Jane Asher returns to London

On January 13, 1967, Jane Asher, Paul McCartney’s girlfriend at the time, and her mother, Margaret, flew to Boston to start a five-month tour across North America with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre. In April 1967, Paul took a ten-day holiday to visit her in Denver.

Jane returned to London on this day, May 29, 1967. Paul was at Heathrow to welcome her.

When Jane was home, this inevitably caused tensions. She and her friends were not into drugs; Paul and his friends were. Jane was determined to continue her career as an actress, whereas Paul thought that she might give it up and devote herself to him. They were at an impasse, but there was still so much friendship between them that neither of them wanted to admit that it wasn’t working out, so they let it continue. […]

When Jane returned from the USA after her tour with the Bristol Old Vic in June 1967, she is reported as saying, ‘Paul had changed so much. He was on LSD, which I knew nothing about. The house had changed and was full of stuff I didn’t know about.’

From “Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now” by Barry Miles, 1997

I love watching people living their domestic life and seeing how that goes. I always thought Jane and Paul were very tense. I do remember very clearly an evening at Cavendish Avenue where she wanted the window shut and he wanted the window open. That was really like Joe Orton play. It was f***ing great. I sat there all night watching Jane get up and open it, and Paul close it, and it was just like, nothing was said. And quite soon after that they split up, which of course I could have told anyone they would.

Marianne Faithfull – From Marianne Faithfull Said a Tense, Silent Fight Between Paul McCartney and His Girlfriend Felt Like a Play (cheatsheet.com)

Old Vic fly in – for a rest

Members of the tired but triumphant company of Old Vic players who have spent 19 weeks touring North America began a week’s rest today.

Friends and relatives turned out in force at London Airport yesterday to greet them back from Montreal. And Beatle Paul McCartney appeared out of nowhere to slip off with Jane Asher. Artistic director Val May was there to welcome them all.

The company will assemble again at London Airport early next Sunday to begin a tour of Europe. They need now to catch up on sleep. They had flown all night from Montreal, where they performed Hamlet before a capacity audience at the new Expo 67 Theatre — the first British company to appear there. The performance was sold out three months in advance. Leading man Richard Pascoe described their reception on their coast-to-coast tour as “tremendous.”

From Evening Standard – May 30, 1967

They may not look familiar, but you know their faces very well

ARM in arm, a boy and a girl at London’s Heathrow Airport yesterday. And as they walk away from the camera, it may seem rather difficult to distinguish them from any other couple who think that three’s a crowd. But in a more conventional setting — facing the camera, that is — they are unmistakably Beatle Paul McCartney and his actress friend Jane Asher. Paul met Jane at the airport after she had flown home from America.

From The Daily Mirror – May 30, 1967

Going further

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.