Putting her privileged access to good use, Mary McCartney has directed this enjoyable documentary about Abbey Road Studios in London – famously the site of the Beatles’ classic recordings (her dad is Paul of course), but much more besides. McCartney’s film takes us through the history of the building itself (in the St John’s Wood neighbourhood of London, perhaps only Lord’s cricket ground is more of an English icon).

It was designed to house a symphony orchestra, and its first occupant in 1931 was Edward Elgar conducting the LSO. It looks very different from the way we think of recording studios,small spaces divided from the mixing suite by a pane of glass. In fact two of the studios are huge, where mighty producer George Martin presided over everything from suites accessed by flights of stairs, like going up to the manager’s office from the echoing factory shop floor.