Fans On The Run

The album sleeve was originally shot there in 1973 and featured notable celebrities including Michael Parkinson, James Coburn, Clement Freud, Christopher Lee, John Conteh and Kenny Lynch, as well as the members of Wings, dressed as convicts caught in the spotlight of a prison searchlight.

Fans from across the UK, some as far as Bristol and Chester met at Osterley station at 11.30am.

We proceeded to make our way to Osterley Park on foot, and after a short break for refreshments and a picnic lunch in the baking hot weather, we arrived at Osterley House.

The house itself was built in 1576 and stands in 746 acres and is now owned by the National Trust, who also own the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney in Liverpool.

Having found the appropriate wall when the picture was taken, everyone then posed as one of the stars on the original sleeve, trying to get as close a match to the album as possible.

In front of the wall stood a bench, which James Coburn must have used at the time of the shoot—is it the same bench? Well, we don't know.

A guide at the house, holding an exhibition in the gallery behind where we were filming, offered to take pictures for us and so everyone with a camera got a shot of themselves re-creating the famous sleeve. We are extremely grateful to her for helping us out.

After the shoot we took time to browse the grounds before heading back to the station at 4pm. We went our separate ways but look forward to the next event.

We are hoping to visit the pub in Caversham (The Fox and Hounds), where John and Paul performed their one and only gig as the Nerk Twins and film a London DVD in the near future taking in famous sites around the capital linked to The Beatles.

If you would like to be added to the mailing list for updates on these events please contact the treasurer.

© 2010 British Beatles Fan Club