Richard Porter. The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour

Richard Porter is the smartest man in Britain — at least when it comes to The Beatles. In reality, considering the Sixties pop scene was a hotbed of sex and psychedelic drugs, he probably knows more about The Beatles than the remaining members of the Fab Four can remember themselves.

Porter is a fan. But he’s also so much more than that. In 1991 and 1992 he won the Beatles Brain of Britain title at the Liverpool Convention Centre.

These days you will find him eight days a week conducting walking tours around London following the long and winding road that always seems to lead to Abbey Road.

“My fascination with The Beatles began when I was 12 years old,’’ he said.

“I had no idea almost 40 years later that I’d be making my living as a Beatles Tours guide.’’

I joined Richard for his two-and-a-half-hour Magical Mystery Tour that starts at the Tottenham Court Road Underground at 11am on Sundays and Thursdays, and 2pm on Wednesdays.

With me were about 25 other Beatles fans. It was hard to categorise the group. Some were in their teens wearing OasisT-shirts; others were cardigan-wearing contemporaries of Sir Paul McCartney.

Richard estimated that he has taken more than 150,000 people on similar tours since starting as a guide more than20 years ago.

Stage right … hare krishnas

As we leave the station and head down Goodge St to Sir Paul’s London offices, our group gets tangled with a colourful crowd of Hare Krishnas leaving the Govinda restaurant singing and chanting as they head into the nearby park for a festival.

The irony is lost on no one — least of all Richard. Perhaps it was George Harrison, an avid practitioner of the Krishna religion having some fun from above, but once they realised what we were doing, they started singing the youngest member of The Beatles’ My Sweet Lord and encouraged us to abandon Richard and follow the light. Richard managed to keep everyone — after all we’d paid nine quid to be here.

The tour’s next stop was Trident Sound Studios where The Beatles recorded Hey Jude , Dear Prudence , Honey Pie , Martha My Dear and Savoy Truffle . The Trident also produced mega-hits for performers such as David Bowie ( Space Oddity ), Elton John ( Candle in the Wind ), Queen ( Bohemian Rhapsody ), Free ( All Right Now ) and Lou Reed’s iconic hit Walk on the Wild Side .

Walking through this part of London is easy but the Pied Piper of Beatlemania set a swift pace as he ticked off one piece of Beatles history after another.

We stopped at the art gallery where John met Yoko (Richard doesn’t blame her for splitting up the group); the Apple offices where the Beatles — high on the roof overlooking a chilly London — played live for the last time; and the place where John gave his infamous “bigger than Jesus” interview.

Take the train to Abbey Road

Then we all grab a ticket to ride and jump on the underground to St John’s Wood and eventually Abbey Road.

“That’s the place that everyone wants to see. And they all want to have their picture taken on the crossing — without shoes — just like Sir Paul,’’ he says.

Need something to remember the trip? Richard has that covered at his Beatles Coffee Shop at St John’s Wood Underground where he sells all kinds of souvenirs.

I was on a roll and there’s no such thing as too much Beatlemania. So my next stop was the Let It Be stage show at The Savoy Theatre in London’s West End. There’s no storyline to this show — just hit after hit performed by a Beatles tribute band that sounds every bit as good as the Fab Four.

Musically it was tremendous. The band was tight and the costumes amazing. I have only one complaint. The guy playing Paul McCartney was right handed. Sir Paul is without doubt the most famous left-handed bass player in history.

A minor fault in what is otherwise a major success.