Sir John Lennon

Paul McCartney says John Lennon 'instigated' the Beatles' break-up

The supposed evidence was a press release for his 1970 solo album, McCartney, where he revealed he was on a "break" from rock's biggest band.

Interviewing himself, Sir Paul said he could not "foresee a time when Lennon-McCartney becomes an active songwriting partnership again".

But in a new BBC interview, he has said the split was prompted by John Lennon.

"I didn't instigate the split. That was our Johnny," he told interviewer John Wilson. "I am not the person who instigated the split.