Cilla Black wasn’t just the girl next door

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/03/cilla-black-pop-star-presenter-tv

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One of Cilla Black’s greatest gifts was apparently that she had “the common touch”. This has been mentioned in tribute after tribute. This ability to get on with common people is a rare and unusual thing. If “the common touch” could be bottled then every wannabe and every politician would buy it. It is also one of the euphemisms that is used to dissolve class differences – thus Kate Middleton is now said to have the common touch.

Related: Cilla Black, singer and TV personality, dies aged 72

But Cilla was the real thing. She was able to have more than one career because she was immensely skilled, not only as a singer, but as a TV presenter who could make other ordinary people shine in front of the cameras. Everything that has been said about her emphasises her unstarriness, her rags-to-riches story, the fact she was just a Scouse girl, “a natural”, with no airs and graces. That is one part of the story, but there is another part, surely? She was incredibly smart, utterly professional and a pioneer for women in TV.

The former cloakroom attendant was championed by the Beatles and there was huge power in her voice. Go back and watch her early performances and hear George Martin talking about recording with her. Listen to the drama of those songs. She said she would only record Alfie if Burt Bacharach himself came over and played on it. He did.

Imagine now a primetime show hosted by a middle-aged woman who makes jokes, interviews and improvises

That this pop star should then reinvent herself in the 1980s as one of our biggest TV stars again owes more to her ability to take control than simply her ability to represent the “girl next door”. Imagine now a primetime show hosted by a woman – a middle-aged woman – who needs no sidekick, who makes jokes, interviews and improvises. Well, that happened in the 1980s when Cilla hosted both Surprise Surprise and the huge hit Blind Date. She dealt with all sorts of stories, including war, adoption and family reunions, with warmth and tears on Surprise Surprise. On Blind Date she reined in the cockiness and eccentricity of some the contestants to make it a more level playing field, or so it seemed. These pre-reality TV days probably seem somewhat coy now because not everyone on the show talked about sex or wanted to be a TV presenter themselves. These were everyday people having a laugh while Cilla was in complete control, always making sure no one was cruel or crude. This required not just naturalness, not just the “common touch”, but huge intelligence and professionalism.

She was the first woman on TV to host a primetime chatshow. How few working-class people now rise to the top of the media? How few women, still?

Cilla’s charm, cleverness, warmth and wit made her uncommonly popular. In the days when light entertainment has become mired in darkness and scandal, she remained loved. Her “gift” to connect with all kinds of folk was in fact a skill that should never be underestimated. There was really nothing ordinary about her at all. Everyone thought she was their friend, everyone felt she had a heart. What an extraordinary talent.