IMAGINE being one of the original members of the biggest rock and roll band ever, but being sacked just months before they hit the big time.

Poor old Pete Best knows exactly how it feels because he lost his position as drummer with the Beatles in the same year their first single 'Love Me Do' took the top 40 by storm. But the 58-year-old Liverpudlian could not be more philosophical about his fall from grace and claims he is happier than ever regularly touring with his own band and doting on his two grandchildren.

The stalwart musician will be chatting about his heady years as a Beatle when he pays a flying visit to Bolton tomorrow.

Pete will be stopping off at the Octagon as part of his nationwide 'Beatle Days' tour which sees him invite the audience on a trip down memory lane.

The dad-of-two was inspired to speak to fans instead of just performing for them when he found himself standing around for hours chatting to people after every gig.

He said: "When I'm touring with my band there are always fans waiting to ask plenty of questions after every gig, so I thought I'd devote a whole tour to it.

"I tried it out as a one-off last year just to see if people were interested and they all seemed to enjoy it, so I've extended the tour this year."

Pete suspects he may attract the most mixed audience in rock and roll history.

"It really is a mad mixture - right up from the under-11s to their grandparents.

"I've noticed that a lot of families seem to enjoy coming along which is good.

"Every audience is different and I always feel enthusiastic speaking to them because they always have different questions to ask" he said.

The show includes exclusive video footage including Paul McCartney, Cynthia Lennon, Allan Williams, plus slides, music out-takes, a display of Pete's personal photos and a question and answer session.

Pete also promises to speak candidly about the real reason he left the Beatles.

He admits he is no Beatles historian, but has plenty of anecdotes to tell about the band's days in Hamburg.

Pete, who still lives in Liverpool, said: "No doubt a lot of the audience know more about the Beatles than I do and some of them are real experts, able to name what kind of toothbrush John Lennon had in 1968, but I could speak for hours about our time in Germany and we do have to keep an eye on the time or we would be there all night!"

Pete has not had any contact with the rest of the band since he played on the same bill as them in 1963, but has no regrets.

"You can't have regrets. I've had a great life - I stayed in showbiz until 68' and then raised my family and worked for the Civil Service to make sure we were safe financially.

"In the Beatles we all knew we would make it big because we had such confidence in ourselves, but nobody had any idea that the group would become a phenomenon.

"Obviously, at first I was financially embarrassed and when Love Me Do came out it felt weird. But I'm happy, I've got a fantastic family, an amazing marriage and my health.

"I'm enjoying playing with my band and in many ways I'm a very lucky guy."

The 'Beatle Days' event starts at 7.30pm and tickets are available from the Octagon box office on 520661.