By Bill Harry Merseybeat
When the Beatles filled in their biographical 'lifelines' for the New Musical Express in 1963, under 'Favourite Actresses', Paul wrote: Brigitte Bardot, George wrote: Brigitte Bardot, Ringo wrote: Brigitte Bardot. John wrote: Juliette Greco, which is surprising, because of the four it was John who was most fanatical about Brigitte Bardot.Brigitte Bardot For male teenagers in Britain in the late 1950s, she was the No.1 sex symbol. her impact on the young psyche was immense - not forgetting the girls who styled themselves on her.
John also favoured girls who styled themselves on the star. When Cynthia, his first wife, fell in love with him, John's friends told her she wouldn't make much of an impression on him because she didn't look like Brigitte.
Journalist Michael Braun, who accompanied the Beatles on their first trip to Paris, at the end of April and begining of May, recalled that they'd made a specific request to their French record company that they'd like to meet up with Brigitte Bardot during their visit. "All of the Beatles, apparently, shared a desire to meet Mlle Bardot. The following morning a large box of candy arrived in their suite. Accompanying it was a card off the director of their French record company. "Unfortunately," it read, "Brigitte Bardot is detained in Brazil! Let's hope these sweets will make up for her." 
John used to have a framed photograph of Bardot on the wall of his house in Kenwood and he finally got to meet his dream girl in 1968. Pete Shotton recalled the historic moment, which had been arranged by Derek Taylor.
He wrote, "Naturally I begged John to let me tag along, but since Brigitte had specified that she wasn't prepared to meet a crowd of strangers, only Derek was permitted to accompany him. He arrived home somewhat earlier than I'd expected, looking far more sullen than the occasion warranted."
Shotten said that John told him, "I was so nervous that I dropped some acid before we went in and got completely out of my head. The only thing I said to her all night was 'Hello,' when we went to shake hands with her. Then she spent the whole time talking in French with her friends, and I could never think of anything to say."
Derek Taylor had received a message at the Apple offices in Saville Row that
Brigitte was at the Mayfair Hotel and had requested a meeting with all four Beatles. When John arrived in the office, Derek told him the news and John reminded him that Paul was in Scotland. Derek phoned George and Ringo, but they declined the invitation. John and Derek took some LSD and in the evening set off for the Mayfair in their chauffeur driven car.
Although Derek had phoned earlier to explain that only John would be coming, communications hadn't been good and Bardot had a number of girls with her, presumably to balance out the party as she'd booked dinner at the fashionable Parkes in Beauchamp Place believing that all four Beatles were coming along. John squatted in the middle of the room and lit a cigarette. Both he and Derek felt that things weren't going too well and Bardot and her party weren't exactly fluent in English, while John couldn't speak any French at all.
A phone call was made to invite two young men to join the party for dinner so as not to make the male/female ratio too conspicuous. However, both John and Derek declined to join the dinner party and remained behind in the suite while a puzzled Bardot set off for Parkes.
Brigitte and her friends returned in the early hours of the morning and she handed John a guitar and asked him if he'd play some songs, which he did. Derek had fallen asleep in her bedroom. Later they said their Goodbye's and left.
