Look at any piece of media depicting the 1960s counterculture and you will soon be presented by the presence of the Beatles, whatever global extension of the scene it is. Take the 1968 Japanese film ‘Funeral Parade of Roses’ (1969), in which the main characters include hippies, the LGBT community and avant-garde artists. On the wall of the groups’ ‘den’ in which they enjoy their leisure and creative time, the wall features a large picture of ‘the fab four’ that is impossible not to spot1. The Beatles almost cannot be disconnected from the scene, being admired by those within and the band themselves showing their admiration for the movement. Based upon this contextual background, the specific impact the Beatles had upon the British counterculture during the 1960s will be analysed and assessed. Even though they were not the first to bring it over to Britain, they still would have had an influence upon it, owing to their status as the leaders of the counterculture and the greater awareness they would have brought to the movement given their record sales. This will also involve filling in the gaps in the histories of the rise of British counterculture, particularly in regards to psychedelic music.