Cilla Black larks around with son Robert in a Surprise Surprise look at her life that will thrill fans.
The 1972 clip is one of the intimate scenes in a documentary using unseen recordings of the TV and music legend.
Robert and brothers Jack and Ben were clearing out her house after her death in 2015, aged 72, when they discovered old film and audio tapes.
And when they checked them, they found heartwarming home movies and snippets of their mum talking about her life that have now been used to create ITV’s Cilla: The Lost Tapes.
Robert, 50, said: “We found these incredible tapes. They were everywhere. One was her talking at a concert and singing a lullaby she used to sing to me. I got a bit choked up.”
On one tape, Cilla tells of always having wanted to be a star, saying: “I knew from three I wanted to
go into showbusiness.”
She also tells of how, early in her pop career, she inspired Shirley Bassey to sing Hey Big Spender with her own performance at London’s Savoy.
Sir Cliff Richard, a friend of Cilla, said: “Watching her sing Big Spen-der, I can understand why Shirley might have want- ed to. But isn’t it fantastic Cilla did it first? I didn’t realise that film existed.”
Cilla also speaks of meeting husband Bobby Willis in 1962, saying: “It wasn’t love at first sight… but he was funny and unbelievably good-looking.”
It was under his management she broke the mould in 1968 with a move into TV with her own show, Cilla. She also made history by singing at the Royal Variety Performance in 1970 while heavily pregnant with Robert.
Robert says: “We were lucky that what they were doing was high-profile but when they were home they really loved a simple, normal family life.”
Other clips include Cilla giving a tour of her home in Denham, South Bucks, and family holidays. She took time out to raise her kids before returning in 1984 with ITV hit Surprise Surprise, then Blind Date in 1985.
Watching early footage, This Morning’s Holly Willoughby says: “There is no doubt the reason I wanted to get into presenting is down to Cilla.
“She was the original girl power, she was the number-one ginger spice!”
*Cilla: The Lost Tapes is on ITV at 9pm on February 19.
