dedeurs Sheridan Smith is British, she's sassy, she's - when required - very 1960s mod. Most noticeable 'flaw': she doesn't have the famous Cilla Black crooked front teeth... Sheridan can also sing, taking in account that it's not her profession. Still her vocals are the big problem in this TV biop. For me, and everyone else who is very familiar with Cilla Black's records, Smith's vocals are almost painful. The real Cilla had a clear and truly phenomenal voice. Soft and tender one moment, the next belting out like a fog horn. Her enemies called her a 'nasal screech', but it's for sure a voice no one can imitate easily. The 'Alfie' recording session with Burt Bacharach almost admits it. It's true that Burt Bacharach was a perfectionist and probably demanded from all the singers he worked with to do take after take after take, but in this scene he seems to think "Cilla Who again? Give me Dionne and Dusty any time." Well, Cilla Black was more than up to her 1960's contemporaries. Listen to the authentic Alfie recording session as can be found on YouTube. It may have been her 3rd or 30th take, but she leaves you breathless. What a voice, what an emotion. (A question for the director or costumer, though. In the Alfie studio session scene, Sheridan sports Cilla Black's new hair style for 1966. Why not the quite iconic Mary Quant dress as well?) It must be very difficult to find actors who look like famous people as they were in their younger days. I found Brian Epstein too handsome and well-mannered. George Martin and Ringo Star fared better, and the actor who played Cilla's boyfriend aka roadmanager and future husband Bobby Willis is the spitting image of the real one. But when I fail to recognize Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Pete Best at all, it's both confusing and distracting.What leading lady Sheridan Smith lacks in vocal similarities, she more than makes up in looks and charisma. She is Cilla Black as I remember her from the 1964-1965 TV appearances. In fact, it's Sheridan who gloriously saves the 3-episode series 'Cilla' from being a major drag. And had the vocals been play-backed, I would have awarded this with a 10.

WeldonHenley One reviewer wrote about Cilla's Protestant family. Wasn't she raised Roman Catholic? I believe she attended St. Anthony's School. I would appreciate clarification on this. The DVD is non USA formatted, so it cannot be played o most players in the U.S. at this time - Hopefully the series will appear on The BBC in America channel some time in the very near future. Also, I find it strange that no further installments detailing Cilla's further career are planned in view of the rave reviews for the series. Thanks for all of the reviews for this series, as I've found all of them informative and well- written. One of the reasons I am looking forward to seeing this series is that I've read about twelve reviews and all are positive ones.

ianlouisiana Miss S.Smith does a nice impression of Cilla Black and in fact sings rather better than the original in a competent enough if not inspired series celebrating Miss Black's fifty years as an entertainer. Starting out as a raunchy R & B singer she joined Svengali Brian Epstein's stable and changed to an anodyne M.O.R. artiste and ultimately a family TV favourite - the classic path followed by such as Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard before her and many others since. In later years she has become a bit of a cliché figure with her scouse accent broadening to the point of self - parody,but she gave every song her all and was a celebrity before the word became a curse. The mis - en - scene is familiar to anybody who has watched TV or seen a British kitchen sink drama over the last 60 years,oop north,outside privies,mums in aprons,dads in sleeveless pullies,back to back housing.. .....this very familiarity is now a comfort and Miss Black so much a part of our culture that it almost writes itself. The first episode is a bit glum and ends on a down note that might have broken a lesser woman but Cilla has guts and,at least in her case,talent - as they say - will out. She never seems particularly happy and I wondered at the end whether she might have preferred to have remained a pecunious but artistically fulfilled R&B singer rather than having to churn out "Anyone who had a heart" for fifty years - but I'll guess we'll never know.

jonnithomas It's a biopic and historically inaccurate if you are a Beatles fan and know some of the actual history of the early Beatles years.Having said that it is well produced and reasonably acted. It is quite entertaining if you like the period and accept it as a biopic which overlooks some of the facts like she was a waitress at the Zodiac cafe.You will enjoy the program if you can overlook some of the details. The main actress is likable, believable and performs well in the role. Her future husband comes across as rather doe eyed and almost submissive. The Beatles characters lack any depth and I think would have already been to Germany once by then if the year is supposed to be 1960/61.I have only watched the first two of the three parts.