THE Kray Twins made an astonishing bid to take over The Beatles, we can reveal today.

And the notorious pair asked Glasgow crimelord Arthur Thompson for advice on their plan.

The sensational story of how Ronnie and Reggie schemed to take over as the Fab Four's managers will be told in a planned new movie.

This week its producers met investors at Edinburgh International Film Festival.

And the flick's scriptwriter told the News of the World how a Scot got caught up in the infamous duo's incredible project.

Colin Fry, 65, who knew the Krays for 25 years, said: "The twins respected Arthur Thompson over his business dealings.

"And during their only visit to Glasgow they told him they were thinking of managing The Beatles."

The meeting between the three feared crime bosses took place in the early 1960s in the now-demolished Cockatoo Bar in Govanhill.

Thompson had regularly visited the twins at their London base to act for them as a freelance enforcer.

At the end of their discussions, the Krays stunned the Glasgow Godfather by telling him they were taking over Beatles manager Brian Epstein's music empire.

It is believed they had been planning to blackmail the fabulously rich pop guru into handing over his business.

Colin explained: "Ronnie and Reggie had been introduced to Epstein one evening at a gay club in London. At the time he was managing The Beatles, who were making colossal amounts of money.

"It was suspected they had evidence he was having a gay affair with a musician. He was keen to keep his sexuality secret.

"So he was told that the Krays were taking The Beatles off him."

But the twins were talked out of their takeover plan by their Scottish colleague.

Colin said: "Thompson warned them off and pointed out that if they were linked to The Beatles it would destroy the band's career.

"So when the Krays got back to London they just settled for blackmailing poor Brian for cash."

Epstein's death from a drugs overdose in 1967, aged 32, is widely seen as the beginning of the end for The Beatles, who split up for good in 1970.

Now the astonishing tale of how John, Paul, George and Ringo were almost taken over by the Krays is set to hit the big screen. Two TV soap stars have been lined up to play the killers.

Recalling how he first heard about the violent pair's pop ambitions, Colin explained: "Ronnie and Reggie met lots of celebrities. They knew superstars such as Frank Sinatra, George Raft, Jayne Mansfield and Robert Ryan.

"But when I was discussing these big names with a former associate of the twins he asked, 'Did you know about the Beatles?'

"He then told me this amazing story.

"Can you imagine The Beatles being managed by the Krays? They were known in the underworld as The Firm - but the only business they understood was violence.

"Neither had any idea about marketing, contracts or percentages. Epstein tried to explain to them the problems of running the band."

Colin added: "The threat to take The Beatles from Epstein has been a tightly kept secret known only to a handful of confidantes close to the Kray family."

The twins were jailed for life in 1969. Ronnie died in 1995, aged 61, and Ronnie died five years later, shortly after being released. Thompson died in 1993, aged 61.

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