The Lunchtime slot at the Cavern Club this day was played by the Remo Four because the Beatles were in London for an audition with BBC Television, arranged so that their TV potential could be assessed.
Surprisingly, the audition came about not through the endeavours of Brian Epstein, but through two persuasive letters sent to the Corporation by one of the the Beatles' fans, David John Smith of Preston, who wrote asking for the group to be featured on BBC programmes. Assuming that Smith managed the group, the BBC wrote back to him offering them an audition in London on November 6th. Smith passed on the letter to NEMS Enterprises, from where Clive Epstein (brother Brian was with the Beatles in Hamburg) re-arranged this November 23rd date.
The 10 minute audition took place at 12:20 PM in a central London church hall. Four days later, Brian Epstein received a non-committal "Don't call us, we'll call you" letter from Mr. Ronnie Lane, Light Entertainment Auditioner. It would only be when the Beatles had enjoyed a number one record that they would make their BBC TV debut.
After the audition, the Beatles sped back to Merseyside for an unusual engagement at the Tower Ballroom, the 12th annual "Lancashire and Cheshire Arts Ball". Sharing the bill with the Beatles were Billy Kramer and the Coasters (prior to Epstein's signing Kramer to a management contract, adding the spurious middle initial J and severing the Coasters link in favor of Manchester group the Dakotas) the Llew Hird Jazz Band and the Clan McCLeod Pipe Band.
