Cilla (miniseries) Cilla (miniseries) Cilla is a British drama television miniseries about the early career of Cilla Black. It was broadcast in three parts on ITV, and began on 15 September 2014 with Sheridan Smith playing the starring role. Smith was highly praised for her performance. Following Cilla Black's death in August 2015, the series was broadcast again on ITV between 4–6 August 2015, as well as repeats on ITV Encore. The series is based around Black's hometown of Liverpool and follows her rise to fame from 1960 amateur appearances in clubs, her relationships with Bobby Willis and Brian Epstein to the
Cilla Black of Truth" (1998–2001), and "Surprise Surprise" (1984–2001). In 2013, Black celebrated 50 years in show business. British television network ITV honoured this milestone with a one-off entertainment special which aired on 16 October 2013. The show, called "The One & Only Cilla Black", featured Black herself and was hosted by Paul O'Grady. Black died on 1 August 2015 after a fall in her villa in Estepona. 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