CILLA (1968-76)

In August 1967, only days before his premature death, Brian Epstein had engineered Cilla’s switch to television with this her own eponymous variety show for BBC TV.

The immediate success of the ‘Cilla’ series marked the beginning of a new phase of Cilla’s professional life as she was now one of Britain’s top-rated television entertainers. Her show regularly commanded staggering audience figures of between 18 and 22 million until it ended in 1976. Apart from providing Cilla with the opportunity to perform her music, it also showcased her infectious personality, her ability to host a live show, the ease with which she performed with guest stars, acted in comedy sketches and her forte – her interaction with the general public.

‘Cilla’ ran for 8 series totaling 66 shows; broadcast between the 30th January 1968 & 17th April 1976.

Special Guest Stars:

Cliff Richard
Johnny Mathis
Andy Williams
Charles Aznavour
Tom Jones
Ringo Starr
Lulu
Sandie Shaw
Twiggy
Matt Monro
Sacha Distel
Dusty Springfield
Ethel Merman
The Shadows
Phil Everly
Marc Bolan
Jimmy Tarbuck
Ronnie Corbett