Cripes! We genuinely thought that the twinkly-eyed, chamois-faced crooner had gone off to join the God he’s so enthusiastic about, peddling pensionertainment and skipping with Jesus in the petrol station bargain bin in the sky. But no, turns out he’s been getting together with his old band buddies to moisten the gussets of octogenarians everywhere.  The recent Reunited tour has instigated – with a weary and slightly depressing sense of inevitability – the release of Cliff Richard and the Shadows – The Final Reunion on DVD. Just in time for Christmas, too, eh? Whooduv thunkkit.

Mistletoe and Whine

Not that we’re knocking Cliff, of course (who’ll naturally be too wrapped up in devout celebration to be whooping it up at the amount of lucre his latest DVD has snagged him), though we’re tempted – also naturally – to chalk this up to a niche audience release. Oh, how wrong and foolishly wrong we are. ‘Cause Cliff isn’t niche – he’s bafflingly massive. The DVD is already at number 7 in the charts.

This blast of popularity may well be due to the fact that the show is the last time we’ll be seeing Cliff and the Shadows together (we secretly reckon Sir Cliff had them all drowned after the final concert). If you’re a fan, we’re guessing that this is something well worth seeing. All the old classics are there, like, y’know… that one about Young Ones, and dolls that come to life to cry and walk at you.

Happy Christmas, Grandma

And yes, as a fan, you won’t be disappointed, but this is primarily a fan release. Otherwise, this has no more interest than a Grandma-friendly gift that highlights, with great alacrity, your crushing lack of imagination. For God’s sake, don’t let her put it on after the Queen’s Speech, either.

Special Features

The Special Edition features (snigger) a free Cliff Richard Pocket Diary.