It seems the rumours were sort of true. Wippit, the digital download service based in the UK is to offer rare footage charting The Beatles career. However not the digital versions of the songs as yet.

The footage, which has been collected from the vaults of British Pathé, Reuters and ITN collections is now available to download through Wippit for the first time.

Many of the segments, the company says, have not been seen or aired again since first broadcast date.

From early moptop television interviews to later "political statements" by a longer haired John Lennon, Wippit will sell a range of Beatles interviews and news stories including an interview with George Harrison on his 21st birthday, the band meeting the Queen and interviews with the Fab 4 on the set of the their film Help!

ITN Source will also make available some darker moments in the band’s history; Paul McCartney’s LSD taking admission, George Harrison’s arrest for drug taking, the backlash to John Lennon’s Bigger than Jesus comments and Yoko Ono and John Lennon promoting howling as a form of expression!

Wippit will offer the video downloads to all territories except North America from 49p each or as bundles from £4.99.

>> Link - Beatles video downloads