Emma Freud Confirms Beatles Songs for Stage Adaptation of Yesterday

According to Emma Freud, the screenwriter and producer, The Beatles have consented to license their music for a West End stage adaptation of the 2019 film Yesterday. Freud is collaborating on the project with her husband, Richard Curtis, the film's writer. She described the agreement as "a huge deal," highlighting that this is the first occasion Beatles songs will be legally performed on a West End stage. Danny Boyle, who directed the film, will also helm the stage production. Currently, the script is in its 11th draft, with two workshops completed and a third planned for this month. A theatre has been chosen, but Freud has not disclosed its name. The film features Himesh Patel and Lily James, with Ed Sheeran appearing as himself. Freud discussed the project on BBC Radio Suffolk after receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Suffolk in Ipswich on Saturday, noting her family's deep roots in the area since arriving as Jewish refugees from Germany in the 1930s. Freud has also served as creative director and executive producer at Comic Relief, focusing on issues of poverty and inequality. She resides in Southwold with Curtis.