The most incredible thing about Cilla (ITV) was her voice.

This three-part biopic of Cilla Black's life was smooth and charming. There was no great drama or superstar tantrums from her and so the most remarkable moments came when she stepped up to the microphone. Belting out Anyone Who Had A Heart she was fantastic but then you stop and remember this isn't actually Cilla singing - it's Sheridan Smith in a bouffant orange wig and false teeth. But what a singer she is, and what a song. I loved it but can't quite bring myself to purchase it. Can I actually type 'cilla black' into iTunes? Won't my account be automatically disabled if I do such a thing?

To people of my generation the only thing we've heard Cilla sing is the awful theme tune to Surprise, Surprise, so it was strange to be reminded that she was once a genuinely good singer, getting to Number 1, rubbing shoulders with The Beatles and setting forth to conquer America.

That's why I was so keen to watch Cillla: apparently there was more to her than silly Saturday night TV. She used to hang around with Our Ringo, not Our Graham. It was like finding out your daft old auntie used to be a burlesque dancer. You suddenly see her in a new light and want to find out more. This series was a prompt to us all to reconsider Cilla Black and perhaps give her a bit more respect.

Her story is a classic rags to riches tale. She started out as a poor girl from 'the Scotty Road' in Liverpool where her highest achievement is to be deemed fit for office work. Bored with typing she lets her hair down at the weekends, screaming and bouncing at the Cavern Club and is often pushed onstage to belt out a song or two. One night she is spotted by Brian Epstein and that is where Cilla - the show, not the woman - becomes interesting.

The murky character of Epstein gives this series its lifeblood. Without this elegant, mysterious, tormented man, Cilla was just a chirpy 1960s version of an X-Factor story: local gal wins a record deal, gets a few Number Ones, enjoys the high life, then settles down to presenting light TV shows. She experiences no real upset apart from minor tiffs with her boyfriend and the stress of trying to 'make it' in America. There are no mad affairs or drug abuse and not a single hotel room is trashed. The drama comes solely from Brian Epstein, played by Ed Stoppard. He only had a minimal role in the first episode, and there was a definite upswing when he becomes more prominent in parts 2 and 3.

A rich and refined man he sticks out like a sore thumb in the damp streets of Liverpool or the sweaty Cavern Club. He is also gay which, in those days, was still taboo. He is forced to live a secret life and resort to sexual encounters with strangers which often leads to bruises and black eyes. Behind his sharp suits, posh accent and classy demeanour is a frightened man who throws himself into work to distract from his tattered personal life.

As Cilla's career grows she feels ready to break with Epstein but when she announces her intention to quit him he breaks down, weeping and clutching at her, begging her to stay. 'Please don't leave me,' he says. 'The boys [The Beatles] are drifting away from me. If I lose you I'll have nothing.' She agrees to discuss it with him in the morning but, that night, he dies. He is found dead in bed, having taken an overdose of sleeping pills and it's never made clear if it was suicide or an accident.

So the most interesting and moving part of the Cilla story had little to do with Cilla. This was really the Brian Epstein story with a cheeky Scouse bird with brilliant red hair thrown in for entertainment purposes. Cilla's story, although pleasant and heart-warming, wouldn't have been able to stand alone as a three-part series. It needed the torment of Epstein and various odd appearances from The Beatles to prop it up.

If ITV wanted to dramatise the life of a 60s British female singer then why on earth didn't they choose Dusty Springfield? I'm reading a biography of her just now and she used to order boxes of crockery to her dressing room just so she could hurl them at the wall in fury. Now that would make for some good watching! But perhaps Dusty's life is just too controversial for Monday night ITV involving, as it does, lesbianism, mental illness, death and the Pet Shop Boys. A potent mix, but wouldn't you be sure to tune in?