London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 06, 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
Sarah Wakfer Appointed Chair of Northern Ireland’s Health and Care Regulator
Scotland Housing Completions Fall to 11-Year Low Amid National Shortage
UK Water Companies Face Tougher Oversight and Unannounced Regulatory Inspections
Middle East Conflict Pushes UK Fuel and Wholesale Energy Prices Higher
Andy Burnham Raises Prospect of Second Brexit Referendum in Review of UK-EU Relations
EY Warns UK Fiscal Headroom Has Halved to £11 Billion Ahead of Autumn Budget
BT Accused of Pressuring Vulnerable Customers During Digital Landline Shift
British Carmakers Warn of Growing Pressure From EU-China Tariff Dispute
Green Party of England and Wales Adopts Motion Defining Zionism as Racism
Medical Charity Threatens NHS Legal Action Over Two-Year Autism and ADHD Assessment Waits
British Transport Police Report Record Rise in Violence on Railways
Glasgow Council Workers Face Pay Cuts Under Fire-and-Rehire Plan
British Medical Groups Press Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Cancel £330 Million Palantir NHS Contract
UK Faces Record Bluetongue Outbreak Across Livestock Farms
UK Schools Report Thousands of Child-on-Child Sexual Offences
High Court Overturns Ban Blocking Gaza Families From Reuniting With Relatives in UK
G7 Authorizes Emergency Fuel Release as UK Diesel Prices Hit £2 a Litre
France and Italy Draw 1-1 in Nations League Match
Pope Leo XIV and Prince Albert II of Monaco Meet in Metz
SNCF Expands Low-Cost Ouigo High-Speed Service Between Lyon and Bordeaux
Paris Expands Dedicated Cargo Bike Routes for Urban Deliveries
French Film Industry Pushes for Tighter Streaming Investment Rules
Marseille Court Hands Down Prison Terms in Public Procurement Corruption Case
LVMH and Kering Rely on US Demand as Chinese Luxury Spending Slows
Toulouse Aerospace Sector Launches €80 Million Modernization Fund
Javier Milei Courts French Investment in LNG and Lithium
Mistral AI Launches Sovereign Model for European Public Services
French Competition Authority Fines Retailers €40 Million Over Misleading Promotions
France Records Exceptional Electricity Exports as Nuclear Output Recovers
Dassault Aviation Expands Rafale Assembly Capacity at Mérignac
Sanofi Invests €1 Billion in New Biologics Production Hub Near Lyon
France Protests Germany’s Extension of Border Controls Into 2027
French Public-Sector and Transport Unions Threaten National Strike
France Deploys Riot Police After Violence in Lyon Suburbs
French Anti-Terrorism Prosecutors Investigate Radicalized Flydubai Co-Pilot
France’s Defense Budget Surpasses NATO’s 2% of GDP Target
French Government Faces No-Confidence Threat Over Budget
France and G7 Release 100 Million Barrels From Strategic Oil Reserves
France Convenes Emergency Defense Council Over Threats to Commercial Shipping
France and Germany Coordinate Military Response After Russian Strikes on Kyiv Infrastructure
UK Police Release Six Iranian Nationals on Bail After RAF Fairford Security Alert
UK Business Confidence Falls as Energy Costs and Tax Uncertainty Rise
Cornwall Insight Warns UK Energy Bills Could Rise 16% in January
UK Introduces Zero VAT on Household Electricity Bills
UK 30-Year Gilt Yield Hits 6% as Bond Market Pressures Intensify
UK Introduces Stricter Subcontractor Checks and Expanded Trade Union Access
Green Party Proposes Three-Year Emergency Freeze on Private Rent Increases
UK Treasury Committee Seeks Tax Clarification Over Manchester City Investigation
Royal Marines Deploy to Faroe Islands for Northern European Security Exercise
UK Business Confidence Weakens as High Costs Delay Investment
×