Next month, a new BBC documentary titled: The Hunt For The Lost Bass will chronicle the extraordinary 50-year mystery of Paul McCartney’s original 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass. The film, which hits select cinemas on April 2 and 4 before its television debut, follows the global search for the iconic “violin bass” that the legendary musician originally purchased for just £30 in Hamburg.

This specific instrument was a staple of the band’s early era, heard on hits like “Love Me Do” and “Twist and Shout,” before it mysteriously vanished in January 1969 during the Get Back sessions.

The documentary highlights the dedicated efforts of The Lost Bass Project—a team of journalists and experts who launched a worldwide appeal in 2023 to track down the missing relic.

When the search was revived in September 2023, it effectively dismantled previous myths thanks to a breakthrough tip from Ian Horne. Horne, who served as a roadie for the band Wings, revealed that the instrument hadn’t simply vanished during a session, but had actually been stolen on October 10, 1972, from the Ladbroke Grove neighborhood in Notting Hill, West London.

Their investigation eventually led to a home in Hastings, where Rauidhri Guest discovered the bass in his attic; it had been sitting there for decades, restrung for a right-handed player, after being inherited from his father who was unaware of its historic value. Cathy Guest directly contacted Paul McCartney via MPL Communications, and return him the bass in October 2023.

“I think anything that’s nicked, you want back, especially if it has sentimental value. It just went off into the universe and it left us thinking, where did it go? There must be an answer.”

– Paul McCartney

Now 83, Paul McCartney reflects in the film on the sentimental weight of the instrument, which was officially authenticated and returned to him in time to be played on stage alongside Ronnie Wood during his recent tour.

THE HUNT FOR THE LOST BASS See it first in cinemas ONLY ON 2 & 4 APRIL

Passion Pictures/ BBC/ Dartmouth Films

Photos:BBC & 2025 MPL Communications Ltd