The legendary talk show host interviewed the world’s biggest stars.
Michael Parkinson is one of the BBC’s most iconic faces. PDO
Familiar from British television Michael Parkinson is dead. He was 88 years old.
– After a short illness, Sir Michael Parkinson died peacefully at home last night, in the presence of his family, the press release said.
Parkinson began his career in newspapers, but later ended up in television. A hugely popular talk show Parkinson started on the BBC in 1971 and ran for over ten years, until 1982. The show was on hiatus, but returned to screens again between 1998 and 2007.
Parkinson in 1977. PDO
Parkinson is arguably one of the best talk show hosts and interviewers of all time. He was appreciated by his colleagues, but also popular with those who visited the program. Parkinson got the biggest public figures in various fields on his program.
Parkinson got to interview the world’s biggest stars. Nicole Kidman visited Parkinson in 2001. PDO
Parkinson’s style was that he did not grill the guests, but asked questions in a relaxed manner and often allowed the interviewees to speak without interruption. Guardian notes that it often led interviews to interesting careers, such as flirting with Shirley MacLaine and confronting boxer Muhammad Ali.
Orson Welles wanted the planned questions thrown in the corner so the two could actually talk. Parkinson agreed to the request.
According to Parkinson’s own estimate, he had time to interview more than 2,000 famous people during his career, including Elton John, Tom Cruise, Madonna and Robert De Niro.
In 2008, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Parkinson for his work in front of the television.
Michael Parkinson as photographed in 2022. PDO