Sir Michael Parkinson has died

A good interviewer who remembered why we have two ears and only one mouth.
RIP Sir.

The Parkinsons and Stephenson/Connolly family were close neighbours in Bray, with houses backing onto the river
Thanks FandE, that would explain why we once saw Parky in a Thames wooden skiff.

He was one of a kind. RIP.

Never the like we'll see again. RIP Sir Michael.

Sorry to hear this. We used to look forward to his interviews.

I remember an interview with Robbie Williams when MP was very empathetic about his truggles with drugs and mental health. It certainly changed my view of Robbie.

And then there were the ones that had us in fits of giggles too!
RIP, Sir Michael

Oh yes, he was brilliant. A good age, but sad to hear.

I think WDYTYA at 9pm, BBC, this evening has been replaced with a tribute to Michael Parkinson.

Won’t see his like again, RIP Sir Michael x

Callistemon21

I think WDYTYA at 9pm, BBC, this evening has been replaced with a tribute to Michael Parkinson.

Weirdly apt.

Parky had been approached to star in WDYTYA but his family was too boring!

Great interviewer. RIP

Louella12

Callistemon21

I think WDYTYA at 9pm, BBC, this evening has been replaced with a tribute to Michael Parkinson.

Weirdly apt.

Parky had been approached to star in WDYTYA but his family was too boring!

Great interviewer. RIP

I didn't know that!

I think he was great at interviewing men, but as previously mentioned he was very lewd with sexy younger women like Helen Mirren and Rachel Welch. Couldn't seem to get past their 'assets' as he called them. I didn't like that. Terry Wogan was able to interview absolutely anyone with no awkwardness whatever he was faced with!

I thought he was a great interviewer in the early stages but, latterly, as he became more of a "celebrity himself, I felt there was too much name-dropping and cosy chats with his friends re golf and the like, which I felt excluded the audience.

Also, I agree that some of his comments to female interviewees were a bit cringeworthy.

He was a great interviewer. So many memorable guests, especially Billy Connolly. I never tire of re-watching his interviews with Billy. Some of his interviews with women are uncomfortable to watch now but they were very much of their time. It's shocking to look back on such sexism. Thank goodness attitudes have changed since then.

The mould has been broken with his passing
No one presently on TV compares with his skill as an interviewer

RIP Parky

What a man, a wonderful journalist and I think Parky was the best show host ever, I loved him.

I did enjoy some of his programmes but felt uncomfortable when he was interviewing 'lovely ladies! Actually preferred Terry Wogan's interviews.

In the ‘80’s my 12 year old daughter’s school choir used to regularly attend the BBC to record radio programmes for schools, and were allowed to use the BBC canteen. One day she saw a familiar face and asked the man if he would sign a paper serviette for her. Taking it from her he smiled and asked “so, who am I?” “Des O’Conner”, she said and the Canteen erupted with laughter! But Parky signed it for her anyway🤣🤣

Michael Parkinson was so genial. Looking back on my life I realise that a bit more geniality on my part could have gone a long way to improving working relationships.

Wasn't he just the best? Always a great watch, he was just SO good at his job. A great loss.😥

He as has been said “ of his time “ like a lot of us he wouldnt fit now

I loved his chat with Muhamed Ali talking about Joe Frazier.

I am going to make myself very unpopular but firstly I think chat shows are boring and the genre should be consigned to history. I also wonder what the celebrities get paid for having a bit of a laugh and publicising their next film or book, etc. No doubt some ridiculous amount that as a licence payer I am subsidising.

I was staggered to see the recent headlines referring to Michael Parkinson as though he was the most sublime interviewer who ever walked the earth. Yes, his interviews with Muhammed Ali were very good but that was because of Muhammed Ali, not because of Michael Parkinson.

To be clear, I do realise that many people liked him so he performed a good service for them but I was never one of them.

I'm very glad I didn't see his interviews where he leered or made sexist remarks to Helen Mirren and Charlotte Church. It goes to show that how unprofessional he was - just a man with the usual mens' weaknesses, not some kind of patron saint of the interview. This is exactly how Jonathan Ross treated Helen Mirren on his own show and he was never a brilliant interviewer either.

Maybe I am in a minority among women but I find it distasteful and disrespectful to them to watch men leering and fawning over the women they interview, work with or fancy and I for one can live without it. What happened to subtlety and wit?

Returning to Michael Parkinson can we please keep things in proportion? He may have been the best interviewer of celebrities in his day and his shows may have been entertaining to many but he wasn't some kind of god who will never be surpassed. He got the idea of the chat show genre from America and once he had finally persuaded a TV channel to run with it with him as the front man it took off and he must have made a fortune out of it.

Sadly, I can't really think of anyone who's a good interviewer these days. Maybe Andrew Neil as politicians seem to be afraid to be interviewed by him. Victoria Derbyshire is not bad on Newsnight and I loved Emma Barnett but she seems to have disapeared.

The best interview I ever saw was David Frost interviewing Anna Raeburn. He was completely hopeless. He just couldn't cope with her swift answers and fierce challenges to his patronising notion of women and womanhood. She not only put him in his place but she absolutely wiped the floor with him. Brilliant!

I watched Parky at 50 last night on bbc1 and laughed so much, I had forgotten how much I missed his shows and some of the funniest people he interviewed.
He was a presenter of his time and a good one.

Surprised you saw any of the interviews Ramblingrose22 after your first sentence. I don’t watch things that I think are boring. Why would you?

I don't disagree Rambling Rose, I used to watch chat shows but have gone off celebrity culture I too find them quite boring, although I do like Graham Norton I haven't watched him of late. Michael Parkinson certainly had a certain amount of gravitas compared with Jonathan Ross say who was prone to making all manner of lascivious, crass remarks to female guests, that was when he wasn't interrupting with anecdotes about his own domestic set up especially as regards to his dogs in particular. MP was undoubtedly far more professional and I did enjoy some of his interviews but I think there was a detectable amount of subliminal sexism going on when he interviewed younger female personalities. I hated the way Charlotte Church's emergence from childhood to teen years, when she was still so, so young, was put under scrutiny by the media per se, so I would have expected him to swerve that quite honestly. Who would want that time of their life picked over when like many of one's peer group, you are on a learning curve and sometimes lacking in sound judgement. I'm glad she's managed to build a life for herself away from the spotlight.

Chat shows are often a platform for guests to promote their new film, record, book, which I imagine is a contractual obligation rather than a pleasure as demonstrated by a sometimes sour faced actor or two. There have been guests on MP who have been really good raconteurs, aside from the wonderfully funny, Billy Connelly I would include Tom Hanks and the off the wall and sadly missed Robin Williams.