The highs and lows of a music icon
Sir Cliff Richard: 60 Years In Public And In Private ITV, 9pm
HE is not be a young one any more, but Sir Cliff Richard still has the enthusiasm and energy of a 25-year-old.and if there’s one man who should have plenty of reasons to blow his own trumpet, it would be him. When you’ve released more than 100 singles and 50 albums, all slotted into six decades of popular music, and been knighted for services to showbusiness, surely you’re entitled to boast a little about your superstar status.
But the most immodest thing you’re likely to hear
Sir Cliff utter is, “I’m good at what I do.”
He’s still down to earth, articulate, polite and, most important of all, still in love with a fickle industry that has seen younger, less determined pretenders to the throne fall by the wayside.
Certainly, modern performers such as Ed Sheeran or George Ezra could do worse than take a leaf out of his book.
The people who help keep him going are Sir Cliff’s ever-faithful fans – and they’re not all women of a certain age.
Of course there are those who’ve been with him since his hip-swinging days in the 1960s when he made hearts melt with his boyish charm and slicked-back quiff, but there’s also a whole new generation singing along with more recent hits such as I Just Don’t Have the Heart, Mistletoe and Wine – the best-selling single of 1988 – Millennium Prayer and My Pretty One.
Born in India on October 14, 1940, his first love was sport. When his family settled back in England in 1948 he took up football and javelin throwing.
His interest in sport remains today, with his passion for tennis well-publicised. He was once reported as saying, “If I’m in the middle of hitting a most fantastic cross-court backhand top-spin and someone says
‘Can you stop now and have sex’ I’ll say: ‘No thanks!’”
Unfortunately, during the past few years Sir Cliff has been embroiled in a court case with the BBC.
During the summer, it was revealed he had won his battle for damages against the broadcaster. It seemed as if any professional relationship he had had with the Beeb had then come to an end
But he was asked to record a gig at the BBC Radio Theatre last month as part of its Radio 2 In Concert series and agreed to do it, but unfortunately he had to pull out through illness.
Nevertheless, he’s entrusted ITV with this documentary, which takes a look at his period in the limelight – 2018 marks the 60th anniversary of the release of his first hit single, Move It.
Despite recent problems getting his songs played on certain radio stations, Sir Cliff remains huge, selling out concerts across the globe.
He recently released Rise Up, his first studio album of original material for 14 years – and fans will be pleased to hear that the Peter Pan of pop certainly isn’t ready to hang up his microphone just yet.
“I often say ‘when is it all going to end?’ Is it possible to still be making records, and having hits, when
I’m 90?”
If he were a betting man...