The sole surviving record of The Beatles performing "Ticket to Ride" on Top of the Pops comes from a 1965 Doctor Who episode. The original BBC footage was later wiped, leaving the sci-fi series as the only source.
In April 1965 The Beatles appeared on Britain's Top of the Pops. The performance aired in the Doctor Who story "The Chase," shown through the TARDIS time-space visualizer.
The clip features William Hartnell as the Doctor and Maureen O'Brien as Vicki, who comments on the band. Original tapes of the Top of the Pops broadcast no longer exist.
The Beatles were once considered for a guest role in the series, but manager Brian Epstein rejected the idea. Copyright restrictions still prevent the clip from appearing on many streaming services and international DVDs.
Doctor Who returned to the band in the 2024 episode "The Devil's Chord," where Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor and Millie Gibson's Ruby visit Abbey Road Studios in 1963.