Story of Paul McCartney’s missing bass to be the subject of new documentary

Back in February 2024, Paul McCartney’s long-lost Höfner bass was returned to him after over 50 years, and now the story of how that happened will be told in a new documentary.

According to Variety, the mystery of the missing instrument will be the subject of the new doc The Beatle and the Bass from director Arthur Cary, with McCartney appearing in the flick.

The film, commissioned by BBC Arts, will feature interviews with others connected to the bass and its mystery, as well as fans, experts and collaborators. Also taking part are the journalists who launched The Lost Bass Project campaign, which helped recover the missing instrument and get it back to McCartney.

McCartney purchased the bass in Hamburg, Germany, in 1961 and used it to write such Beatles classics as “Love Me Do” and “She Loves You.” Initially it was believed to have last been seen in 1969, following the filming of Get Back. It was later revealed that it had actually been stolen in 1972 from a truck parked in Notting Hill, West London.

The Lost Bass Project launched its campaign to find McCartney’s bass in 2018, with the Beatle announcing in February 2024 that he had it back in his possession.

This isn’t the only documentary McCartney is taking part in. The new doc Man on the Run, about McCartney’s post-Beatles career, recently debuted at the Telluride Film Festival. It will be released in select theaters and then stream on Prime Video starting Feb. 25, 2026.

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