Michael Parkinson

Michael Parkinson

Born:	28 March 1935 Cudworth, Yorks, England
Occupation:	Journalist and television personality
Spouse:	Mary Heneghan
Children:	Andrew, Nicholas and Michael
Website:	Parkinson

Michael Parkinson CBE (born 28 March, 1935) is an English journalist and television presenter. He is most famous for presenting his eponymous interview programme, Parkinson.

Background

Parkinson, or "Parky" as he is familiarly known, was born in Cudworth near Barnsley, Yorkshire. The son of a miner, he was educated at Barnsley Grammar School. He began as a journalist on local newspapers, and his Yorkshire background and accent remain an important part of his appeal. He also worked as a reporter on the Manchester Guardian and later on the Daily Express in London.

He is married to Mary, who herself briefly presented Parkinson in the 1970s.

Television career

During the 1960s, he moved into television, working on current affairs programmes for both the BBC and Manchester-based Granada Television and then followed a vast career. The British Film Institute has an extensive overview and filmography of Parkinson's work. Parkinson holds a prolific 451 credits as a presenter on his own and teamed with others.

From 1969, he introduced a film review programme, before moving on to become a chat show host and a household name in the United Kingdom. Parkinson is best known for hosting his well-known show Parkinson. The show has been very successful and aired from 1971 to present day. Parkinson has interviewed over 1,000 of the world's most famous people. He has said that he only suffered from celebrity shock once: when he interviewed his childhood hero, Keith Miller on the show.^{[citation needed]} In October 2003, Parkinson had a controversial interview with Meg Ryan on his talk show, whilst she was in the United Kingdom to promote In the Cut. He later commented that it was his most difficult television moment.^[1] His one professional regret was that he never got to interview Frank Sinatra.

In 1992, Parkinson appeared as himself in the television drama Ghostwatch. He was the studio link during a fictional, apparently live, paranormal investigation. However, the cinéma vérité style in which it was shot led to many complaints from BBC viewers, who believed it had depicted real events. From 1995 to 1999, he hosted the popular BBC One daytime programme Going for a Song. He again plays himself in Richard Curtis' 2003 romantic comedy, Love Actually, interviewing the character Billy Mack, who is played by Bill Nighy. From 31st January to 3rd February 2007, Parkinson presented "Symphony at the Movies" at the Sydney Opera House, where he shared stories about his interviews with movie stars, and introduced music from some of his favourite films.

Parkinson was made a CBE in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours List. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, Parkinson was ranked 8th ^[2]. In April 2006, Parkinson was awarded the prestigious Honorary Patronage of the University Philosophical Society. He was also voted number 20 in ITV's "TV's 50 Greatest Stars".

Other work

Parkinson also presents a Sunday morning show on BBC Radio 2, which features a newspaper and entertainment round-up (with the help of various journalists) and a lengthy interview with a media personality. These are interspersed with music that demonstrates his penchant for jazz and big-band arrangements. In the past he has presented a mid-morning programme on London's LBC Newstalk 97.3FM. He was responsible for "discovering" jazz pianist Jamie Cullum, among others.

In the 1980s, Parkinson wrote a series of children's books called The Woofits about a family of anthropomorphic dog-like creatures who lived in the fictional Yorkshire coal-mining village of Grimeworth. The books led to a TV series, which he narrated. He was one of the original line-up of TV-am, together with Angela Rippon, Anna Ford and Robert Kee, who were all eventually replaced with younger talent. Parkinson took over BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in 1985, after the death of its creator, Roy Plomley. He stayed for three years until handing over to Sue Lawley. He also took over as host of Thames Television's Give Us a Clue from Michael Aspel.

In other sectors, Parkinson is one of the figures on the cover of the Wings album Band on the Run. In 2005, Parkinson made a guest appearance with comedian Peter Kay on the music video of the re-released song and soon to be number 1 single; Is This the Way to Amarillo for Comic Relief. He is a keen cricket fan, and in 1990 hosted a World XI team against Yorkshire ^[3]. His other involvements in sport include writing a column for the Daily Telegraph and hosting a discussion programme on BBC Radio Five Live.

In popular culture

• Parkinson's presenting techniques were spoofed by Alistair McGowan on the show Big Impression.

• He has also been impersonated by Jon Culshaw on the comedy show Dead Ringers, where during sketches, Culshaw portrays Parkinson interviewing members of the general public at bus stops and other everyday locations.

Notes

Wikipedia information about Michael Parkinson This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Michael Parkinson". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.