Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Beatles Anthology first aired on ABC in the United States on the 19th of November 1995, presented as three feature-length episodes over three evenings. ITV in the United Kingdom broadcast the series beginning on the 26th of November 1995 in six individual episodes.
Part 1 of The Beatles Anthology on ABC reached about 27.3 million viewers across roughly 17 million households. Viewership declined with each subsequent part, with Part 2 drawing 21.7 million viewers and Part 3 drawing 18.3 million.
Yoko Ono gave Paul McCartney cassette tapes in 1994 containing four song demos John Lennon had been working on. "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love" were completed with producer Jeff Lynne in 1994-95 and premiered during the Anthology broadcast. "Now and Then" was completed later in 2023.
Neil Aspinall was a long-time friend of the Beatles and manager of Apple Corps. He compiled concert footage, interview clips, and television appearances from around the world and assembled a 90-minute workprint tentatively titled The Long and Winding Road, completed in 1971, which became the foundation of the Anthology series.
On the 5th of September 1996, an expanded version was released as an eight-volume VHS set and an eight-disc LaserDisc set, containing five hours of additional footage. A DVD boxset followed in 2003 with an 81-minute special-features disc and a 5.1 surround sound remix. A re-edited version called Anthology 2025 was released on Disney+ starting on the 26th of November 2025.
George Harrison objected to naming the entire Beatles story after a Paul McCartney song, so the title was changed to The Beatles Anthology. The new title was originally intended as a working title but was kept because it suited all parties involved.