11. A Tank of Piranhas and Fur-lined walls: Wips and the Origins of the Ad Lib Club

The Ad Lib was THE Beatles' nightclub. In this epiosde, we explore its history before the Beatles made it their clubhouse, taking in Peter Cook's Establishment Club, sexy, drug-fuelled romps in Torremolinos, and Wip's nightclub with its fur walls and tank of piranhas.With two first-hand interviews from David Walsh and Elisabeth Luard, who were at the centre of the action, this episode is a richly satisfying study in how London swung just before the phrase Swinging London was invented. In the next episode, the Beatles themselves take centre stage, but what was happening before they took the lift to the top floor of Charles House is a great story in itself.