Acting
May 26, 1943
Vauxhall, Liverpool, England, UK
Cilla Black
Acting
Biography
Priscilla Maria Veronica White is best known by her stage name Cilla Black. She rose to fame in the 1960s as a pop singer and her singles "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and "You're My World" both reached number one in the UK in 1964. She hosted her own variety show titled "Cilla" in the 60s and 70s and was an occasional comedy actress. Her career had a massive resurgence in the mid-80s and 1990s were she presented "Blind Date" were many tuned in for her acerbic comments, "Surprise Surprise" showed her softer side and "The Moment of Truth" was her successful peaktime game show. In the 2000s she put in memorable appearances on chat shows such as "The Paul O'Grady Show", "Loose Women" and "So Graham Norton". She died on 1st August 2015 after a fall in her villa in Estepona, Spain. The day after her funeral, the compilation album The Very Best of Cilla Black went to number one on the UK Albums Chart and the New Zealand Albums Chart; it was her first number one album.
Feature Films (24)
A 1965 British television special honouring the songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It was produced by Granada Television and aired on that network on 16 December 1965 before receiving a national broadcast the following evening. The programme mainly consisted of other artists miming to their recordings of the songs. The Beatles performed Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out, and Peter Sellers delivered a comedic interpretation of A Hard Day's Night, in the style of stage actor Laurence Olivier's portrayal of Richard III.
The Music of Lennon & McCartney
An affectionate portrait of the man and the musician in a week that sees the ex-Beatie playing at the Buckingham Palace concert. With contributions from Bono, Mike Myers , Dustin Hoffman , Meryl Streep , Cilia Black, Bob Geldof , Dale Winton , Travis and Richard Branson
There's Only One Paul McCartney
Fimed in front of 11,000 fans against the breathtaking backdrop of the world-famous Leeds Castle. With special guest appearance by Cilla Black. Year 2004.
Cliff Richard: Castles in the Air
A celebration of one of the all-time songwriting greats, featuring a selection of the finest songs from his extraordinary back catalogue and performances from the BBC's archives.
Burt Bacharach at the BBC
It’s the city that gave birth to The Beatles, inspired Gerry to ride that ferry, and spawned Bunnymen and Atomic Kittens. Now with all eyes – and ears – on Liverpool for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, a look into the BBC’s archives for a selection of performances from some of Merseyside’s biggest and best-loved musical stars.
Sounds of Liverpool at the BBC
Cilla Black hosts a show specially recorded in Stockholm on Midsummer's Day and on film locations in Norway, Sweden and Finland. With guest stars Ringo Starr, Sven-Bertil Taube, Basil Brush, Hannu Mikkola and Marvin, Welch & Farrar.
Cilla in Scandinavia
Special featuring Cilla Black and her guests Frankie Howerd, Graham Fletcher, the Bee Gees, Julio Iglesias and George Benson.
Cilla Black's Christmas Eve
Gerry and Fred Marsden, Les McGuire, and Les "Chad" Chadwick portray themselves in a romp through the early-1960s Liverpool Beat Scene. Art students by day and musicians by night, the boys' big break comes by winning a local talent contest. But first, they must retrieve their instruments, which have been mistakenly carried to the airport.
Ferry Cross the Mersey
Dreamlike satire about a young man who resists getting a job at the lone employing conglomerate in his dreary industrial town, but changes his mind when he discovers the plant's boiler room has the perfect climate to assist him with his pet horticultural (fungal) project.
Work Is a 4-Letter Word
A variety-style show designed around Frankie Howerd, featuring musical guests, comedic monologues, and his characteristic interaction with the audience, promising a "star-studded" feel despite his ironic complaints about the lineup.
The Frankie Howerd Show
Get to know the mastermind behind The Beatles’ worldwide domination, from an unknown Liverpool band to uncontested modern musical icons.
Brian Epstein: Inside the Fifth Beatle
Compilation celebrating the BBC's coverage of Cilla Black's 60s pop star years on programmes like The Ken Dodd Show and Top of the Pops, plus moments from her self-titled series.
Cilla at the BBC
Television & Series (43)
Blind Date was a British dating game show produced by London Weekend Television. An unscreened pilot was made with comic Duncan Norvelle as presenter but it was eventually hosted by Cilla Black, who already hosted the LWT series, Surprise, Surprise. Blind Date ran on Saturday nights from 30 November 1985 to 31 May 2003. Blind Date will return for a one-off special in late 2013, to celebrate Black's 50-year career in the entertainment industry. This special one-off will be part of another programme, The One and Only Cilla Black, presented by Paul O'Grady. Blind Date producers are aiming to bring back some of the show's most memorable contestants who are still single, giving them a second chance to win a date.
Blind Date
The biggest stars, the most iconic performances, the most outrageous outfits – it’s Britain’s number one pop show.
Top of the Pops
Surprise, Surprise is a British television programme originally hosted by Cilla Black and produced by London Weekend Television for ITV. It ran for 14 series from 6 May 1984 to 5 September 1997, after which four annual specials were produced between 1998 to 2001. In 2012, the show returned after a 11-year hiatus. The revived version is produced by ITV Studios and presented by Holly Willoughby. The show is currently in its second series.
