Sir Michael Parkinson remembered as ‘the most outstanding interviewer of his generation’

foreign Parkinson had talents you couldn't teach doing what many interviewers don't he listened I'm not going to argue with you you're not as dumb as you look interviewing Muhammad Ali was Park he famously said up there with his grades he was the most remarkable man I ever met I mean he really was he wasn't just a great prize fighter possibly the greatest fighter has been he was an extraordinary human being and also too I mean we had a confrontation on screen which which was quite difficult I mean sitting next to a jockey who was interested I was angry with he was one thing to sit next to somebody who's still in a world heavyweight champion he's quite another thing Parkinson's friends say his warmth wasn't just for the cameras well he was a friend and he listened to everybody that was the thing my you when when he was when we were together then he was a good chatter and I was a listener welcome please the Prime Minister Tony Blair for decades Millions spent Saturday nights with Parkinson politicians and pop stars always grateful for the air time David is uh I call them Golden Balls you know now interviewing more than 2 000 guests on his show people told Parky things even the guarded became unguarded what was the problem why didn't they like you you know when you're married to the royal family you marry and you understand the rules perhaps I didn't understand the rules and I pushed against them the son of a coal miner from Barnsley Parkinson's senior was determined that his son would not follow him down the pit so he began his career making news and the tea in journalism but I can't imagine you in the Army you're a sergeant as well his gentle but probing style set as standard for TV chat shows some moments became as famous as him take George Michael after that incident in public toilet the pop star gave his first interview to Parkinson my mom would allow me to stay up Beyond a certain time in the evening only to watch the Parkinson's jokes she probably wouldn't have been quite as quite as thrilled I had to take my willy out to get on here some encounters were famously more Awkward like this interview with Meg Ryan if you and me what would you do now well I just wrap it up more than 20 years later Parkinson offered an apology to the actor and admitted neither of them were quote on top form there were moments of levity too most people shouldn't mix puppets and TV but Parky pulled it off from Comedy to sincerity Parkinson had range and depth the broadcaster passed away last night surrounded by his family after a brief illness so Michael Parkinson was a star who made his guests the most important people in the room from all of us here a very good night good night many Steven some of that report well I'm joined Now by Lord grade former chair of the BBC's Board of Governors he was also chief executive Channel 4 Michael grade Lord grade good to have you on the program you knew Michael Parkinson well the other Michael what was his particular Talent at interviewing well he combined a brilliant uh training as a journalist which brought him the right questions to ask but secondly he was interested in conversation which seems to be a dying art today uh he he and he he's never more he was never more at ease than interviewing people he admired he would have had no track today with celebrity people who are sort of famous for two or three days on a front page of a tabloid or social media or whatever he was interested in people's talent and he revered talent and he wanted that talent to be able to express itself so he listened and he projected gently indeed that's what everyone seems to be saying but he wasn't falling either was he not not remotely but he knew he knew the weak points that the interviewee uh might might feel sensitive about and he'd find a way through it to lead them into it generally put them at their ease and realize that he wasn't a sensation mugger he was interested in their point of view he was it knew that the audience wanted the answers to the difficult questions then he found a way to to to to coax them into feeling comfortable without talking about difficult things do you think that Talent of gently coaxing people into sometimes difficult answers has been lost in the art of Television interviews I'm not sure it's been lost I'm not sure the audience has got patience for it anymore you know he was a landmark television uh piece of the Saturday night schedule for the decades uh and people made an appointment for you because they enjoyed intelligent entertaining conversation and it I hate this term Chat Show he wasn't a chat show host he's a conversationalist and uh audiences really appreciated that these days we're on a 30-second Tick Tock uh attention span got a chance and you mentioned it there I mean people tuned in to watch him in their Millions I mean that was the Golden Era of Television wasn't it when literally the entire nation could meet around the water cooler whatever it was in the pub the next day and talk about that interview well there were only three or four channels in these days I'm old enough to remember that I even remember cash going back that far um but he uh he was a landmark you know Saturday night at BBC you know with the generation game Two Ronnies all creatures great and small Kojak and then Master them parking that was your that was that was a whole night for the whole family as a TV executive do you miss that era no time to move on I'm an old geezer now and uh time to move on and and and and time to change what's certain is that his legacy will never be forgotten because that catalog of uh uh cans of tape that sit on the shelf or sit digitally somewhere uh are a remarkable record of popular entertainment and popular wisdom of the late 20th century and uh it's it's priceless priceless and very briefly Michael Gray Mike sorry not Michael Michael Parkinson rather on air and off air same personality the same person oh absolutely he was who he was uh he was that was his great skill he was natural yeah uh he was he was proud of his Yorkshire he put Barnsley on the map uh he was a fine writer a fine journalist a fine interviewer and a very fine human being Michael grade thank you very much indeed

Channel: Channel 4 News

Views: 66,137

Keywords: sir michael parkinson, parkinson, talk show host, talk show, journalist, television, chat show, michael parkison, michael parkinson dead, news, today’s news

Id: Bq_l2lPmdcI

Length: 7min 25sec (445 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 17 2023