If Brazilian Beatles’ fans thought the happy-go-lucky lyrics of some of the band’s songs were in any way reflective of Britain in general, they will be thinking again.
A group which flew into Heathrow Airport, saying they were on their way to a Liverpool Beatles’ festival, found the face of British officialdom a little less enticing than Lovely Rita, the meter maid immortalised in the LennonMcCartney song.
Just like it says in the song, the immigration officials did indeed “look a little like a military man”.
But unlike Rita, they did not take their visitors out for dinner, much less pay the bill.
Instead, the officials tested the six Brazilians’ real motives for entering the UK with a Beatles’ fan skills test.
When it transpired that the visitors did not know who Yoko Ono was, and thought Ringo Starr was dead, they were soon on their way - back to Brazil.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “Anyone trying to enter the country must satisfy immigration officers that they meet immigration rules.”
