Cilla returns to ITV

Cilla Black is apparently returning to ITV Saturday nights in the new year to judge yet another Pop Idol style contest featuring soapstars.

Full story here :

Cilla Black is making her television comeback, three years after quitting as host of 'Blind Date', as a judge on ITV's new Saturday night entertainment show where soapstars turn into singers for the night.

'Soapstar Superstar' will go out on Saturday nights from early next year with stars confirmed to take part in the weekly series including former 'EastEnders'' Michael Greco, 'Coronation Street's Richard Fleeshman, who plays Craig Harris, Shobna Gulati (Sinitta Alahan) and Wendi Peters (Cilla Brown), and Roxanne Pallett (Jo Stiles), Sammy Winward (Katie Addyman) and Lucy Pargeter (Chastity Dingle) from 'Emmerdale'.

The contestants will have to sing live each week with Black judging their singing ability before viewers vote on the best performance. The winning act will win prize money for a charity of their choice.

Before beginning her television career, Black had a number of hits in the 60s including number ones with 'Anyone Who Had a Heart' and 'Alfie'.

Black believes she is perfectly placed to judge 'Soapstar Superstar'.

"Taking part in 'Soapstar Superstar' will be lots of fun, not least because I'm a huge soap fan but because I hope I can understand a little of what the performers are going through and guide and advise as best I can," she said.

Claudia Rosencrantz, commissioning controller ITV Entertainment, said: "As a self-confessed soap fan with 25 years in showbusiness, 15 studio albums, 37 singles and 18 collective years of presenting two of the countries best loved shows 'Blind Date' and 'Surprise Surprise', Cilla is uniquely placed to offer up her wealth of expertise, humour and honesty."

Black sensationally announced her decision to leave 'Blind Date' after 19 series in January 2003 during the show's first ever live edition.

http://www.brandrepublic.com/bulletins/media/article/530479/cilla-black-returns-itv-saturday-nights-soap-talent-show/

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1654328,00.html

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Surely this is Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes mixed with X-Factor and Soapstars?

It doesn't sound that good really!

Give me strength ....

What happened to all the pioneering, creative and entertaining variety of ITV programmes in the 60's and 70's. ITV4 is IMO the best ITV channel as they are currently showing the classic ITC shows produced during ITV's golden age. I didn't even see the shows when they were originally shown, but I know the difference between quality entertainment and unimagintive music shows on ITV1. What happened to the variety ITV?

So how many episodes do we think will be screened before it is dumped?

Here we go, ITV1 has good autumn schedule winning the ratings everynight with hit after hit. Hardly no mention.

News of a dodgy sounding show is announced, loads of people come out of the woodwork having a go at ITV.

This show just sounds like a pile of poo though - from the name to the format to the host. Was this programme idea on Alan Partridge's list after Monkey Tennis? Oh no, that was Celebrity Wrestling...

Not another crap show coming on ITV 1,

I wish they would get rid of the cheaply made shows. Also that F***ing reality Tv rubbish..

Who else thinks the same? Let's here your views.

Kind Regards
Skysportslee

Im glad Cilla is returning, however the show sounds rubbish to me - we have had enough of these types of shows already

I wonder if there is a room at ITV Towers which contains two deformed chimps who are given crayons and asked to write down their ideas for a new show? Just a thought!

On the subject of our Cilla, she should be given some kind of new Saturday night variety/entertainment show, without ******* celebs on it!

It may not be everybodys cup of tea, however I dare say it may well be very succesful.

Combining the likes of Celeb Fame Academy, Pop Idol, X-Factor with popular soap stars and a bit of Cilla Black. ITV are probably more in tune with their audience than some on here would like to think. The audience of 9m that laps up X-Factor & I'm A Celebrity and soaps over 10m. The success of these types of shows is not on the wane.

Perhaps its better that some just accept that ITV isn't for them and leave it at that. You don't have to watch and like everything on the channel.

Oh God, stop taking it so personally will you? ITV is not some poorly off baby that you need to cradle and protect, its a commercial television company. If YOU are happy with the quality of television that ITV provides then be satisfied with that and don't bother coming into each and every dissenting thread attempting to play the world's tiniest violin, because you know you will change very few minds.

Carry on like this and you'll send yourself to an early grave due to the astronomical blood pressure you seem to get everytime some not-justified-to-breathe-idiot says something on here.