Cilla
 Cilla Black got a surprise when she set out to film street
interviews for her 1968 BBC TV show Cilla. Most people
didn't recognise her.
The idea was for Cilla to pop up in places like petrol stations
and supermarkets to ask for requests to sing on the show.
She
found, as expected, that she was best recognised in her home town
of Liverpool.
In the first nine week series of 50 minute shows she sang,
danced and acted in comedy sketches.
The Beatles wrote her a song
called Step Inside Love especially for the 1968 BBC series
which made Cilla the first female performer to have her own
television show.
Each week Cilla introduced guest stars who were friends or
personal favourites, including Tom
Jones, Cliff Richard, Harry H
Corbett, Jimmy Edwards, Des O'Connor and Roy Castle.
Probably
the most popular segments of her show were the Candid Camera
style pieces where she would have her camera crew knock on the
front door of a house unannounced and proclaim "Mind if we
come in and have a look around?".
 Cilla's cheerful Liverpudlian nature would immediately disarm
the bewildered family and provide a comic commentary throughout
the tour of the house, playfully making fun of various treasured
knick-knacks and family members.
The BBC shows attracted 21 million viewers and constantly
topped the ratings, also winning Cilla the prize of Top Female
Television Personality award for five years in a row.
In 1975 Cilla
switched to ITV, and during the 1980s went on to become the host
of the TV dating game show Blind Date.
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