Phil Collins suggests Paul McCartney had him removed from Beatles documentary

Phil Collins has suggested that Paul McCartney may have been responsible for his removal from a re-released version of The Beatles Anthology documentary. The remark has seemingly reignited a long-running dispute between the two iconic musicians that dates back over two decades.

During a Q&A session in London with Steven Wilson to celebrate the 45th anniversary of his 1981 solo album Face Value, Phil Collins discussed a past career highlight involving The Beatles. He recalled that the original 1995 cut of the documentary featured a reference from George Harrison regarding Collins' cover of the Beatles track Tomorrow Never Knows, which was featured on Face Value.

The drummer explained that he was thrilled at the time to hear the band members playing his version on the multi-track tapes during the broadcast. However, upon returning to watch the footage more recently, he noticed the reference had been removed. Noting the absence, Collins quipped that Paul McCartney might have been behind the edit, stating that maybe McCartney simply did not like it. Paul McCartney has not publicly responded to the comment.

The tension between the two artists stems from an encounter at Buckingham Palace in 2002, where Phil Collins approached Paul McCartney and his then-wife Heather Mills to request an autograph on a book about the band. Collins later recounted that McCartney made a remark suggesting he was just a fan dealing with the intimidation of meeting a Beatle, leaving a lasting negative impression on the drummer. Collins publicly discussed the awkward interaction in 2016, which brought the underlying friction to light.

Despite the past friction, the two musicians had appeared to move past the disagreement in recent years. In 2018, Collins included McCartney in a massive box set release, and earlier this summer, Collins expressed regret for having ever spoken publicly about the Buckingham Palace incident, noting that they had since smoothed things over. Additionally, McCartney agreed to donate memorabilia to a King’s Trust charity auction organised by the Genesis drummer.

Away from the renewed documentary discussion, both legendary performers have remained active in their personal and professional lives. Paul McCartney released his solo album The Boys of Dungeon Lane featuring a duet with former bandmate Ringo Starr, received a Mercury Prize nomination, and discussed his career longevity in interviews. Meanwhile, Phil Collins recently spoke about reaching a milestone of three years without alcohol following past struggles with addiction.

Neither camp has offered further elaboration on the edited documentary footage, leaving the comment as the latest chapter in a famously complicated relationship between the two British music icons.