VOICER Former Beatle on Moscow tour meets Russian president

(24 May 2003) VOICED BY: RICHARD VAUGHAN 00 00 Former Beatle, Paul McCartney, wife Heather Mills, and Russian President Vladimir Putin walk in and sit down 00 12 Close up of Putin 00 15 Wide reverse of meeting 00 20 SOUNDBITE (English) Paul McCartney, former Beatle “When you were growing up did you listen to the Beatles?“ 00 24 FX Vladimir Putin, Russian president saying the music was very popular, more than popular. It was like a breath of fresh air, like a window onto the outside world. 00 35 Wide shot of McCartney, Putin and Mills walking 00 38 Mid shot of the three walking 00 41 Wide shot of McCartney, Putin and Mills sightseeing 00 47 Fans with cameras 00 50 Pan down from building to McCartney, Putin and Mills 00 54 Pan from stage in Red Square to McCartney 00 59 SOUNDBITE: (English) Paul McCartney, former Beatle: “We tried to do a show here in, I think, the eighties but there was some sort of legislation against it or some sort of rule kept us out of here. So it’s great to be in here now today at the beautiful setting, The Red Square.“ 01 13 McCartney and Mills walking 01 16 Fans walking along next to them 01 21 ENDS STORYLINE: Paul McCartney kept the Russians waiting. Until the demise of the Soviet Union. Then more than another decade. And finally an extra 20 minutes on Saturday. But when the former Beatle kicked off his Red Square concert, near Lenin’s mausoleum and Stalin’s grave, thousands of his Russian fans weren’t holding it against him. Earlier, McCartney was welcomed to the Kremlin by Russian President Vladimir Putin. SUGGESTED VOICE OVER: 00 02 For Paul McCartney, the opportunity to play in Moscow’s Red Square is a dream come true. 00 08 The former Beatle will perform in front of St Basil’s Cathedral this evening. 00 12 It his first concert in Russia. 00 17 Vladimir Putin welcomed McCartney and his wife, Heather Mills, to the Kremlin. 00 20 SOUNDBITE (English) Paul McCartney, former Beatle “When you were growing up did you listen to the Beatles?“ SUPERCAPTION: Paul McCartney, former Beatle 00 24 FX 00 25 To which Putin replied the music was very popular, like a breath of fresh air, a window onto the outside world. SUPERCAPTION: Vladimir Putin, Russian president 00 35 McCartney asked Putin if the Beatles’ music had been banned in the Soviet Union. 00 40 Putin said it wasn’t banned but added that people weren’t allowed to play it in Red Square as recently as the nineteen-eighties. 00 47 The Russian president added that the Beatles had been widely listened to in the Soviet Union, despite official disapproval. 00 54 The British singer has been trying to play in Moscow for some time. 00 59 SOUNDBITE: (English) “We tried to do a show here in, I think, the eighties but there was some sort of legislation against it or some sort of rule kept us out of here. So it’s great to be in here now today at the beautiful setting, The Red Square.“ SUPERCAPTION: Paul McCartney, former Beatle 01 14 After their meeting, McCartney took a tour of the Kremlin - surprising members of the public. 01 23 ENDS Find out more about AP Archive: Twitter: Facebook: ​​ Instagram: You can license this story through AP Archive: