London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 15, 2026

Sir Cliff Richard disputes claim rivals The Beatles ‘owned’ Abbey Road studios

Sir Cliff Richard disputes claim rivals The Beatles ‘owned’ Abbey Road studios

Sir Cliff Richard has shot down the suggestion that The Beatles ‘owned’ Abbey Road studios, insisting that he was the main man on the block.

All the way back in 1958, the legendary musician made waves with the release of his song Move It, which is widely regarded as being one of the first authentic rock and roll songs made outside the US.

As the swinging sixties came into play, The Beatles blasted onto the scene, marking the beginning of a rivalry between the band and the solo crooner.

On Friday’s Good Morning Britain, Sir Cliff, 82, spoke to presenter Richard Arnold about his new festive album Christmas With Cliff, as well as the early stages of his career.

‘I started when I was 17, recording Move It in the corner of studio two, Abbey Road, 1958, five years before The Beatles by the way,’ he recalled.

‘You don’t think that the decades are going to fly by the way they do, so for me… my feet really haven’t and I keep thinking, will anybody else do that?’


The singer looked back on recording at Abbey Road over 60 years ago

The Beatles were stiff competition

Touching on Sir Cliff’s mention of The Beatles, Richard pointed out: ‘You mentioned The Beatles of course. You used to have to battle with The Beatles to get a slot at Abbey Road studios of course.’

Implying that his rivalry with The Beatles is far from a distant memory, the musician responded: ‘Everybody thinks they owned Abbey Road, and they didn’t. I did. I just rented to them.’

In 1964, The Beatles made a global name for themselves after performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in the US.

Sir Cliff Richard soared to stardom as a teenager

Despite their rivalry, Sir Cliff and Sir Paul performed together at the Queen’s Jubilee concert in 2002 among many other stars


However, Sir Cliff was famously not pleased by the raving reception they received, previously saying: ‘It’s ridiculous! Has everyone forgotten me? What’s going on?’

In 2002, he performed at Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee concert alongside Sir Paul McCartney, with the concert also boasting performances from Queen and Sir Tom Jones.

Earlier this month, Stormzy beat Sir Cliff on the charts to achieve a third number one album.

Speaking about the chart battle with Stormzy, the singer said on GMB: ‘It’s always been competition with someone else, and if you’ve got the better record, then you’ve got it.

‘This is Stormzy’s album, I was looking at this. There are 12 tracks on his album. My album has 13 tracks!’ he also joked.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
HMRC Warns Nearly Seven Million Adults Are Unclear About State Pension Entitlements
UK Parliament Passes Sovereign Grant Reform Before Conference Recess
British Rail Passengers Gain Automatic Right to Switch Operators During Disruptions
Burnham Hosts Downing Street Business Summit as UK Fiscal Pressure Builds
Labour Government Moves to Challenge £72 Million in Reform UK Crypto Donations
UK Advertising Industry Warns Wider Junk Food Rules Could Put £1 Billion in Media Spending at Risk
Cornwall Opens Devolution Talks With UK Government Over Transport and Local Services
UK Parliament Considers Sovereign Grant Reform Setting Royal Funding at £99.9 Million
Trades Union Congress Calls for Income-Based Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Levy
UK Prime Minister Rejects Second Scottish Independence Referendum
House of Lords Begins Scrutiny of Bill to Lower UK Voting Age to 16
Anthropic Says Claude Was Exploited in Weapons-Related and State-Linked Cyber Activity
Institute of Directors Urges UK Government to Avoid Business Tax Increases in Autumn Budget
Rising Gilt Yields Cut UK Fiscal Headroom to About £13 Billion Ahead of Budget
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Services and Technology Activity Strengthen
UK Government Promises Clearer Student Loan Guidance After Repayment Backlash
Charities Warn Unpaid Carers May Die Before Receiving Government Compensation
Dover Unrest Prompts Review of UK Counter-Extremism Strategy
Celtic Summit Leaders Reassert Right to Pursue Independence From UK
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record Amid Severe Heatwaves
Harrods Faces Potential £150 Million Compensation Bill Over Al Fayed Abuse Claims
UK Parliament Opens Debate on Landmark Assisted Dying Legislation
Metropolitan Police Investigate Reform UK Over Alleged Foreign Electoral Donations
UK Economy Expands 0.4% in July as AI Investment Boosts Activity
Bank of England Signals Caution on Rates as Inflation Pressures Persist
Tesco Alerts Police After Scammers Use Its Branding in AI-Generated Fraud
Lindy Cameron Appointed First Female Permanent Under-Secretary at UK Foreign Office
UK Government to Rewrite Student Loan Guidance After Mis-Selling Criticism
Welsh First Minister Warns Andy Burnham Government to Respect Devolution
Trump’s Falkland Islands Remarks Trigger New Diplomatic Tension With Britain
Reform UK Receives Record £72 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaires
UK Bans Imports From Israeli West Bank Settlements and Sanctions Supporting Institutions
Bayeux Tapestry Draws Large Crowds at British Museum
Cuts to International Aid Raise Concerns Over Fragile Overseas Health Systems
UK Airlines and Logistics Operators Adjust Capacity as Fuel Costs Rise
UK Mortgage Arrears Edge Lower in Second Quarter
UK Government Advances New Devolution Offers for English Councils
UK Parliament Begins Debate on NHS Governance and Single Patient Record Reforms
Andy Burnham Launches Number 10 North Devolution Initiative
UK Parliament Rejects Assisted Dying Bill for Terminally Ill Adults
UK Bans Goods From Israeli Settlements in the Occupied West Bank
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Technology Services Strengthen
Metropolitan Police Continue Investigation Into Reform UK Political Financing
Chinese Crypto Entrepreneur Leon Li Identified as Seller of £190 Million London Mansion
Trades Union Congress Proposes Social Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Surcharge
British Chambers of Commerce Calls for State Pension Triple Lock to Be Scrapped
Anthropic Says Claude Helped Disrupt Biological Weapons and Cyber Espionage Threats
UK Imposes Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements and West Bank Violence
UK Reimposes Sectoral Sanctions on Iran’s Aviation, Shipping and Energy Networks
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as AI and Programming Services Lift Activity
×