing together.

Auction manager Dan Muscatelli-Hampson said: 'It is some of the best behind the scenes footage of the Beatles I've ever seen and the fact that it is previously unseen is so exciting.

'There is footage out there of both TV shows but this captures the performances from alternative angles and shows just how close the crowd were to them.

Dusty Springfield interviews Paul McCartney and John Lennon back in 1964

The Beatles backstage at Ready, Steady, Go! as they smoke cigarettes and have a chat

There 18-minute film includes footage from the Beatles' own show, Around the Beatles

The 8mm film reel, which contains colour footage of the Beatles, will go on sale on March 26

The footage contains an angle that was not broadcast before and shows how close the crowd were to the Fab Four

The footage also captures a performance by Cilla Black back in 1964

'There is also wonderful footage of them chatting, mucking around and smoking cigarettes backstage.

'The family have kept hold of the film for 60 years but they feel now is the right time to part with it.'

The Beatles appeared for the second time on Ready, Steady, Go! on March 20, 1964, miming along to 'It Won't Be Long', 'You Can't Do That' and 'Can't Buy Me Love'.

They also took part in a mock fashion parade, received an award from US magazine Billboard for having the top three songs in their chart and were interviewed by host Cathy McGowan.

The band's Around the Beatles show was taped at Wembley Park Studios in London on April 28, 1964, and broadcast internationally on May 6.

Teddy Fader worked on dozens of ITV shows including Play Your Cards Right, It'll Be Alright, Metal Mickey and Mind Your Language at Wembley Studios and then Teddington Studios in south west London.

The sale takes place on March 26.

It is not the first time never-seen-before images of the Fab Four went on sale as pictures of the legendary musicians living the high life in Miami on their 1964 tour went up for auction last month.  

The creators of modern pop music were pictured taking a joyride on a Formula 233 speedboat driven by Dan Aronow in Miami, Florida, six decades ago.

Iconic drummer Ringo is pictured riding the boat with ease - dressed in his swimsuit, dark spandex, and a white Cuban shirt. In another, he is holding a fishing reel.

In another picture, legendary guitarist John Lennon is seen enjoying his leisure time while dressed in black shades, a white shirt with loafers seated near the boat's bow. 

The film was shot by Teddy Fader, who worked as a lighting supervisor for ITV production company Associated-Rediffusion. Picture shows Paul McCartney and George Harrison

Teddy Fader, who filmed the footage, worked on both programmes and edited the clips together which he kept

The 8mm film reel has remained in the Fader family for six decades but they are now selling it

It comes as Sir Sam Mendes is set to tell The Beatles story through the perspectives of the band's four members with each getting their own film. 

The director, 59, will tell the story of the band from each musician’s point-of-view, marking the first time Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film.

Working alongside Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and Neal Street Productions the project will be released worldwide in 2027.

And in November last year, the band's last ever track to hit the airwaves sent fans into a frenzy.

Now and Then was created using modern technology to finish the song which was first recorded five decades ago. 

Giles Martin, the son of the band's unofficial fifth member George Martin, previously revealed that Paul McCartney was 'bothered' the iconic band never finished the track.